Chicago Park District releases statement after Riot Fest says it will leave Douglass Park

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Editor’s Note: The new location of Riot Fest’s “RiotLand” For 2024 has been revealed. Our latest story can be found here. Our original story continues below.

The Chicago Park District has released a statement after organizers of Riot Fest, a festival held in Chicago’s Douglass Park since 2015, said it would be leaving its current location due to the park district’s “lack of care for the community.”

“Riot Fest will be leaving Douglass Park,” a video message posted to Riot Fest’s social media pages Tuesday read in part. “And – allow me to be as clear as the azure sky of the deepest summer – our exodus is solely because of the Chicago Park District. Their lack of care for the community, you and us, ultimately left us no choice.”

The video — a scrolling message, set in front of a leather couch with a framed picture of the word “OZ” hanging above it — was posted by Riot Fest Tuesday night. The minute-long video, attributed to festival co-founder Mike Petryshyn, blasted the park district for their actions in negotiations over the event’s home, saying Riot Fest organizers were “tired of being the lowest hanging fruit.”

“I was tired of playing their games,” the message continued. “I was tired of watching something I love being continually used to deflect away from their own internal deficits.”

In addition to leaving the Chicago park, organizers said the lineup for the 2024 festival, scheduled for Sept. 20-22 — and new details about its new event called “RiotLand” — will be revealed Wednesday, beginning at 10 a.m.

“Though our curtains may have closed in Douglass Park, another one has opened,” the message went on to say. “It’s called RiotLand. It’s something like you’ve never seen before. And it’s far overdue.”

The three-day music festival began in 2005, originally using a combination of venues before it moved to Chicago’s Humboldt Park. In 2015, the festival moved to Douglass Park, but in recent years has become the subject of community pushback, including petitions to remove the festival from the park.

In a statement emailed to NBC Chicago overnight, the Chicago Park District said the district had worked “tirelessly to strike a balance between community interests and our Special Events organizers.”

“Community voices are critical to our decision-making process, which is why a comprehensive community engagement process is a necessary component in evaluating a permit application,” the statement read in part. “Last year, Riot Fest organizers completed this process successfully, received a permit and hosted their event in Douglass Park.”

The full statement from the Park District can be found below.

The Chicago Park District has learned indirectly that the organizers of Riot Fest have stated they do not intend to go forward with their event in Douglass Park this September. The permit application for the event has not been withdrawn, and in fact it is currently pending provisional approval by the Park District Board of Commissioners. This approval process by the Board is one that was established two years ago for Special Events Permit Review and ensures that organizers engage community to get feedback about impact to community and dialogue about event production adjustments that should be considered to address community concerns.

The Chicago Park District has worked tirelessly to strike a balance between community interests and our Special Events organizers. Community voices are critical to our decision-making process, which is why a comprehensive community engagement process is a necessary component in evaluating a permit application. Last year, Riot Fest organizers completed this process successfully, received a permit and hosted their event in Douglass Park.

For large-scale events our top priorities are to minimize the impact on the community, protect our park assets and ensure the organizers are planning a safe and well-organized event. It is imperative that an event organizer work with and understand the community in which they are hosting an event. Prior to Board approval, we require that they engage local residents, community organizations, elected officials, businesses and the Park Advisory Council to provide detailed information pertaining to the event.

This year, the Chicago Park District reinforced its commitment to community by announcing the creation of a new initiative to reinvest a portion of event revenue fund directly back to the parks that host special events with 3,000 or more attendees. Parks hosting multi-day events with 3,000 or more guests, will receive a direct re-investment of 10 percent of the permit fees collected from event organizers in addition to any park restoration fees. A key part of the initiative are the engagement opportunities that residents will be invited to attend to provide feedback on the potential capital improvement projects.

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