Pohoda Festival 2024 cancelled following thunderstorm damage

Pohoda Festival 2024 was cancelled mid-way through its three day run this weekend following damage to the site caused by a severe storm on Friday night (12th July).

At around 8.30pm, festival-goers were told to shelter and the stages were shut down, but following the storm - which caused the tent of the Aréna Slovenskej sporiteľne stage to collapse amongst other damage to the site - the decision was made to cancel the rest of the event.

A statement from the festival reads: “After careful consideration of the time constraints for inspecting the safety of the festival structures, we have decided that we must cancel Pohoda 2024. Based on the available information, inspecting all the structures could not be completed in less than 24 hours, which makes it impossible to continue with the festival programme. The safety of our guests is our priority, and therefore we believe that our decision, made with great regret, will be understood by everyone.”

It is reported that 29 people were injured during the storm, but there were no fatalities.

Artists including Royal Blood, SOFT PLAY, Jockstrap and Pendulum were due to play the Trenčín festival that night, while Saturday’s line-up featured artists including Nia Archives, Ezra Collective, LA Priest and Black Pumas. Saturday headliners Queens of the Stone Age had already cancelled their appearance after posting online that frontman Josh Homme had been taken back to America for emergency surgery.

Ahead of the cancellation, Thursday’s opening night of the festival had seen a well-attended headline set from Skepta, with Peggy Gou playing the main stage’s late night slot. Elsewhere, artists including Arlo Parks, James Blake and Noname pulled impressive crowds to their secondary stages, while Friday afternoon had begun with an early set from English Teacher amongst a diverse selection of Slovakian favourites.

The most recent statement from Pohoda states that they “will keep [people] updated on the next steps and the overall future of our festival.”