FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The big Tortuga Music Festival is this weekend, so we went to Fort Lauderdale to talk to fans about it. But soon after 4:30 p.m. Friday, when an emergency message was sent to ticket holders, people were running around.
Then, around 6 p.m., people who had been told to go inside started coming back to the beach after getting another message that it was safe. It’s thought that about 60,000 people had to leave and then come back.
One person there said, “I think they’re being too careful because this week has been so crazy.”
The large number of people leaving caused a traffic jam, which made many people angry.
“Almost 60,000 people left the concert, so when you do that and stop all traffic, no one can go anywhere,” one man said. “Right now, kids are having parties on top of their cars in the middle of traffic.”
Many people were not sure if the event should have been moved or not.
“The weather is putting a damper on things, but that’s OK because we’re a positive bunch,” said someone else there.
Even though there are emergencies in some places of Fort Lauderdale right now, the organizers of the 3-day beach festival with multiple stages said the show would go on.
Friday’s evacuation was caused by lightning in the area, and it’s possible that it will happen again this weekend. Organizers have told people to check their social media accounts for new information.
