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Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chicago street festivals at risk due to rising costs, dip in donations, organizers say
CHICAGO (WGN) — Chicago street festivals are facing rising costs and declining donations, prompting the formation of a coalition to try to save the events. Launched on April 18, the Save Our Street Festival Coalition brings together nearly two dozen organizers. As a result of financial strain, Pamela Maass, executive director with the Wicker Park-Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, warns that many festivals may not be able to continue. 'In 2024, we had an executive director meet-up of a number of chambers across the north and east side of the city, and we all had the same issue — 2024 gate donations dropped,' Maass told WGN anchor Ray Cortopassi on Friday's Evening News at 5 p.m. 'Some fests report anywhere between 25%. Festivals like Wicker Park Fest, the festival that my organization produces, gate donations dropped by almost 50% compared to the year before, so we really wanted to band together before festival season started.' Scams targeting REAL ID seekers surge as deadline approaches, BBB warns While overall attendance remains high, organizers note that the costs to produce the festivals have risen each year, in addition to the increasing expenses of security, EMTs, insurance, fencing, and portable restrooms. Maass suggests that a funding misconception is also lending to dwindling returns for street festivals. 'In 2024, festival attendees showed up at the gates with a very different attitude of 'I don't need to pay for this. My taxes pay for this,' and we need to stop this misinformation in its tracks,' Maass said. 'Street fests, in those little neighborhoods, those tucked away little gems, are all independently funded, and we need to make sure that messaging is very clear.' A list of street festival organizers who have joined the coalition includes: Belmont Sheffield Music Festival Ribfest Chicago Andersonville Midsommarfest Taste of Randolph Wells Street Art Fest Chicago Pride Fest Square Roots Fest Roscoe Village Burger Fest Ravenswood on Tap Wicker Park Fest Northalsted Market Days Thirsty Ears Festival Edison Park Fest Lakeview Taco Fest Edgewater Music Fest Ravenswood Art Walk Lakeview East Festival of the Arts Norwood Park Fall Fest Lincoln Square Ravenswood Apple Fest Chicago German-American Oktoberfest Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Watch the full interview in the video player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chicago street festivals struggling to survive amid rising costs, dwindling donations
The Brief Chicago's beloved summer street festivals are at risk of disappearing due to rising production costs and declining gate donations. Organizers have formed a coalition called "Save Our Street Fest" after many events, including Wicker Park Fest, saw donations drop by as much as 50% in 2024. They are urging festivalgoers to contribute at the gate, warning that without public support, many festivals may not return after this year. CHICAGO - Local street festivals are a beloved part of Chicago's summer identity, but organizers say the future of many of these events is now in jeopardy. Pamela Maass, executive director of the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, sounded the alarm in a Chicago Tribune op-ed published Friday, warning that escalating costs and declining gate donations are pushing some of the city's most iconic festivals toward the brink. Maass said her group has now formed a coalition of more than 20 Chicago festivals under the banner "Save Our Street Fest" in an effort to preserve these events. What they're saying According to Maass, Wicker Park Fest saw a 50% drop in gate donations in 2024 — a blow she called unsustainable. While vendor booths and concessions help fuel the local economy, she emphasized that those revenues go directly to the individual businesses, not the organizers. "When you're walking past that gate thinking, 'My $5 doesn't matter,' everyone else was starting to think the same thing," Maass said. Local perspective Without sufficient gate donations, Maass said organizers are forced to scale back programming. Wicker Park Fest, for example, will lose one of its three music stages this year, and some vendor slots have been eliminated due to budget constraints. She also noted that public safety costs are nearly on par with the price of booking original live music acts. Despite the perception that the city sponsors these events, Maass said local nonprofit chambers or community groups shoulder the full financial and logistical burden — including hiring private security, which is required to obtain city permits. The coalition's message this summer is simple: donate at the gate. Maass warns that if 2025 mirrors the donation shortfalls of last year, several festivals may disappear for good. Street festival organizers who have joined this movement include: Belmont Sheffield Music Festival Ribfest Chicago Andersonville Midsommarfest Taste of Randolph Wells Street Art Fest Chicago Pride Fest Square Roots Fest Roscoe Village Burger Fest Ravenswood on Tap Wicker Park Fest Northalsted Market Days Thirsty Ears Festival Edison Park Fest Lakeview Taco Fest Edgewater Music Fest Ravenswood Art Walk Lakeview East Festival of the Arts Norwood Park Fall Fest Lincoln Square Ravenswood Apple Fest Oktoberfest in Avondale The Source This report came from an interview with Pamela Maas Wicker from the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce.
