As the Netherlands-Sweden match on Saturday was set to get underway, Mother Nature ended the party early for some. Houston’s FIFA Fan Fest closed to the public just 30 minutes after opening due to a heat advisory combined with incoming storms. Many Netherlands fans who had braved the heat and rain during the famous Orange Fan Walk were turned away and dispersed throughout the East End. On the Fan Fest’s Facebook post announcing the closure, fans were frustrated.

“Y’all were literally open for 15 min this morning as we waited in that line to enter smh who’s idea was to make the fanfest outdoors?” one commenter wrote. 

Chron culture editor Abigail Rosenthal and I, who had also just walked the 2.5 miles from Rice Stadium to NRG, were among those who found the Fan Fest closed and were confused by the decision to close it. A Houston Police officer on the scene informed us that the Fan Fest essentially operates on what we’ll call “public pool” rules: Whenever lightning is detected in the area, the festival shuts down for 30 minutes, and for another 30 minutes every time there’s another lightning strike. 

Chron reached out to Houston’s World Cup Host Committee, which organizes the Fan Fest, to get some clarity on its procedures for closing the festival. They essentially confirmed what the Houston cop told me. According to the host committee’s weather preparedness plan that was shared with Chron, Houston Police and the Houston Fire Department monitor the weather near the festival.

When lightning is reported within an 8-mile radius of the festival, the grounds close for 30 minutes, and fans are required to leave the grounds. Each subsequent lightning strike within the 8-mile zone resets that 30-minute clock. 

“Following a 30-minute period without any additional lightning detected within that radius, the gates will reopen,” the host committee’s policy reads.

The host committee’s 8-mile radius covers all of Houston’s inner loop and small chunks of the eastern side of the outer loop. That means even if a storm isn’t expected to come near the Fan Fest, the mere presence of one can disrupt your World Cup plans. In the event that lightning strikes, the Houston World Cup Host Committee has partnered with several East End bars and restaurants that are official “Football Fiesta” locations, which includes 8th Wonder Brewery and Brass Tacks. The committee recommends that those turned away from Fan Fest head to those locations. (When we were turned away on Saturday, we instead visited 8th Wonder Brewery and found the beer cold and the air conditioning even colder.) 

The Houston World Cup Host Committee confirmed to Chron that a heat advisory, like the one that was in effect on Saturday, does not shut down the Fan Fest by itself. The committee noted that it has taken numerous steps to provide relief from Houston’s brutal summers. 

“Knowing that the tournament would be held in Houston’s summertime, the festival was designed with heat mitigation and heat-related medical response in mind,” the committee wrote in a statement to Chron.

The Fan Fest’s main stage area, where fans gather to watch matches, is covered with what the committee calls the “Magic Sky,” but what we at Chron will tell you is a big ol’ tent that covers the stage. The festival organizers also have cooling and water stations throughout the festival, umbrellas in the match-watching area, complimentary cooling towels and sunscreen, and a fire truck from the Houston Fire Department that provides “misting relief.”

Still, if you’re planning to attend the Fan Fest, you might want to keep a keen eye on the weather.