Matt Matasci October 12th, 2018 - 11:18 PM
Desert Daze met an unexpected roadblock when thunderstorms forced the festival to shut things down (they hope for the time being) in the middle of its Friday night lineup. Tame Impala was playing when their set was cut short due to safety issues, with the festival issuing an advisory (via a series of tweets) for attendees to seek shelter outside the festival grounds.
and safety officials. Again, we ask all to leave the grounds immediately and seek shelter. For those of you who do not have cars, please find a brick and mortar building on site or a friendly car that will take you in. This includes all campers. We will be messaging out updates
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
via social media, so please stay tuned for details regarding the continuation of the festival. Please take care of each other. Thank you for your cooperation.
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
Please do not seek shelter underneath a tree, near a metal structure, in a tent, or an umbrella.
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
The bands who were scheduled to play after Tame Impala include Lumerians, Wand, Connan Mockasin, Sons of Kemet and a special set from Jjuujjuu, Boogarins and Kikagaku Moyo.
UPDATE (10/13 12:05 a.m.): Desert Daze has asked camping attendees not to sleep in their tent and find a local hotel or go home. If you’re in a car and have nowhere else to go, stay in place. They also issued more tweets on the weather conditions:
We've been advised by the meterologist that the current lightning-containing storm cells will last throughout the night. Chances are this storm will be passing by morning. Therefore, we strongly advise AGAINST sleeping in your tent due to threat of lightning.
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
If you're currently sheltering in a tent on site, you should find a local hotel or go home and return in the morning. If you are unable to drive, you can stay in your car overnight or use a rideshare to get to your destination.
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
We've been advised by the meterologist that the current lightning-containing storm cells will last throughout the night. Chances are this storm will be passing by morning. Therefore, we strongly advise AGAINST sleeping in your tent due to threat of lightning.
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
UPDATE (10/13 12:03 PM): Desert Daze day two will proceed as planned, according to a tweet from the festival’s official account. Additionally, all Friday one-day passes will be honored today – a pretty solid make-up for disappointed fans considering the festival’s first day wasn’t cancelled until the headliner’s set. Additionally, the festival apologized early this morning for the traffic jam leading out of the festival grounds.
Day two of Desert Daze is set to begin as scheduled and we hope everyone had a safe remainder of the night. All Friday passes will be honored today and parking will remain free all weekend.
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
Apologies for the delay everyone. We have been working with Cal Fire and Park Rangers to determine how to proceed. There has been an all clear for the area tonight to sleep in your tent.
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
There is complimentary wi-fi available if you need ride services or connection for communications. Please continue to be safe, continue to look out for one another, and again, thank you for responding so quickly and safely tonight
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
We have site ops and security roaming and medical at the Mystic Bazaar. If you see someone driving around on a golf cart, and you need something, stop them. We are here for you however you may need.
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
Lastly, we are deeply sorry about the traffic today. We have made the necessary adjustments to get cars in faster.
Parking will be free for the rest of the weekend & we will be refunding everyone’s parking fees who have already paid.
We apologize & look fwd to seeing u today
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
We are working extremely hard and will have the grounds open and ready for you to enjoy today. If you’re in an emergency situation and need help, medical is available to you in the campgrounds at the Mystic Bazaar.
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
Friday passes will be honored today at #DesertDaze2018 and parking will remain free for the rest of the weekend – please stay tuned for more updates.
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
We thank everyone who has worked through the night to prepare the grounds to receive visitors when the doors open at 12 PM. Please stay tuned to our social media channels and official app so we can alert you of any reschedules,
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
as we work to add some of the artists who were unable to perform last night. Tame Impala will not be performing today or tomorrow as they have other performance obligations. Let’s continue to be respectful of the grounds and one another. The show will go on!
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
Thank you – Desert Daze Staff
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
Friday passes will be honored today at #DesertDaze2018 and parking will remain free for the rest of the weekend – please stay tuned for more updates.
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
We are working extremely hard and will have the grounds open and ready for you to enjoy today. If you’re in an emergency situation and need help, medical is available to you in the campgrounds at the Mystic Bazaar.
— Desert Daze (@desert_daze) October 13, 2018
Speaking of the headliners, Tame Impala took the time to post on social media and apologize to their disappointed fans.
UPDATE (10/16): Desert Daze organizers released an official statement about the weekend:
Message from Desert Daze:
We’ve been planning our move to Lake Perris for many months and are working side-by-side with Park Rangers to make this a special and safe event.
Last night, due to extreme lightning storms rolling in a few songs after the start of Tame Impala’s set, we unfortunately had to ask all guests to exit the Desert Daze grounds, return to their cars and seek shelter to remain safe. We worked closely with CalFire, Park Rangers and meteorologists to make the difficult decision to halt the show and immediately implement our event’s contingency plan. We decided to end the remainder of the evening’s programming once it was clear the weather was going to continue to be a safety issue. The safety of our guests is our top priority.
We also acknowledge that patrons experienced difficulties entering the venue in a timely fashion and we have been proactive in trying to resolve this. We redirected all vehicles to Transition Road and Via Del Lago, changed the location of the Main Box Office, and shifted all campers to be processed directly via the camping entry, alleviating some of the congestion. All parties involved are confident that this new strategy for getting fans into the Moreno Beach grounds during the remainder of the festival will be faster and more efficient. Parking will remain free for the remainder of the weekend and all Friday Single Day tickets will be honored today, Saturday, October 13.
Due to scheduling, Tame Impala will not be performing today or tomorrow, and we are working with the rest of the Friday evening performers to reschedule as many of them as possible. Updates will be shared via social media and via the Desert Daze app.
The Desert Daze staff spent the rest of the night and morning remaining available to any patrons in need of assistance and preparing the grounds for a safe and enjoyable second day on site at Moreno Beach, Lake Perris State Recreation Area. The Desert Daze grounds are open today and we look forward to welcoming fans back for the rest of the weekend.
Photo Credit: Mauricio Alvarado
