Residents around Douglass Park had mixed feelings on the news that Riot Fest had been granted a three-year permit to continue staging the music festival in the park.
Some who expressed familiar concerns over trash, noise and traffic said they felt dispirited because their voices haven’t been taken into account. But others like Cameron Sutton say they don’t mind the festival as a neighbor, despite its disturbances.
“It’s kind of annoying because of the traffic and they close down the park for a week, but it’s like a minor inconvenience,” said Sutton, who has lived across the park for eight years. “It seems like people are having fun so it’s not really a big deal.”
The Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners approved the new three-year deal Wednesday during its monthly meeting, hearing from critics and defenders of the festival.
Lauren Quinn, the park district’s deputy director of revenue, said the deal will generate $3 million to $4.5 million for the Park District over the course of the new agreement. Of that, roughly $900,000 to $1.2 million will go toward Douglass Park improvements.
Supporters of the festival have also said it helps bring jobs to the North Lawndale community year-round. George Herrera, Riot Fest’s director of community relations, couldn’t provide examples of specific job titles during Wednesday’s meeting.
On Thursday, local Ald. Monique Scott (24th) was unable to shed light on those specifics because she’s out of town, but said the festival does more for the community than people realize, and that’s why the new deal is beneficial for the neighborhood.
“They’re involved in our Juneteenth Parade; they’re involved in the Cermak Chamber of Commerce,” Scott told the Sun-Times. “They’re not just someone who comes for three days and then leaves. The work that they do in our community, it shows that they are very collaborative, and it’s not just the festival. They’re here for the long haul.”
Scott added that at least 50 jobs are available for residents during the festival, ranging from security to cleanup crew. And organizers are working to add more local vendors to the festival this year. Last year’s edition would have included more local businesses but the uncertainty over where the festival would take place interfered with preparations, Scott said.
She also said the financial boost will help with improvements to the park. Scott said the funds could go toward updating restroom facilities, the pool area, adding more seating and beautifying the area. Residents will be asked for their input on what they’d like to see improved.
“There’s so many things we can do, and I can’t wait to have the community voice what they want,” Scott said.
But not everyone has as rosy an outlook on Riot Fest. Únete La Villita has been fighting to get the festival out of the park for years. In 2024, the community organization conducted a poll of residents surrounding the park and found 68% did not support the park being closed for large music festivals.
In a statement on social media, they called Wednesday a “sad day” for the health of the park, the hospitals around it and the community. The organization accused the city and park district of putting profits over residents.
“The Chicago Park District and the City of Chicago let us know that, yet again, cash rules everything around us and land use rules are just that, words,” the organization said. “Rather than finding an appropriate venue, they scrambled to put a price on vulnerable public land. What is a public park, if the public has no say over its use?”
Margarita Barragan, who has lived near the park for 19 years, said the new deal was “very bad,” but she feels there’s not much she can do about it. She said the festival brings in trash and the noise disturbs the patients at Mount Sinai and St. Anthony hospitals. It also makes it challenging for residents to find parking.
“Everybody here works and they come home and they can’t find parking,” she said in Spanish. “We haven’t liked [the festival] but either way they go through with it. We don’t win; they are the ones who win.”
But a few doors down the same block, Annette Higgins said she’s a fan of the festival, despite the traffic problems.
“I don’t have a problem with the Riot Fest. I actually enjoy it coming in our neighborhood,” she said, adding that news of the new deal didn’t bother her.
“That’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Contributing: Anna Savchenko