Non-stop party: Chicago voters weigh permanent festival grounds

Permanent festival grounds are on the ballot in Chicago: A new resolution asks voters if the city should designate a specific location to host concerts, cultural festivals, community celebrations and more. Downtown Ald. Brian Hopkins, who sponsored the resolution, said a permanent place for bleachers, stages and drainage could streamline the setup and teardown of large events.

Block Club Chicago reports:

“Rather than act surprised every year that we’re going to have festivals and events Downtown and then set up temporary structures, I just thought it might be a good idea to see if the citizens of Chicago — and residents Downtown, in particular, which I represent — would be supportive of making something a bit more permanent,” [Downtown Ald. Brian Hopkins, who sponsored the resolution] told Block Club.

The resolution comes as Chicago’s Douglass Park is still reeling from hosting Lollapalooza. A rainy festival day last month caused between $400,000 and $600,000 worth of damages to the park.