- Credibility:
CHICAGO — The city has canceled all of its major summer festivals, including Lollapalooza, the Taste of Chicago and the Air and Water Show.
All large, permitted outdoor events through Labor Day — which is Sept. 7 — have been canceled, the city announced Tuesday.
The cancellations come as Chicago is still battling the coronavirus pandemic, which can be spread among large crowds. Lollapalooza, the Taste and the Air and Water show routinely attract tens of thousands of people.
“We must provide ways for people to enjoy the spirit of a Chicago summer while prioritizing health and safety,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a press release. “As difficult as it is to remove these in-person events from our calendar, we are pulling out all the stops for an inventive, engaging and fun festival season this summer.”
What’s canceled:
- Lollapalooza
- Taste of Chicago
- Air and Water Show
- Chicago Jazz Festival
- Chicago SummerDance
- The majority of programs for the Chicago Riverwalk, Chicago Cultural Center and Millennium Park
- Maxwell Street Market (through Labor Day)
- Jumping Jack program
Instead, the city and festival organizers are looking at how to host events from home or smaller in-person events.
Lollapalooza will have a weekend of livestreamed music July 30-Aug. 2. More details on that will be announced next month, according to the city.
And Taste of Chicago will be turned into Taste of Chicago To-Go. There will be a procession of food trucks July 8 and online cooking demos July 8-12.
More information about virtual programs and small events is available on the city’s website.
The city already canceled other big events — like Blues Fest, House Music Festival and the Memorial Day Parade — due to the pandemic.
Chicago has made strides in its battle against COVID-19 recently, as the city has seen declines in the number of new cases and people dying each day.
But there are still hundreds more people testing positive for coronavirus every day in Chicago.
In total, the city has had 48,351 people test positive for COVID-19 and 2,285 people die from the virus.
Block Club Chicago’s coronavirus coverage is free for all readers. Block Club is an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom.
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