Organizers of Rock the Park in London, Ont., announced that they’ve called off Thursday night’s event due to worsening air quality linked to wildfires in northern Ontario.
“Sadly, despite everyone’s best efforts, the smoke conditions have continued to worsen throughout the day,” organizers said in a Facebook post.
“After ongoing discussions with our artists, city officials, emergency services, and medical officials, we have made the difficult decision to cancel tonight’s show.”
The four-day music festival at Harris Park wrapped up early Wednesday evening, scrapping the headlining performance by The Lumineers on its first day after the City of London recommended canceling outdoor activities due to declining air quality.
Country artist Tucker Wetmore’s tour trailer sits outside the Rock the Park grounds hours before the second day of the festival got cancelled. (Alessio Donnini/)
Friends Lauren Hartman, Isla Mac Dougald and Kaley Squire were on their way to Harris Park when they found out about the cancellation.
“We heard about all the stuff that happened yesterday so when we heard it was good to go [today], we thought we didn’t have anything to worry about,” Hartman said after leaving the festival grounds. “When we got there, we saw a bunch of people walking away.. and then people started telling us it’s cancelled.”
“For people’s health, I think it’s better, but it’s a big disappointment to a lot of people,” she said.
Tickets bought for Thursday’s show will be refunded according to organizers’ announcement.
Kaley Squire, Isla Mac Dougald and Lauren Hartman head home after learning that Rock the Park’s country night is cancelled. (Kendra Seguin/)
“This was not the outcome any of us wanted. We explored every possible option to make the event happen safely, but the health and safety of our fans, artists, crew, volunteers, and staff must come first,” organizers added.
Environment Canada has issued an orange air quality warning for most of Ontario as smoke from wildfires affects both provinces and some U. S. states around Great Lakes.
The air quality health index readings across southwestern Ontario stayed at 10+, indicating very high risk as of early Thursday night; national weather agency forecasts poor air quality continuing into this weekend.
Outdoor events canceled and fire ban in place
The current situation led the London Fire Department to halt all open-air burns within city limits until air quality improves.
Outdoor recreation facilities, programs, and sports amenities will also stay closed until further notice according to a news release from City of London on Thursday afternoon.
An outdoor movie night organized by South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre at White Oaks Park was canceled along with Beat the Heat event scheduled for Thursday night at East Lions Park.
Community centres will remain open offering indoor relief for residents in London; additionally, outreach teams will connect with individuals experiencing homelessness providing information about cooling locations and available support that can help reduce health risks.
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