Riot Fest moving to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview; lineup released
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — Riot Fest is officially moving to Bridgeview and unveiled the venue as “Riotland” on its website. They also unveiled the 2024 edition of its lineup.
Fall Out Boy, Beck and Slayer are among the headliners. Other notable acts are The Offspring, Public Enemy, St. Vincent, Rob Zombie, Cypress Hill, Sublime, Spoon and The Marley Brothers playing the music of Bob Marley.
Longtime punk band NOFX announced its farewell tour last year and will be playing every day of the festival.
The festival will be held at SeatGeek Stadium from Sept. 20-22. It was teased in a social media video Tuesday night that they would leave Douglass Park after being there for the last eight years.
Riot Mike, who is co-founder Mike Petryshyn, blamed the Chicago Park District.
“Riot Fest will be leaving Douglass Park. 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,” Petryshyn said. “Their lack of care for the community, you, and us, ultimately left us no choice.”
Riot Fest began in 2005 at Chicago venues and moved to Humboldt Park in 2012. The fest, known of eclectic lineups of rock and more, moved to Douglass Park in 2015.
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They’ve been hit with some criticism from residents around Douglass Park over the years. Ald. Monique Scott (24th Ward) said it’s a false narrative that the majority of the community was against the festival and praised it.
The Chicago Red Stars, who play their home games at SeatGeek Stadium, took to social media Wednesday alluding that they cannot play their scheduled Sept. 21 game against the San Diego Wave FC.
“It is unfair and unfortunate to have our club put in this situation, shining a light on the vast discrepancies in the treatment of women’s professional sports versus men’s professional sports.
We are committed to ensuring our players and fans have a first-rate experience on and off pitch, and we are working diligently to find a solution that will ensure our September 21st game is a success,” team president Karen Leetzow said.
The Chicago Park District released the following statement on the venue change.
“The Chicago Park District has learned indirectly that the organizers of Riot Fest have stated they do not intend to go forward with their event in Douglass Park this September. The permit application for the event has not been withdrawn, and in fact it is currently pending provisional approval by the Park District Board of Commissioners. This approval process by the Board is one that was established two years ago for Special Events Permit Review and ensures that organizers engage community to get feedback about impact to community and dialogue about event production adjustments that should be considered to address community concerns.
The Chicago Park District has worked tirelessly to strike a balance between community interests and our Special Events organizers. 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.
For large-scale events our top priorities are to minimize the impact on the community, protect our park assets and ensure the organizers are planning a safe and well-organized event. It is imperative that an event organizer work with and understand the community in which they are hosting an event. Prior to Board approval, we require that they engage local residents, community organizations, elected officials, businesses and the Park Advisory Council to provide detailed information pertaining to the event.
This year, the Chicago Park District reinforced its commitment to community by announcing the creation of a new initiative to reinvest a portion of event revenue fund directly back to the parks that host special events with 3,000 or more attendees. Parks hosting multi-day events with 3,000 or more guests, will receive a direct re-investment of 10 percent of the permit fees collected from event organizers in addition to any park restoration fees. A key part of the initiative are the engagement opportunities that residents will be invited to attend to provide feedback on the potential capital improvement projects.“
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