GRANT PARK — Chicago's biggest music festival kicked off nearly an hour late Thursday due to storms in the forecast.
Despite the appearance of clear skies, the scheduled 11 a.m. opening of the festival gates for the first day of Lollapalooza 2016 was delayed for nearly an hour amid the thread of lightning.
Lolla security just told all these people they're delaying opening because lightning might be on the way pic.twitter.com/nwfAvjvHre
— David Lee Matthews (@DavidLMatthews) July 28, 2016
Doors for Day 1 of #Lolla are delayed due to weather. Stay tuned for more info. pic.twitter.com/Go25Bvglte
— Lollapalooza (@lollapalooza) July 28, 2016
Lollapalooza security told a big line of festival-goers, some of whom were camped out since Wednesday, that they'd have to wait longer for admission to the park. Security told attendees that they couldn't allow them to cross metal gates and bridges leading into Grant Park with lightning possibly on the way.
Amanda Vinarta, of suburban LaGrange, who was near the back of the line as things started moving just before noon, said she and her friends had planned for Lolla for months and weren't going to let storms ruin their party.
"No, not at all," said Vinarta, who will be celebrating her 22nd birthday at the fest this weekend.
Rain is in the forecast for the first three days of the four-day festival, with the highest likelihood of showers predicted for Thursday.
Storms had already started in the Downtown area by 11:30 a.m. Thursday, said Amy Seeley, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Most of the city will stay dry, she said, but there will be a chance for storms throughout Chicago for the rest of the day.
"We've already got isolated showers and thunderstorms, and those will continue through the day," Seeley said. "If you happen to be in the path of one of these storms, you could get a heavy downpour. I couldn't say how much."
Greeting Committee, DJ Mel, School of Rock, and Tennyson were the first acts set to play the festival at noon Thursday.
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