The Pohoda Festival in Slovakia was forced to end prematurely after a severe storm hit the festival site, causing one of the festival’s large tents, Aréna Slovenskej sporiteľne, to collapse. The incident left 29 attendees injured, with almost 30,000 people present at the festival. While the majority of the injuries were minor, one individual sustained a hip fracture. All those injured were sent to a nearby hospital for treatment. A criminal investigation was launched by Slovakian police following the collapse, which occurred on July 9, 2021.
Earlier in the day, the weather was cautioned with performances by Morcheeba and Royal Blood being cancelled for safety reasons. Festival-goers were instructed to avoid standing near the tent’s poles due to the potential threat of lightning, but many still sought shelter from the storm in the tent. After the mishap, the organisers chose to end the festival citing the time it would take to inspect all structures.
The Slovakian bank Slovenská sporiteľňa, which had sponsored the tent, paid for additional buses to transport people off the site. Furthermore, some of the artists opted to waive their pay to help the festival financially.
In 2009, the Pohoda Festival faced a similar situation when a tent collapsed due to heavy winds, killing two people and injuring numerous others. The firm responsible for constructing the tent was charged with public endangerment and was required to compensate the festival for damages
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