Live events have always danced with the weather, but today’s extremes — blistering heatwaves, sudden storms and unpredictable winds — are rewriting the rules. From concert tours to mega-music festivals, climate change is reshaping the live entertainment industry, creating challenges but also opportunities to innovate and build resilience.

Severe weather can strike fast. In July 2025, the Steve Miller Band canceled its U.S. summer tour due to sweltering heatwaves and unexpected flooding that affected concert locations.1 The band joined a long list of live outdoor events, including the Outlaw Music Festival in Oklahoma,2 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Tennessee3 and the Soundside Music Festival in Connecticut,4 that were canceled, rescheduled or interrupted by weather conditions.

Outdoor events have shown that preparation isn’t optional, but essential to ensuring success, making it imperative to develop emergency preparedness plan before severe weather strikes.

Severe weather event planning starts with plans

Effective weather planning starts long before storm clouds gather, or temperatures rise. The plan will depend on several factors, including location, access, structures, guests and staff, each carrying needs in case of a weather emergency.

And each type of disruptive weather has its own risks. A simple rain shower can disrupt an outdoor event. Severe convective storms can produce hail, lightning strikes, high winds and tornadoes, causing extensive physical damage and putting lives in jeopardy.

Proper planning for these events includes proper water drainage, clear evacuation protocols and designating shelter. Preparation includes weather monitoring and a communications plan to inform attendees about what to do in case weather disrupts a live event.

5 steps toward successful live event contingency planning

Behind any efforts to prepare for weather-related disruptions is a thoughtful severe weather risk management plan. Such a plan needs to be communicated and rehearsed to ensure a successful and safe show.

Here’s five essential steps for constructing a severe weather management plan:

  1. Identify potential threats: Heavy rain, thunderstorms, wind, hail and lightning each carry unique risks. Know the different types of weather threats, the damage each can cause and primary mitigation measures to minimize damage.
  1. Establish a chain of command and a command center. Determine how many and who should participate in the decision-making group and identify one person who has the final show stop authority. Everyone should know who has the authority to pause, modify or cancel the event. At the same time, a central hub monitors threats and guides decision-making for those in command. The command center must monitor potential weather threats and have clear guidelines for action if a potential situation becomes active.
  1. Create trigger charts: Specific weather conditions should trigger predetermined actions, removing guesswork in high-pressure situations. This venue- and location-specific decision guide should be reviewed at pre-event meetings and rehearsed to familiarize all staff. The trigger chart in our Weather Preparedness Toolkit for Live Events outlines possible risk-mitigation actions to take in response to impending severe weather.
  1. Leverage expert resources: Weather forecasting applications that most people have on their mobile devices provide very limited information and should not be relied upon to make decisions related to the live event. Instead, live event organizers should consider contracting with a private weather monitoring service or local meteorologists to develop their severe weather contingency plan and provide more comprehensive forecasting information.
  1. Get the most out of technology and apps. Technology can keep live events running smoothly, especially with unexpected weather conditions. Sophisticated tech solutions allow event organizers to track crowds, monitor security, identify bottlenecks and overcrowding, and deploy emergency services in real time. For attendees, mobile event apps can provide crucial messaging from the event organizers, venue maps, evacuation messaging, and schedule changes.

Contact HUB International’s entertainment insurance team to prepare any live event for unforeseen emergencies — weather-related and otherwise.

1The Parkersburg News and Sentinel, “Steve Miller Band says extreme weather is so dangerous it’s canceling its tour,” July 18, 2025.
2Jambands.com, “Outlaw Music Festival Cancels Performance Due to Instrument and Equipment Damage,” July 2, 2025.
3Billboard, “Bonnaroo 2025 Canceled Due to Severe Weather: ‘We Are Beyond Gutted’,” June 13, 2025.
4Variety, “Soundside Music Festival Canceled Due to ‘Circumstances Beyond Our Control,” July 26, 2025.