The gates to Pitchfork Music Festival reopened shortly after 5:45 p.m. on Saturday following an hourlong weather evacuation.
Organizers told fans to “stay tuned” for updated set times after the delay.
We have re-opened the gates to the festival. You can enter at the main gate on Ashland or on Ogden/Washington. Stay tuned for set time updates.
— Pitchfork Music Festival Chicago (@pitchforkfest) July 22, 2023
The word went out at 4:40 p.m. asking festivalgoers to evacuate Union Park due to ominous clouds and the threat of lightning. By 5 p.m. rain was also falling.
Vagabon’s delayed afternoon set was just underway when the announcement came over the park’s sound system calling a halt to everything and asking festival goers to head to the exits and steer clear of metal fencing and stages.
Earlier in the day, the fest’s opening sets’ schedule was also affected by a weather delay, with Palm’s set canceled and delayed start times on sets by Black Belt Eagle Scout and others.
The Pitchfork Music festival came to an abrupt pause early Saturday afternoon as stormy clouds loomed in the distance near Union Park despite sunny skies.
Festival organizers opted to err on the side of caution and delayed a set by Palm scheduled for 1:45 p,m. and another by 700 Bilss at 2:30, while security personnel kept fans clear of all stages and other metal structures. Entry to the park was not paused, so fans could enter and visit the merchandise and vendor areas.
Crew members also asked fans to step away from all metal rails and pathways near the production tents and move toward the center of the park.
Signage at the park informed fans of the delay and the message was related to the public via the Pitchfork app: “We are waiting for lightning strikes in the area to clear. Music will resume again as soon as possible.”
