Festival workers evacuate and shut down the Kinetic stage due to high winds during night 2 of EDC, Saturday May 18, 2019.
Published Sunday, May 19, 2019 | 7:11 a.m.
Updated Sunday, May 19, 2019 | 2:59 p.m.
High winds shut down several stages at the Electric Daisy Carnival music festival early today at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, according to organizers.
“We are experiencing high winds and as a precaution have shut down a couple of stages at this time,” read a tweet sent out by EDC at 2:14 a.m. “We are actively monitoring the situation but we are not evacuating the venue.”
About 15 minutes later, organizers, in another tweet, told attendees who may have left that they could make their way back in the speedway. “Please let us know if you have any issues re-entering the festival and we will work swiftly to get you back in.”
“The safety of all (attendees), staff and crew is our top priority. In conjunction with public safety officials, we will continue to monitor the weather and take the necessary precautions to ensure (concertgoers) have a safe and fun experience at EDC Las Vegas,” event organizers said in a statement.
The Las Vegas Valley was under wind advisories from 12 a.m. until 8 p.m. Sunday, with winds expected to blow between 25 and 30 mph, and possibly gust at 50 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
In a video shared on Twitter by @guettapennews, a man took to the microphone at one of the stages and instructed concertgoers to head to the nearest exit. “Please find shelter in your car or any available indoor space. Due to high winds we need to evacuate the venue,” he said. “Please walk calmly to the nearest exit and the staff will guide you.”
Music continued past 2:30 a.m., according to the festival’s livestream.
Furthermore, 14 people were arrested at the venue between 6 p.m. Saturday and 4 a.m. today, according to Metro Police.
The three-day electronic dance music festival was expected to draw about 150,000 attendees each day, the Nevada Highway Patrol said. It wraps up Monday morning.
