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Hailstorm forces evacuation of 80,000 at Bad Bunny concert in Milan, train passengers stranded

A violent hailstorm struck Milan on Saturday evening, forcing the evacuation of around 80,000 spectators from a sold-out Bad Bunny concert and stranding hundreds of train passengers for hours.

Storm hits concert

Around 9 p.m. on Saturday, a violent thunderstorm with large hail struck the Ippodromo Snai La Maura in Milan, where approximately 80,000 people were attending the second and final sold-out show of Bad Bunny's "Debí tirar más fotos World Tour". The concert, the only Italian stop of the tour, had begun at 8 p.m. and was interrupted after about 40 minutes as rain intensified. The previous evening's show had drawn a similar crowd without weather issues. Organizers initially asked the crowd to remain in place, but as hailstones described as golfball-sized pelted the venue, the order was given to evacuate. Several spectators were injured, some struck on the head by hail, and were treated by emergency medical personnel (118). The nearby Uruguay metro station was closed early to manage the outflow of people. Italy's Civil Protection had forecast "strong intensity" storms for the northern regions starting Saturday.

Timeline of the Milan hailstorm and concert evacuation
Jul 18 20:00Bad Bunny concert begins at Ippodromo La Maura, Milan
Jul 18 20:40Concert interrupted after about 40 minutes due to rain; organizers ask crowd to stay
Jul 18 21:00Violent hailstorm hits the venue; hailstones described as golfball-sized
Jul 18 21:15Train RV 2042 Milano-Torino departs but is soon blocked by lightning strike
Jul 18 21:30Evacuation order given; metro station Uruguay closed early
Jul 19 02:00Stranded train passengers transferred to another convoy with Civil Protection assistance
Jul 19 09:00Live Nation announces concert cancelled, not rescheduled, full refunds

Train chaos and regional damage

The storm also caused severe disruption to rail services. The Regionale Veloce 2042 train from Milan to Turin, which departed at 9:15 p.m., was halted shortly after leaving the station, likely due to a lightning strike. Passengers were trapped for hours in darkness without air conditioning, with reports of panic attacks and illness on board. Civil Protection teams eventually assisted in transferring them to another train around 2 a.m. In the province of Cremona, the third wave of bad weather in a week brought hailstones "as big as ping pong balls", according to residents, uprooting dozens of trees, damaging cars and structures, and prompting numerous fire brigade interventions.

Cancellation and refunds

On Sunday morning, promoter Live Nation announced that the concert would not be rescheduled. In a statement, the company said it had made every effort to find an alternative date but was unable to do so.

After careful evaluation and having made every effort to reschedule the event, we regret to inform ticket holders that the concert has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled. The safety of all attendees is always our top priority. We thank you for your patience, understanding and cooperation during the evacuation and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused.

— Live Nation

All ticket holders will receive a full refund, including the ticket price and presale fees (15% booking commission). Details on the refund process will be communicated in the coming days.

Notable attendees and fan reactions

Among the crowd were Italian singer Elodie and influencer Franceska Nuredini, who were guests in the exclusive Casita hospitality area. Videos posted on social media showed fans fleeing the venue in heavy rain and hail, with one woman heard shouting "¡Mis ahorros!" (My savings!) as the show was abandoned. The abrupt end to the highly anticipated event left many fans disappointed, but no serious injuries were reported.

Outdoor events and extreme weather

The incident has reignited discussion in Italy about the vulnerability of large open-air events to increasingly frequent extreme weather during summer. The cancellation follows a similar disruption in March 2025, when a Rosalía concert in Milan was cut short due to the singer's food poisoning, with ticket holders also receiving full refunds. Organizers and authorities are now facing questions about contingency planning for such events.

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Sources