18-05-2025
Fans wait out rain at Tacos and Tequila Festival
The Brief
Attendees at this year's Taco and Tequila Festival had to evacuate because of severe weather Saturday.
The event was delayed for around 30 minutes.
Attendees said the delay wasn't as bad as waiting to reenter the festival.
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Tacos and Tequila Festival was evacuated for about 30 minutes Saturday while a storm moved through the area.
Organizers said the safety measures in place worked exactly as planned.
Thousands packed Panther Island Pavilion for the fourth annual festival.
Organizers kept a close eye on the forecast, as there was potential for severe weather in the area.
What they're saying
"We actually opened gates a little bit later because we wanted to make sure the site was safe when that storm cell or if any storm cells come through, that we're prepared for them," Social House Senior VP Joshua James said.
The evacuation plan was put into motion around 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Everyone was asked to evacuate and encouraged to take shelter in their car or under a bridge at a nearby park.
Fort Worth Police and the city's emergency management office were at the venue to help.
The storm passed within 30 minutes, and people started to line up again, but the gates didn't open right away. High winds stuck around, and there was concern for the stage.
When the gates reopened around 7 p.m., people were not allowed near the stage.
What they're saying
"Some people were agitated, but it is what it is, keep going," Oogande Vassel said. We're here now. The sun is shining, keep going."
Vassel took shelter in the parking lot outside the gates and other people in his group went back to the truck to weather the storm.
"I work outside for a living, it wasn't that bad," Vassel said.
Evacuating because of the storm wasn't a big deal for other festival-goers like Roshanda Dorrough either. It was the waiting to get back in that was the difficult part.
"All they said was 'wind hold," but they didn't say they were having trouble with the stage, and they were saying it was going to be like a two-hour wait to get back in," Dorrough said. "And when you've paid that much for a festival, you expect to enjoy it and not sit in line for an hour and a half."
Organizers said it's important to have a plan in place for weather during the Texas spring.
"It's not fun for people to have to work around weather," James said. "I mean it throws a wrench in everybody's plans and we appreciate everyone just being patient and understanding we are doing everything we can to keep everyone safe and safety is our number one priority."
Organizers estimate around 10,000 people came to the festival.
The Source
Information in this article comes from interviews by FOX 4's Amelia Jones.
