Location. Location. Location.
The real estate mantra has taken on whole new meaning with the official announcement Wednesday morning that Riot Fest is moving out of Douglass Park and heading to SeatGeek Stadium, 7000 S. Harlem Ave., in Bridgeview for a newly christened RiotLand extravaganza.
The festival, running Sept. 20-22, will feature more than 90 bands and encompass RiotLand, an immersive “Choose Your Own Adventure” world, Wednesday’s announcement said.
Also announced Wednesday was the full lineup (see below) for the three-day festival, which boasts Slayer, Fall Out Boy, Pavement, St. Vincent, Beck, Rob Zombie, the Offspring, Bright Eyes, Sublime (featuring Jakob Nowell, Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson), Dr. Dog and more.
Two-day (starting at $189.98) and three-day passes (starting at $249.98) are now on sale at tixr.com. Single and multiday parking passes, starting at $39 each, are also on sale at the site. Information on area hotels offering discounted rates for the festival dates is available at crewfare.com.
“We are happy to have them,” Village of Bridgeview spokesman Ray Hanania told the Sun-Times on Wednesday. “I think we offer them a bigger venue, we’ve got more parking and we have other resources that we can offer them to facilitate what they are trying to do.” Hanania noted Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash festival made the same move last year and “they’re working out really well.”
Some of the highlights of the interactive/immersive RiotLand experience (full details to be announced in the coming weeks) include:
— NOFX World: A stage/area dedicated to the music of punk rockers NOFX, led by Fat Mike;
— Filmmaker Kevin Smith Tribute Zones featuring: Quick Stop: An immersive re-creation of the famous convenience store from “Clerks,” and a “Mallrats” themed-activity zone;
— Cabaret Metro Stage: A homage to the Chicago music venue.
Returning to the festival will be the wedding chapel, skate ramp, free arcade games, mini golf and Hellzapoppin Circus.
Word of the big move was teased late Tuesday night via a social media video statement from festival co-founder, Mike Petryshyn, better known as “Riot Mike.” In his statement, Petryshyn placed the blame for the move squarely on the Chicago Park District.
“Riot Fest will be leaving Douglass Park,” Petryshyn wrote. “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.”
In a letter to the media on Wednesday morning, 24th Ward Ald. Monique Scott expressed her own disappointment with the park district’s approval process regarding permits for the festival, which has taken place at the park in her ward since 2015.
“I want to express my resolute support for Riot Fest and the need to address the challenges they have faced with the Chicago Park District process, which has ultimately led to the festival’s decision to relocate.
“The park district acknowledged that the festival has far exceeded the minimum approval requirements and is scheduled to be granted approval at the June 12th Board meeting. This decision, while appropriate, came too late. Per park district policy, the original approval should have been granted in April.”
Irene Tostado, a spokeswoman for the park district, said in an email to the Chicago Sun-Times Wednesday that the agency has learned “indirectly” of Riot Fest’s plans to pull out of Douglass Park, but that the permit application for the event hasn’t been withdrawn.
“The Chicago Park District has worked tirelessly to strike a balance between community interests and our special events organizers,” Tostado said. “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.”
Tostado noted that the park district this year announced a new initiative to reinvest a portion of the event fund revenue back to parks that host events with 3,000 or more attendees.
Also on Wednesday, Mayor Brandon Johnson was asked whether he views the departure of Riot Fest as a “loss” for Chicago.
“Well, we have a great scene in Chicago for festivals, right? We continue to grow our footprint. Whether it’s neighborhood festivals or even the larger ones that are downtown. We’re looking forward to Lollapalooza and other big events we’re gonna have in the city of Chicago,” Johnson told a news conference that followed Wednesday’s City Council meeting.
The mayor said he is “still gathering information” to determine “where there may have been a communications breakdown” between fest promoters and the Chicago Park District that may have precipitated the departure of Riot Fest.
“We’ll figure out where those disconnects are and find opportunities where we can either build, mend or create,” Johnson said without finishing the sentence.
The new location, some 15 miles southwest of the city, will definitely be an issue when it comes to transportation for thousands of festivalgoers who have relied on public transportation to get to and from the festival.
Riot Fest is the third music festival to leave Douglass Park. Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash festival moved to SeatGeek Stadium last year, and the 2024 event is set for this weekend at the suburban venue. The Heatwave music festival also moved from the park to the Huntington Bank Pavilion on Northerly Island in 2023.
Riot Fest moved to Douglass Park in 2015 after complaints from neighbors at its old location in Humboldt Park. The complaints followed the festival to its new location. Residents and community organizers had long campaigned for Riot Fest and other summer music festivals to leave Douglass Park. They claimed the festivals disturbed patients at nearby Mount Sinai Hospital and tied up park resources for local residents.
Supporters of the festival pointed to the benefits of an economic boost to the area from increased foot traffic.
The 2024 Riot Fest Lineup
Action/Adventure
ALL
Basement
Beach Bunny
Beck
Bright Eyes
Brutus
Buzzcocks
Circle Jerks
Clutch
Cobra Skulls
Codefendants
Cursive
Cypress Hill
D.O.A.
Descendents
Dillinger Four
Doom Scroll
Dr. Dog
Drug Church
Face To Face
Fall Out Boy
Fiddlehead
Games We Play
GEL
Get Dead
GWAR
HEALTH
Heart Attack Man
Home Front
Hot Mulligan
Huge Euge
Jack Kays
Jhariah
L.S.Dunes
Lagwagon
Lamb Of God
Laura Jane Grace + Catbite
Liquid Mike
Lord of the Lost
Loveless
Manchester Orchestra
Mastodon
Nekrogoblikon
New Found Glory
NOFX
Oliver Tree
Pavement
Pennywise
Pixel Grip
Poison The Well
Polaris
Princess Goes
Public Enemy
Rival Sons
Rob Zombie
Saxsquatch
Sincere Engineer
Sir Chloe
Slaughter Beach, Dog
Slayer
Something Corporate
Souls of Mischief
Spiritual Cramp
Spoon
SPRINTS
St. Vincent
State Champs
Strung Out
Sublime
Suicidal Tendencies
Sum 41
Sunami
Sweet Pill
Swingin’ Utters
Taking Back Sunday
The Aces
The Armed
The Chisel
The Dead Milkmen
The Defiant
The Dickies
The Exploited
The Hives
The Lawrence Arms
The Marleys (Ziggy, Stephen, Julian, Ky-Mani and Damian)
The Mysterines
The Offspring
The Vandals
The Warning
Tierra Whack
Tornillo
Urethane
Verböten
Waxahatchee
Winona Fighter
Zheani
Contributing: Sophie Sherry; Stefano Esposito; Fran Spielman
