Slovakia’s Pohoda Festival forced to cancel after tent collapse leaves 29 injured

Slovakia’s Pohoda Festival was forced to cancel the remainder of its performances after a tent stage collapsed and injured 29 attendees. 

On Friday night (July 12), local reports revealed strong winds and a severe storm had caused one of the festival’s tents – Aréna Slovenskej sporitel’ne – to collapse with festival-goers inside.

Following the collapse, which saw 28 guests treated for minor injuries and one for a more severe fractured hip, organisers opted to cancel the rest of the festival.

Some 30,000 people had attended the festival, which was held near Trenčín Airfield (around 59 miles from Bratislava) with dates originally scheduled from July 11-13.

The line-up featured international artists such as Peggy Gou, James Blake, Skepta, Pendulum, Royal Blood and more.

Earlier on Friday, performances from Royal Blood and Morcheeba were cancelled for safety reasons.

In a statement, Pohoda Festival said: “Based on the available information, inspecting all the structures could not be completed in less than 24 hours, which makes it impossible to continue with the festival programme.

“The safety of our guests is our priority, and therefore we believe that our decision, made with great regret, will be understood by everyone.”

Those camping were allowed to stay onsite overnight, with organisers providing a basic supply of food and drink while the centre of the venue remained closed.

According to a report from NME, this is not the first time Pohoda Festival (pictured in 2017) has witnessed events unfold due to severe weather. In 2009, two people died and dozens of others were injured after a tent collapsed due to heavy wind and a thunderstorm.

The firm behind the construction of the tent that year was Laudauer-Weihnachtscircus, which was charged with public endangerment and forced to pay £28,000 (€33,000/$36,000) to the festival in damages.