Organizers of some of Chicago’s big weekend events are keeping close watch on potential federal activity in the city but say their plans will go on.
The Loop is set to play host to a busy weekend of events, including Taste of Chicago, Printers Row Lit Festival and Sundays on State. But there is the looming possibility that federal agents could launch a series of immigration raids or that the National Guard could arrive.
Michael Edwards, CEO of the Chicago Loop Alliance, which puts on Sundays on State, said he worries that the possibility of federal agents arriving might discourage people from going Downtown.
“The notion of federal folks coming to town just puts a damper on anybody’s decision to come Downtown for any reason, whether it’s a restaurant or a hotel stay or an event,” he said.
That possibility comes just as Chicago’s Downtown has begun to really recover from the drastic decrease in foot traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Edwards said. Sundays on State initially began as a way to attract people back Downtown.
The event, planned for two Sundays this fall, closes part of the historic Downtown street to car traffic and fills it with food vendors and performances. Edwards says efforts like this have been a success, but is now concerned there could be a backslide.
“We’re very hopeful that we’re on the right track and this is just another bump in the road, of which there has been many since 2020,” he said. “We’re concerned about our constituents and the effect that this will have on their business.”
Edwards said, as always, the event has a security plan and that he’s confident this weekend’s event will be held without issue.
Amy Danzer, the director of programming of the Printers Row Lit Fest, said that the event team is watching what unfolds from the federal government. But, she said, she also sees this moment as an important time to gather and support the arts, which have also been under fire from the Trump administration.
“I think that we need to, especially at this moment, continue to support the arts and our writers and our thinkers and to support conversations about important topics,” Danzer said. “So I’m still encouraging people to show up. I feel like we should be OK.”
The festival, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, will feature more than 250 presenters, including headliner Sandra Cisneros, the Chicago-born author of “The House on Mango Street.”
A little further south, events are also planned around Mexican Independence Day in some of Chicago’s predominantly Latino neighborhoods. Pilsen’s Mexican Independence Day parade will be held with additional precautions. The event will have volunteers along the route with radios, cellphones and whistles to report any issues, Rigoberto Gonzalez Jr., executive director of the Pilsen Chamber of Commerce, told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Meanwhile, at least one suburban Mexican Independence Day parade and festival has been postponed until November due to concerns about immigration raids, according to Chicago’s Fox32. The team behind the Mexican Independence Day festival, El Grito, also decided to postpone. On Instagram Thursday, El Grito organizers wrote, “holding El Grito Chicago at this time puts the safety of our community at stake — and that’s a risk we are unwilling to take.” The two-day festival with live music and food was slated to take place Sept. 13-14 in Grant Park.
Courtney Kueppers is an arts and culture reporter at WBEZ.