Daley's flip-flop puts Taste of Chicago, lakefront festivals in worse position
By cover of snowstorm Tuesday, Mayor Richard Daley’s administration officially flipped-flopped on his notion to privatize and revitalize the city’s lakefront festivals, including Taste of Chicago.
In rejecting a bid by a joint venture calling itself Celebrate Chicago at a time when most of the city’s media was covering the snowstorm of the century, Daley put the city’s 2011 summer festival schedule back where it ended last year: deeply in debt and in dire need of rejuvenation. What’s more, most major summer festivals have already booked their headlining talent, meaning Chicago will have even slimmer pickings this year when it comes to booking bands for its marquee outdoor events, including Taste of Chicago, Blues Fest and Jazz Fest.
Last year, Daley said the city was facing a financial crisis and endorsed the possibility of charging admission for city festivals by hiring private operators. “You have to,” he said at the time, as quoted by the Chicago Sun-Times. “The cost factor was enormous for Taste of Chicago. No one made any money. … If it costs you more and more money every year for city services, how are you affording this?”
The city asked for bids and received exactly one, from Celebrate Chicago, a joint venture by the Illinois Restaurant Association, Jam Productions and AEG Live , which proposed to oversee Taste of Chicago and the six other summer city festivals and charge admission for some to boost the talent lineup.
It was a credible proposal by three credible organizations, including two (Jam and the restaurant association) with deep ties to Chicago and its cultural scene and a third entity with world-class experience in staging big summer festivals (AEG is linked to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California).
So Daley’s reversal is tough to figure. A few weeks ago he declared that charging admission for Taste probably wasn’t such a good idea after all and suggested that the festival’s emphasis on music was overblown and potentially expendable. “It’s called Taste of Food” and it’s not about music, he said. In rejecting the proposal, Budget Director Eugene Munin said in a statement Tuesday that it was all about the admission fee: “While Celebrate Chicago is an experienced special events team that is qualified to manage and operate the lakefront festivals, we believe the proposed entry fee for the Taste of Chicago is unacceptable for Chicagoans and our visitors.”
Why the change in attitude? That’s a crucial piece of information that Celebrate Chicago certainly could’ve used in putting together its proposal. Meanwhile, the organization created an impressive document outlining how the city festivals compare to similar events, including Milwaukee’s Summerfest and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. What Celebrate Chicago suggests with its proposal is that Chicago deserves and could have world-class, reasonably priced city festivals along its lakefront with better management.
The Celebrate Chicago proposal highlights what Daley already knows: the festivals as presently run by the city are losing money. Lakefront festivals lost $1.7 million in 2008, $3.7 million in 2009 and $1.5 million in 2010 – that’s a lot of revenue for services that aren’t essential to keeping the city running. Taste enlisted 32 sponsors last year, compared to 93 at Summerfest – a huge disparity in potential revenue that could be used to book better bands and keep ticket prices reasonable. The bookings themselves are sad; Summerfest and Jazz Fest both boast lineups that are consistently stronger and deeper than anything Taste of Chicago or the other city festivals have come up with in years.
The big issue is pricing, but the Celebrate Chicago proposal makes a strong case for keeping costs in line with what current festivalgoers already pay (remember, those food tickets cost money). By folding some of the food ticket costs into the admission price for Taste of Chicago, the price for a family of four to gain admission to Taste 2011 and eat a meal apiece (a total of 120 food tickets) would run about $80; $60 with free admission on weekdays between 11 a.m.-4 p.m. That’s about the same amount a family of four would’ve spent on 120 food tickets with free admission last year.
Daley may have been disappointed that C3 Presents, the Texas promoters in the midst of a 10-year contract to book Lollapalooza in Grant Park, did not get in on the bidding. City Hall sources say C3 was tipped off about Daley’s proposal to privatize Taste of Chicago and other city festivals weeks before it become public. But C3 did not bid, likely because it had its hands full putting together the inaugural South American Lollapalooza in Chile, scheduled for April.
Speculation about potential bidders aside, the mayor’s Taste flip-flop points to a deeper problem: a lack of vision. What are the city festivals supposed to do and how should they be run? Do we want high-quality entertainment at Taste of Chicago and other summer festivals? Or is it merely about background music for a lakefront party? Do we want to charge admission for these events? Is it all about free – even though Taste of Chicago really isn’t? If we charge for these events, how much is too much?
Daley doesn’t seem to know as his flip-flop indicates. Munin said the city will continue to run the lakefront festivals, including Taste, while also trying to improve management to reduce costs. That’s bureaucratic language for downsizing. Inevitable, perhaps, but still a sad day for Chicago music.
greg@gregkot.com
I have an idea....This is the Tast of Chicago but it's morphed into this corporate monster and it is not about that at all. It's the Taste of Chicago. Why dont we ONLY have local restaurants. McDonalds would be an exception as it started in Chicago. Entertainment..why are we paying already overpaid singers? There's so much local talent. Have a Chicago Idol and let the best singers perform. Chicago without a doubt is known all over the world for cranking out the best artists and is the birthplace of House music which is appreciated all over the world. 2nd idea, start training volunteer chicago police officers which can be on track for paid police and cut the costs of security at the taste. Half of the security can be volunteers and half paid.
Posted by: Daymon Seals | February 03, 2011 at 02:56 AM
What's wrong with booking second-tier acts as background music at the festivals? I've seen plenty of good bands, that I never heard of before, play in Grant Park. Give a nod to local acts that could use the exposure and keep it free. There are plenty of opportunities for people to pay to see top acts at other venues across the city all summer long.
Posted by: Pat M | February 03, 2011 at 08:02 AM
Question. Topic-cleanliness. I only see portable toliets at the Taste. Where do the food servers wash their hands? Does the current administration fine other restaurants for not having running water, yet ok this violation for the Taste vendors during the Taste?
Posted by: brian n | February 03, 2011 at 08:05 AM
I never understood why the city thought it could charge admission in Grant Park
"that they refrain from placing or causing to be placed thereon anything, except for park purposes, and from using, and permitting the use of, any portion thereof for railroad tracks, or such circuses or exhibitions to which the public will not be admitted free"
City of Chicago v Ward 169 Ill 392
Posted by: Warren f leland | February 03, 2011 at 09:15 AM
I wouldn't go to the Waste Of Chicago, if it all was free. Too many gang type jerk-offs lurking around....food not that good and overpriced.....parking....ha!
Posted by: Lee | February 03, 2011 at 10:05 AM
Good. Stay away. Who cares if you come or not?
Posted by: Pat M | February 03, 2011 at 11:05 AM
Where is the action behind all this "world class city" talk? With Taste, we had a chance to have a world class festival that also happens to be run by a competent home town producer in Jam. Sounds like a "win-win" to me. No offense cheeseheads, but it's pitiful that Milwaukee has a better summer festival than we do. And guess what - they charge admission.
Posted by: Ian V | February 03, 2011 at 03:57 PM
Gee, a music critic shilling for a concert promoter - now that's unusual!
The generous Kot wants Taste attendees to pay $20/head to the premier corporation in his field.
The Tribune needn't go all the way to city hall to uncover conflicts of interest.
Posted by: Josh | February 03, 2011 at 09:33 PM
Why not keep admission to the food portion free. Use one of the Two music options 1) Charge to get into see the "featured event" or 2) have local bands play for free and increase the number of available stages and the types of music. Why not add performing art and/or comedy. The recent music options are very limited and are not current. The Petrillo band shell is a pitiful venue especially when compared to the Pritzker Pavilion. In the current state it is like attending a bad county fair.
Posted by: Kurt | February 05, 2011 at 11:00 PM
Does the so-called talent that's booked bring in more people to the Taste? That's an important question... Anyway, Chicago - like Milwaukee - is known for its summer festivals. Selling them off to the highest bidder, like what's been done with most of the city's street festivals, turns them into generic, predictable events that are best to avoid. That's a shame.
Posted by: djfake | February 09, 2011 at 08:17 AM