NORTH LAWNDALE — Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash is heading to southwest suburban Bridgeview this year, the second of three music festivals to leave Douglass Park amid protests from West Side neighbors.
Summer Smash will be June 23-25 at SeetGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, organizers announced in a tweet and on its website Wednesday.
West Side neighbors organized throughout the summer and fall to reclaim Douglass Park after Heatwave Music Festival, Riot Fest and Summer Smash closed down parts of the park to neighbors for weeks at a time.
Some neighborhood youth programs and sports teams had to relocate due to the closures, while neighbors said they ran into issues like trash and glass being left in the park after the events departed. They held protests and met with officials, demanding more input into how the park district schedules private events on public space.
Eventually, in November, the Park District pledged to give all Chicagoans more of a say in what events happen at their neighborhood parks.
Heatwave organizers announced last month they were moving the June 10-11 event to Northerly Island.
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