A music festival in London, Ontario is dealing with wildfire smoke after being interrupted on Wednesday (July 15).
That was when the Rock the Park music festival started for the first of four planned days, but it had to be cut short because of poor air quality in Ontario caused by wildfire smoke.
Before The Lumineers’ headlining show, both the band and festival organizers chose to cancel early due to the weather situation.
“As the impact and risk from the nearby forest fires and increasing smoke conditions continue to rise, both our team and The Lumineers have made the difficult decision to conclude the festival following Dylan Gossett’s performance,” the festival shared on social media, while also offering refunds to ticket holders.
As it entered its second day today (July 16), the festival announced on social media that it received approval from the city to continue operations, with performances lined up from various well-known names and emerging talents in country music like Jordan Davis, Tucker Wetmore, and Braxton Keith. After claiming this morning that everything was set for a smooth event, Rock the Park later updated fans at 1:30 pm that adjustments might happen throughout the day as they keep an eye on weather developments.
“As we continue to work closely with the artists and public health, we want to keep you up to speed in real time! We are still planning for a 4 pm doors opening; however, artist set times could change due to ever-changing conditions. Stay tuned!” said the festival.
Wildfires have been burning across northwestern Ontario, causing a blanket of orange haze over many cities in the province including Toronto and London. This has prompted an orange warning regarding poor air quality. Yesterday, Toronto experienced some of the worst air quality worldwide due to wildfire smoke, while London remains among locations with very poor air quality this afternoon, registering a 10+ index from Air Quality Ontario at 1 pm today-indicating “very high risk.”
Rock the Park is currently celebrating its 22nd anniversary as it aims to foster community within the city through music. The lineup reflects diverse genres and gathers fans near significant landmarks around town. Besides tonight’s signature Country Night event, tomorrow night (July 17) will feature a hip-hop lineup including Nelly, Shaggy, Fat Joe and others followed by Three Days Grace headlining rock night on Saturday, July 18.
The London festival regularly brings together up to 12,500 fans at its main stage and has sold out recent editions in both 2023 and 2024 featuring big names like Mumford & Sons, Ludacris, Nickelback and Tyler Childers at its helm.
UPDATE (7/16): The second night of Rock the Park in London has officially been canceled due to smoke conditions as announced by event organizers via Instagram.
“Sadly, despite everyone’s best efforts, the smoke conditions have continued to worsen throughout the day. After ongoing discussions with our artists, city officials, emergency services, and medical officials, we have made this difficult decisionto cancel tonight’s show. This was not what any of us wanted. We explored every possible optionto make surethe eventcould go ahead safely, butthe healthand safetyof our fans. artists crew. volunteers, and staff must come first. All ticket purchasesfor tonight’s show will be automatically refundedtothe original methodof payment. Please allow14-21 business daysfor therefundto appearon your account. We sincerely apologizefor this disappointmentand thankyou for your patienceunderstanding, and supportduring these incrediblychallenging circumstances. Positive vibesfor our Fridayand Saturdaynights; we willkeep you posted,” reads thestatement.
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