Extreme heat: Music school festival in Isselburg on Saturday has to be cancelled

The major music school festival organised by the Bocholt-Isselburg Music School, which was due to take place this coming Saturday, 27 June 2026, in the school playground of the Isselschule, has had to be cancelled due to the expected extreme heat.

According to the latest weather warnings issued by the German Weather Service, extreme temperatures are forecast for the weekend, which could pose a health risk to anyone spending time outdoors. To protect the more than 300 children and young people taking part, the staff and concert-goers, the City of Bocholt has been forced to cancel the open-air event.

The decision to cancel was taken following a thorough assessment of the current weather situation in consultation with various specialist departments within the local authority. Recommendations from the health and safety department and warnings from the fire service made it clear that holding the open-air concert under the given conditions would be irresponsible. Even supporting measures such as erecting sunshades, increasing the water supply or shortening the programme would not be sufficient to effectively reduce the health risks posed by the extreme heat at the event site.

"The health and safety of everyone involved is our absolute top priority", explains Claudia Borgers, head of the music school, adding regretfully, "unfortunately, the weather forecasts leave no scope for holding the event safely in the open air, so this step is unavoidable in the interests of health and safety."

The music school is currently informing the pupils affected, the teachers and their parents directly about the cancellation. The cancellation is very regrettable for everyone involved, as the ensembles and orchestras have been rehearsing the varied programme intensively for weeks. The Bocholt-Isselburg Music School is therefore already exploring alternative options to provide these young talents with a stage at a later date on which they can showcase their musical skills to an audience.