Ah, the British climate. Unsettled weather is kind of our thing, with cool and cloudy spells often dominating the weather forecast.
That’s not to say extreme weather doesn’t affect our shores, though. Over the years we’ve been hit by heavy rainfall, winds, snow and storms that have wreaked havoc.
Long spells of rainfall, snowy conditions and storms have had a big impact on the country recently, notably the Beast From the East in 2018.
Of course, when planning an event, you simply can’t predict the weather! Event planners and organisers must go ahead, book in a date and hope for the best. But when bad weather hits, there is sometimes no other option but to cancel an event.
We’ve rounded up 10 major events that have been cancelled over the years thanks to our unreliable British weather!
1. Boardmasters Music Festival – 2019
Boardmasters 2019 was cancelled due to high winds. The three day festival, based in Cornwall, had to be called off last-minute due to severe weather forecasts.
2. The Great Yorkshire Show – 2012
After just one day the 154th Great Yorkshire Show was cancelled. Exceptional rain made the grounds and car parks unsafe, and organisers quite rightly put the safety of their guests and exhibitors first.
3. London Winter Run 10k – 2020
Storm Ciara hit Britain in early 2020, causing the London Winter Run to be called off. It was deemed unsafe for runners, crew members and volunteers to take part due to the extreme weather conditions.
4. Cheltenham Festival 2008
Heavy storms and high winds caused the second day of the popular Cheltenham Festival to be cancelled. The races were rescheduled instead, so those in attendance didn’t miss out!
5. DogFest South – 2018
Despite the Beast From The East first hitting the UK in early 2018, this event was actually cancelled due to a heatwave. The high temperatures put dogs and their owners at risk, and the RSPCA advised people kept their pets sheltered from the sweltering heat.
6. Reading Half Marathon – 2018
Bitter winds and heavy snow brought about by the Beast From The East caused the Reading Half Marathon to be cancelled. You can’t expect runners to trudge through snow, right? It simply wasn’t safe.
7. Concerts and film screenings – 1952
The Great Smog of London caused by a strange concoction of weather conditions and air pollution caused a number of indoor and outdoor events to be cancelled in 1952. The smog even penetrated indoor areas, meaning concert-goers weren’t able to see the stage for smog!
8. Minack Theatre – 2008
A spell of bad weather and high winds impacted the Minack Theatre in Cornwall gravely in 2008. The outdoor theatre experienced the worst summer of cancellations in a decade thanks to the unpredictable weather.
9. Grand Prix at Silverstone – 2018
Heavy rain called for the race to be cancelled in 2018. It’s always a difficult yet necessary decision for organisers to cancel an event, but the safety of participants must be prioritised.
10. Local events – 1987
The Great Storm involved a devastating sting jet to strike England. This caused endless disruption to transport networks, and no doubt impacted countless local events and private parties.
The above events perfectly demonstrate that, even for seasoned pros, you can’t always press on with an event if the weather isn’t safe. Heatwaves, rain, storms and snow could put a halt to all your hard work.
Yes, a cancelled event is disappointing. But don’t let it have a big financial impact too.
The importance of Adverse Weather Insurance
If you have to cancel an event due to bad weather, you won’t be left out of pocket with Adverse Weather Insurance. It will help you to recoup irrecoverable financial losses brought about by the event cancellation, abandonment or postponement.
Think ahead and plan smart with Insure Our Event. You won’t be able to secure Adverse Weather Insurance within 14 days of your event, so make sure you get in touch with us in advance. We want to protect your event and do all we can to help, but you must give yourself plenty of notice to get event insurance organised.
Get in touch with the Insure Our Event team for a quick quote.
Don’t leave the success of your event up to chance
We’ve created an adverse weather checker to help demonstrate how impossible it is to predict the weather. Give our game a go here.
