Fires, heat waves, floods… When climate change hits festivals
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From the United States to France, cancellations have hit cultural events due to dire weather conditions.
The violent heat waves affecting France this summer are no exception and could even become the rule. In several regions of the world, the summer of 2022 is breaking all records and the world of culture is directly impacted. In the United States, outdoor festivals have been hit hard by the consequences of climate change for several years.
From Oregon to Massachusetts via Ohio, the New York Times has drawn up an alarming inventory for the living show, which has had to cancel or postpone certain performances in recent days. In Ashland, Oregon, a representation of Storms at the Shakespeare Festival was canceled due to smoke from a forest fire near the open-air theatre. Further east, floods prevented an outdoor performance of Legally Blond at Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri. “In southern Ohio, a growing number of performances of a play called Tecumseh! were canceled due to heavy rain. In northwest Arkansas, rising heat is affecting The Great Passion Play, an annual re-enactment of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. In Texas, record heat forced the Austin Symphony Orchestra to cancel several outdoor concerts, reports the New York Times. In some places, theater officials are already envisioning a future where performances will all take place indoors. »
For example, the Rocky Mountain theater festival called Montana Shakespeare in the Parks is sometimes forced to work indoors, with fires occurring earlier and earlier in the year and hailstorms “out of control”. Some of these establishments also try to limit their impact on the environment. The Opera House in Santa Fe, New Mexico has invested in air quality sensors to assess whether it is safe to perform. It is also equipped to produce solar energy. “Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Plants Native Grasslands and Oregon Shakespeare Festival Uses Electric Vehicles,” adds the New York daily.
In France too, festivals face sometimes extreme conditions. In the month of June, We Love Green and the Eurockeans de Belfort were forced to cancel some of their concerts due to violent storms. The heat wave hit the Hellfest and, more recently, the fInterceltic summer festival in Lorient had to cancel two parades planned in the streets of the Morbihan city on Thursday August 11, due to the 35 degrees displayed on the thermometer.
SEE ALSO – What is the difference between “meteorological drought”, “soil drought” and “groundwater drought”?
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