Leeds Festival organisers have announced delays and at least two stage closures on Friday the 23rd due to Storm Lilian. The main acts of the festival were meant to commence today at 11am, but the festival have announced that the main arena will not open on schedule. In addition, any acts set to perform on either BBC Radio 1 Stage or the Aux Stage have been cancelled.
The Aux Stage, newly rebranded for 2024, was focused on digital content creators and featured a mix of live podcasts, interactive talks, and performances. Some of the scheduled acts included The Chravas (content creators), Things I Wish My Mum Told Me (self-help podcast), and the M1 Podcast.
The BBC Radio 1 stage is one of the festival’s primary stages, featuring a mix of well-known and emerging artists across various genres. As part of both the Reading and Leeds Festivals, this stage is known for hosting major performances from popular artists, often serving as a stepping stone to headlining the main stage in future years.
This year it was meant to show artists such as Beabadoobee, James Marriott, Destroy Boys, Good Neighbours, and Felix Ames.
As reported by NME, in response to the news of the stage closure, Beabadoobee posted on X, telling fans:
I had a whole outfit planned. Well I’ll see u guys at reading!!! I’ll b back in Leeds soon I hope sorry about this guys I love you !!!!.
At 9am this morning, Leeds Festival organisers took to X in a post to festival-goers stating: “We’re urging you to stay in your tents if you are onsite and feel safe to do so. If you are in your car, please remain there. If you are not yet at the festival site, please delay your arrival. We’re expecting it to ease up at 10am and we will update you in 30 minutes. Your safety is our number one priority. Remember to look out for each other.”
It is unsurprising that Leeds is acting with caution as the festival is one of the UK’s largest and most popular, attended by over 100,000 people each year.
The festival typically takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend and runs in conjunction with its sister festival, Reading Festival, which is held at Richfield Avenue in Reading. Both festivals share the same lineup, with artists performing on alternate days at each location.
