Chicago Music Festivals…No Blood From the Cut?
Pritzker Pavillion...new home for music festivals?
There are only a few ways music fans around the globe can unite together and share their love of certain genres or artists. One way is through the unknown of the different online music communities. Another way, the most interactive way, is by attending music festivals. Music festivals have been a large part of communities of music for quite some time. They are an important realm of the entertainment industry and are attended by millions of people yearly. Chicago is home to several music festivals including Chicago Country Music Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, Chicago Blues Festival and Lollapalooza. While most of these festivals allow their host cities to make money, there is also a budget in order to make these festivals happen.
In Chicago’s recent budget cut, the arts were one of the first things to be slashed from its superiority. Chicago music festival production took quite a stab when the city cut its budget by $1.2 million. However, music festival event planners are brushing off the cut as it seems to be bringing music festival production more advantages than disadvantages. While the city’s 2 largest festivals, Chicago Blues Festival and Chicago Jazz Festival will remain in Grant Park, other festivals will be moved to Millennium Park which event planners say has better sound. By staging festivals in Millennium Park, less streets will need to be closed and the smaller area will require less security, in turn saving the city of Chicago money. Music festival producers are also pleased since the festivals will be more accessible to those north of Grant Park where the city is booming heights for tourists alike.
We have been seeing more budget cuts across many different spectrums of the arts but this is the first time I have seen positive outcomes from a budget cut. Apparently they are looking to move the Jazz Festival to Millennium Park as well, we’ll see how that goes. But for us contemporary music festival attendees, lets keep Lollapalooza in Grant Park…please…unless of course it would mean lowering the cost of passes.
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Tags: blues festival, Chicago, jazz festival, lollapalooza, music festival