Chicago street festivals struggling with rising costs, drop in donations

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Street festivals are a summer tradition in the city of Chicago, but many street fest organizers said they have fallen on hard times.

They've now formed a coalition to address those problems and keep themselves viable.

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Thousands of people crowd into the streets of Gladstone Park every late summer for the annual Throwback Music Festival, featuring three days of music, food and fun. Like most neighborhood festivals, they ask for a small suggested donation at the gate, and they rely on that money to help pay expenses.

In recent years, fewer people are paying, leaving the festival often operating in the red.

"You can walk up and not pay, but it won't be around long," said John Garrido III, Throwback Music Fest coordinator.

Summer in Chicago is festival time for many neighborhood. Dozens of them in all parts of Chicago fill the summer weekends, from Bucktown to Andersonville, from Ribfest to the Taste of Randolph and many others.

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However, post-pandemic, organizers said they have seen the cost of producing these festivals rise dramatically.

"We have seen almost a 30% increase for supplies and rentals and labor costs to put on these festivals is over $100,000," said Maureen Martino with the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce.

That's why 20 of the festival organizers have created a coalition to try to get their message out.

The Wicker Park Fest has been around for 21 years, but last year saw gate donations drop by nearly 50% while costs for everything from private security to trash pickup rose by a third.

"If we can't get one of our main sources of revenue, that gate donation, then we're not going to be able to continue to produce them," said Pamela Maass with the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce.

In previous years, the Wicker Park Fest, which runs along Milwaukee Avenue, has featured three music stages. This year, they have to cut it back to two, but they're hoping by getting the message out they're be able to continue to produce a quality festival.