Web Summit calls off Wednesday as Storm Charles nears Lisbon

Web Summit will not open on Wednesday. The organiser told attendees on Tuesday evening that Day 2, Wednesday 11 November, “will not take place”.Web Summit: Important event update, email to attendees, 10 November 2026. It said Portugal’s government had formally advised that the day should not go ahead because of the risks from Storm Charles, including tidal flooding, severe disruption to public transport and high winds on external structures. That advice followed talks with the government, the civil protection authority ANEPC and the police, PSP. Web Summit said it aims to hold the final day, Thursday 12 November, as planned once the storm has passed.

Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said the government had recommended that the organisers suspend the event for Wednesday, NiT reported. He pointed to the venue’s location, the expected transport disruption and the many foreign attendees, and said the decision was theirs.NiT: Web Summit a meter água. Lisbon mayor Carlos Moedas had said everything indicated that Web Summit would not be able to operate on Wednesday.Diário de Notícias: Governo decreta situação de alerta. The venue at Parque das Nações sits right beside the river Tagus, he noted, according to Público.Público: Depressão Charles coloca Web Summit em dúvida. NiT also reported that videos shared on Tuesday afternoon showed water coming in between pavilions four and five.

The warnings

IPMA, Portugal’s weather service, has Lisbon district under a red wind warning, its highest level, from 12:00 to 21:00 on Wednesday, with gusts up to 120 km/h and up to 140 km/h in exposed places.IPMA: avisos meteorológicos para Lisboa. A red rain warning runs from 12:00 to 18:00.

The government declared a state of alert across mainland Portugal for all of Wednesday.The Portugal News: Lisbon to close roads and cultural venues. Interior minister Luís Neves said schools and non-essential public services will close that day, and asked everyone who can to stay at home.Público: Governo declara situação de alerta.

Context

Público describes Web Summit as an event of more than 60,000 participants. Tuesday’s sessions went ahead, including a MoneyConf payments panel we covered.The S-Curve: Yuno’s CEO says his AI agent still pays with a raw card number. This year’s lineup gives Chinese speakers 16 of its top 20 slots, as we reported on 10 November.The S-Curve: Web Summit gives China 16 of its top 20 speaker slots.

Updated on Tuesday evening with Web Summit’s announcement. An earlier version reported that Lisbon’s mayor expected the event to stay shut on Wednesday and that the organiser had not yet decided.