Leeds Festival Stages Shut Down as Storm Lilian Hits

High winds caused by Storm Lilian have forced the closure of two stages at Leeds Festival, disrupting the start of the annual music event. Organisers urged attendees to "stay in their tents" as gusts reached 60mph, with the arena at Bramham Park remaining closed at 11:00 BST.

The BBC Radio 1 stage and the Aux stage were also shut down for the day, with no performances scheduled. Festival organisers, posting on X (formerly known as Twitter), said they hoped the winds would subside soon and the site would reopen "as soon as possible".

"We remain hopeful that everything else will continue as planned and that we will still have an amazing weekend," they stated, adding that further updates would be provided.

The cancellation of performances by artists such as Beabadoobee, Ashnikko and Artemas remained unclear. However, Beabadoobee expressed her disappointment on social media, suggesting her set had been cancelled, and offered her apologies to fans.

Singer-songwriter Alfie Templeman also voiced his frustration, stating that his scheduled performance at Leeds had been cancelled due to the stage closures. He promised to make up for the missed performance as soon as possible.

Festival organisers had previously advised attendees to "look out for each other", highlighting the priority of safety during the storm. With a yellow wind warning in place until 11:00 BST, the Met Office had urged campers to secure their tents.

The Met Office warned of potential travel disruption, dangerous road conditions, and power cuts across the country as Storm Lilian raged. However, the storm was expected to ease in intensity by the afternoon, pushing off into the North Sea.

Greg Dewhurst, a Met Office forecaster, warned of strong winds expected to sweep across the country, particularly in the Leeds Festival area during the early morning hours. He urged attendees to secure their tents, noting that winds of 50 to 60mph could cause damage.

Network Rail confirmed it was closely monitoring the potential impact of the storm on the rail network, with teams on hand to implement necessary measures for safe and reliable train operations.

Roads surrounding Bramham Park, located between Aberford and Thorner, are closed for the duration of the festival.

Approximately 90,000 attendees are expected at Bramham Park over the bank holiday weekend, marking the 25th anniversary of Leeds Festival. Liam Gallagher, Catfish and the Bottlemen, and 21 Savage are among the acts scheduled to perform on the main stage on Friday.