Weather contingency for open airs: the plan we write before we book
Wind, not rain, is what stops a show. The decisions that matter are made weeks before the forecast exists - and written down, so nobody has to be brave at two in the morning.
Write the thresholds before you need them
The plan has to name numbers and a person. At which wind speed do the LED walls come down, at which do you clear the stage, who decides, and who tells the audience. Fixed in advance, in writing, agreed with the structural engineer and the authority.
A threshold decided in the moment is decided by whoever most wants the show to continue. That is the wrong person.
Wind is the binding constraint
Rain costs you comfort and bar revenue. Wind costs you the structure. Anything with a surface - LED, banners, roof, tents - turns into a sail, and the load rises faster than the wind speed.
Know the certified limits of every temporary structure on site and keep the paperwork where the safety officer can reach it, not in an inbox.
The chain of communication
One weather source, one person reading it, one channel for decisions. Multiple people watching different apps produces contradictory calls under pressure.
Pre-write the audience messages. Delay, evacuation and cancellation texts drafted in advance, ready for the screens, the PA and the channels. Nobody writes well while a storm front moves in.
What it costs to be wrong in each direction
Stopping early costs money and goodwill. Stopping late costs people. Build the plan so the cheap mistake is the one that is easy to make.
Talk to insurance and the artists about cancellation terms before the contracts are signed. A force majeure clause read for the first time on the day is not a plan.
Rehearse it once
Walk the plan with the people who would execute it: production, security, stage management, bar leads. Where does the audience go, who opens which gate, who carries a radio, what does the PA say.
Ten minutes of walking it finds the gaps that a document hides - a locked gate, a route through a service area, a radio channel nobody monitors.
After the decision
A stopped show is not over. Refund policy, communication to ticket buyers, artist settlement and insurance notification all follow, and they are far easier when the terms were agreed before the season.
Tell the audience something true and quickly. Silence during a weather stop is what turns an inconvenience into anger.
What actually stops an open air - rain or wind?
Wind. Rain reduces comfort and spend; wind loads every surface on site and is what forces a stage to be cleared.
Who decides to stop a show?
One named person, against thresholds written down in advance with the structural engineer and the authority. Deciding in the moment puts the call with whoever most wants to continue.