‘Worst day ever!’ Leeds Festival in tatters as tents and urinals blow away

Leeds Festival attendees were left devastated on Friday as powerful 60mph winds from Storm Lilian wreaked havoc at its Bramham Park site.

The storm, which led to the destruction of tents and even urinals, caused many festival-goers to declare it the "worst day ever."

The extreme weather conditions forced the closure of several stages, including the BBC Radio 1, Aux, and Chevron stages, as well as the cancellation of multiple acts.

Fences were knocked down, and a van's window was shattered by a falling wall, further adding to the chaos.

Festival organisers advised attendees to remain in their tents during the storm, but the sheer force of the winds made it nearly impossible for some.

"All the rain came into the tent because the poles pulled so hard from the wind the fabric ripped open,"Carrie Gill, a 19-year-old festival-goer, told the BBC.

Gill added that the storm had wreaked havoc across the festival grounds, noting that "All the stores have blown over, the urinal walls are gone, people's tents are in the sky, shirts and things from the stores are gone. It's honestly really bad here."

Declan Donnelly, 20, who had traveled from Manchester, described how he and his friends had to fight to keep their tent grounded.

"We had to hold onto our tent for about one to two hours as well as double peg it as when the gusts hit it was nearly flying off," he said.

Despite their efforts, Declan observed that many attendees had abandoned their tents and left the festival altogether.

Another festival-goer, Dylan Maggs, 26, witnessed the perimeter wall collapsing on empty tents and smashing a van window.

"We're just laughing through it, not much else we can do really," Maggs said, adding that many others had also decided to ditch their tents and leave.

While the main stage remained open on Friday, the first scheduled act, Renee Rapp, canceled her performance due to concerns for the safety of her crew during the setup.

Festival organizers announced that the Chevron stage was expected to reopen at midday on Saturday, with The Prodigy among the big-name acts set to perform later in the weekend.

However, the health and safety team confirmed that the BBC Radio 1 and Aux stages would remain closed for the rest of the weekend due to safety concerns.