Swedish House Mafia cancel Gothenburg concert amid severe thunderstorms, offer free replacement show

Swedish House Mafia’s concert at Ullevi in Gothenburg was canceled on Friday evening due to severe thunderstorms, forcing the evacuation of the arena. The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute had issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms in the Gothenburg area, with over 1,000 lightning strikes recorded over Kungsbacka and Onsala .

The cancellation left thousands of attendees, some of whom had traveled long distances, stranded and disappointed. Alfred Moberg, 22, who had traveled 26 hours from Iceland, said he and his friends were soaked and sheltering in a garage after waiting 90 minutes past the scheduled start time. “Hade de gått på då, direkt efter förbandet, hade de ju typ hunnit spela hela konserten,” Moberg said . Thomas Bäckström, 60, who had purchased VIP tickets as a gift for his daughters, estimated his total costs at 10,000 kronor and criticized the last-minute decision, stating, “De borde i så fall ha ställt in tidigare” .

The Swedish Consumer Agency clarified that ticket holders are entitled to a full refund if an event is canceled, regardless of the cause, unless the organizer’s terms specify otherwise. Live Nation, the event organizer, stated that refunds would be processed through the original ticket seller and that detailed instructions would be sent via email .

In response to the cancellation, Swedish House Mafia announced a free replacement concert at Götaplatsen in Gothenburg at 13:30 on Saturday. Police held meetings to plan security for the expected large crowd, with weather forecasts indicating no major thunderstorm risk but possible rain showers .

The thunderstorm that disrupted the concert was part of a broader system affecting Sweden’s west coast, with heavy rain and strong wind gusts. The storm moved northward from Kattegatt over Gothenburg before shifting toward Öland and Gotland on Saturday .