Overview
- Organisers, after consulting the Rock Werchter Safety Committee, announced late Saturday that the one-day Werchter Boutique would finish at 9pm and Katy Perry’s 10pm headline set would not go ahead.
- Perry said she was backstage getting ready when she was told the cancellation was government mandated and that she had "no choice," adding that the safety of all 55,000 attendees came first.
- The organisers cited forecasts of severe thunderstorms and a BE-Alert from the governor of Flemish Brabant as the reasons for the early closure.
- Festival officials later reported a severe storm did pass over the country and that closing the site early allowed attendees to exit safely; Perry remains scheduled to perform at her next European date in Cardiff on June 30.
- The decision highlights how extreme weather this summer and official alerts are increasingly shaping outdoor-event planning and can force last-minute shutdowns that affect artists, crews and ticket-holders.