x

The latest industry news to your inbox.


I'd like to hear about marketing opportunities

    

I accept IQ Magazine's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

news

Storm Boris: Gigs cancelled across central Europe

Romania, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary have all been hit by severe flooding in recent days

By James Hanley on 17 Sep 2024


A number of concerts have been cancelled after Storm Boris unleashed severe flooding across central Europe.

The death toll has reached at least 19, with seven confirmed fatalities so far in Romania, five in Austria, four in Poland and three in Czech Republic, with several people missing, and thousands evacuated from their homes.

Elsewhere, Slovakia has declared a state of emergency in the capital Bratislava, while the Hungarian capital Budapest is braced for record high water levels on the River Danube. Italy is also expected to be hit by thunderstorms.

In Vienna, Austria, a headline show by US band Agriculture scheduled for Arena Wien last night (16 September) was called off “due to weather conditions”, although a gig by Peter Fox at Wiener Stadthalle went ahead as planned on Sunday.

Other cancellations include Böhse Onkelz’s 14 September concert at Trabrennbahn, Wels, and televised live music special Starnacht aus der Wachau (Star night from the Wachau), which was planned for 20-21 September. Flooding means the arena site in Rossatzbach must be dismantled.

“Due to the worrying water level of the Danube and the associated official requirements and orders, it is impossible to hold the event safely,” says a statement. “According to the notice, the event site must be cleared… Reconstruction of the event site could not begin until the middle of next week at the earliest and is no longer feasible in terms of time and technology by the planned day of the event.”

Acts lined up for the season finale TV spectacular, which has previously starred the likes of Anastacia and Chris De Burgh, included Andrea Berg, Söhne Mannheims, Patrizio Buanne, the Poxrucker Sisters, Charlien and Aura Dione.

“The weather forecast is so bad that it is not possible to responsibly guarantee that the event would take place”

A source tells IQ the situation is “pretty bad” in the south of Romania but is unaware of any gig cancellations, since the floods have mainly affected small villages – where one local mayor has described the scene as a “catastrophe of epic proportions”.

In Poland, a performance by Shunske Sato and the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra has been relocated from Wrocław to Warsaw as the wave moves towards larger cities from mountainous regions in the south.

Elsewhere, a concert of the Three Sisters in Valečov, Czech Republic has been rescheduled for May 2025.

“The weather forecast is so bad that it is not possible to responsibly guarantee that the event would take place in order, or that it would take place at all,” reports Idnes. “The area is grassy and unroofed, so it could be a problem to get all the equipment there, not to mention the musicians, not to mention the bars.”

David Nguyễn of Rock for People tells IQ that the capital Prague appears to be unaffected at present.

“We just had The Hu [at SaSaZu] three days ago and I think other Prague promoters are doing shows,” he says. “Some people didn’t arrive to the show, so I guess they are from the part of country that is affected by flooding.”

 


Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.