Flood warnings have been issued at Reading Festival this weekend as torrential rain seeps through ticket holders' tents, leaving the fields thick with sticky mud. Thousands of music fans have been soaked by the pelting rain while making their way to the stages, with camping areas turning to slush under the weight of the downpour.
Bank Holiday Soggy Start
Festivals across the country got off to a soggy start as relentless rain returned for the Bank Holiday weekend. Reading Festival was one of the victims, as gloomy weather dampened the spirits of attendees. In glum scenes, music lovers were drenched while sloshing through the mud, and the camping sections were particularly badly affected as the ground turned to slush beneath thousands of pitched tents.
Sharing photos of the grim weather on Instagram, one person sporting a poncho mused: "Lovely weather for ducks at Reading."
Met Office Warning
Unfortunately for music fans, the deluge looks set to continue. Despite a three-day onslaught that left many homes hammered by flood water, the Met Office has predicted the wet weather will continue throughout the weekend. The forecaster issued a yellow warning across most of England and Wales for heavy showers and thunderstorms, which was feared to cause travel disruption and flooding.
The showers will ease somewhat tonight, with rain clearing from many central and southern areas, followed by a few showers. On Sunday, the weather will remain unsettled but become somewhat drier late on Monday.
Creamfields Hit by Storms
Also affected by the weather this weekend are Leeds Festival and Creamfields. Four-day dance festival Creamfields, in Cheshire, has been battered by severe storms, leaving some acts forced to flee their sets mid-performance. As things kicked off on Friday, DJ Vikkstar, better known as a member of YouTube collective The Sidemen, took to social media to share his disappointment after being booted off the stage.
Making his debut at the festival, Vikkstar shared videos of the fallout on his social media as he told fans "POV: Your Creamfields Debut gets shut down because of a thunderstorm." In a video shared online, fans could be heard chanting "keep on playing" and booing when the music stopped after the DJ appeared to have been told to press pause on proceedings.
"Creamfields robbed of some generational drum and bass tonight… next time," he shared. Later though, he seemed to find the situation somewhat funnier as he shared on X: "Creamfields set shut down…Maybe I shouldn’t have worn a lightning tee. Appreciate you all."
It is understood that all other sets were cancelled across the dance festival last night due to the severe weather disruption. Taking to social media, sharing their frustration, one fan vented: "Of course! Months of perfect sunshine… then the moment Creamfields opens, the heavens decide to open too! Classic UK weather betrayal!"
However, despite the unfavourable conditions, some soaked up the experience and frolicked in the rain, laughing their heads off as they made the most of their weekend.
