Winstock Country Music Festival took place over the weekend in Winstead, Minnesota, but faced mishaps and mayhem as storms blew through and the festival grounds flooded. Vehicles had to be towed out of nearly three inches of rain at campsites, but, according to a report from KVRR, the festival has dealt with this before.
Videos by American Songwriter
Apparently, storms and flooding have occurred in the past at the Winstock Country Music Festival. The festival has a team of local farmers on hand for times like these, who use their tractors to tow cars from the flooded grounds.
In addition to flooding, two artists had to cancel their sets due to the rain. Sara Evans and Jake Turner weren’t able to take the stage on Saturday, June 15. However, performances resumed around 5 p.m. that evening, although Jon Pardi was forced to cut his set short because of further storms.
[RELATED: The Death of Music Festivals as We Know It Could Be Closer Than You Think]
Mishaps and Cancelations Plague Music Festivals Lately
In other country music festival news, Kickoff Jam was canceled in Panama City Beach, Florida, with festival organizers issuing a statement and refunds. According to the statement, organizers found success with Gulf Coast Jam after Memorial Day, and “we realized the weekend after Memorial Day is a much better time to host a festival. So, we are going to cancel Kickoff Jam and provide refunds.”
Music festivals in general are in decline, with other cancelations this year including Lucidity Fest, Sudden Little Frills Fest, Moonrise Festival, Lollapalooza Paris, Lovers & Friends Fest, and Firefly Music Festival.
Allegedly, the rising cost of tickets is a major contributing factor to why festivals are being canceled. Fans just can’t afford it anymore, and inflation is causing more problems than ever for leisure activities nowadays. Additionally, the weather could also influence organizers’ decisions to cancel shows. Climate change is ravaging the globe, making summers hotter than ever, which is when many festivals are scheduled.
Could music festivals be on the verge of extinction? If prices keep rising and the earth keeps getting warmer, it’s possible that no one will be interested in either attending or even performing at festivals anymore.
(Photo by David A. Smith/Getty Images)
