Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs/music festivals (Robinson: home, neighborhoods)

[Savoir Faire]

Originally Posted by tonythetuna

Gangbangers rejoice.

Funny stuff here:

"The Daley administration chose to release the news late on the day of a major snowstorm."

Clout St: City Hall rejects Taste of Chicago private takeover

Rahm Emanuel will probably approve the deal, so it doesn't matter. Taste sucks anyways, so I couldn't care less.

[tonythetuna]

Well it's official. Big name acts are gone at the taste.

"Viva Chicago, Country Music, Gospel and Celtic Fests will no longer be stand-alone weekend events with big-name talent. They will be one-day events during the Taste that will focus on local acts."

City overhauls Taste, scales back several lakefront fests - Chicago Sun-Times

[dewthedru]

So the only way I can take my family to see those events is to drag them through the "Taste" crowds? Awesome.

[jwaiter]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

When the city was in it's prime we didn't have all this nonsense and we got by fine.

When I was a kid, we had to walk up hill to school, BOTH ways, and WE LIKED IT!

[tonythetuna]

Originally Posted by dewthedru

So the only way I can take my family to see those events is to drag them through the "Taste" crowds? Awesome.

Maybe they will have separate admission and be cordoned off.

[Drover]

"To absorb 7 million dollars in festival losses...." I realize we're in tough fiscal times and all... but 7 million dollars? Is that it? Has anyone sat down to figure out how much tourism these festivals bring into town and offset that against the losses? And what a ripoff to roll all the major music festivals into one diluted pile of suck. This is not fitting for a city that's supposed to be one of the cultural crown jewels of the U.S.

[linicx]

It seems to me if - in an effort to cut financial loses - Chicago continues to raise prices to "hugely popular" venuew and continues to dilute quality/quantity in popular events, they picked a losing strategy. Vistors = money spent. If they do it long enough there will be no reason to visit Chicago. It will become one more ho-hum, "fly over" city.

It's a dumb idea.

[tonythetuna]

Originally Posted by linicx

It will become one more ho-hum, "fly over" city.

That it will never be.

[grapico]

Bad move. I am particularly pissed at the Celtic Fest being shoved into Taste of Chicago. It draws pretty big attendance by itself. The Taste IMO is one of my least favorite Chicago festivals. By less popular, I think they mean, less attendance last year, as they shoved it from one of the first festivals of the year to keep up with the St. Patrick's vibe to one of the very last festivals last year, so several of the headlining international acts didn't show.

"The only stand-alone music festivals will be Blues Fest, to be held June 10 to 12, and Jazz Fest, which will run Sept. 2 to 4. "

Ouch, that's it? Really... Shame.


"That’s what we’re gonna try to do: [feature] local talent around the Chicago area.”

Well, that is not what draws crowds, unless it is Buddy Guy.

They also killed the July 3rd Fireworks...



"The question now is whether restaurants and four days of local music will be enough to draw the same big crowds, many of them suburbanites.
“We think so because it’s a food festival,” Mitchell said."



Nope, the food at the taste isn't that good, sorry. Most people I know were going for the concerts or amusement stuff, the food just happened to be there.


"Coyle added, “The true roots of Taste of Chicago and how it became successful was a celebration of food.”"

Yes, and the true roots of Chicago was animal trading and factories. Let's bring them all back along with stockyards. Let's kill all the financial services, insurance firms, law firms, etc downtown.

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by linicx

It seems to me if - in an effort to cut financial loses - Chicago continues to raise prices to "hugely popular" venuew and continues to dilute quality/quantity in popular events, they picked a losing strategy.

There is a tipping point. Simply charging admission to some attractions lowers numbers but raises revenue. I don't know if the proposed changes are going to lower long-term revenue at the expense of current spending.

In other words, the city will still generate revenue but not go in the hole so much.