GRANT PARK — After more than a decade, a popular Mexican Independence Day event could return to Downtown.
The Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, city of Chicago, Park District and the Mexican Consulate in Chicago are hosting El Grito, an annual city-sponsored celebration, 2-10 p.m. Sept. 14-15 at Grant Park.
Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) announced in his newsletter last week that the festival will come Downtown in September. It was not immediately known if the event has received permits to proceed.
Organizers will host a community meeting 6:30-7:30 p.m. May 9 at the Fairmont Chicago, 200 N. Columbus Drive, according Reilly’s newsletter.
El Grito is the cry of victory that is traditionally part of Mexican Independence Day celebrations. The holiday commemorates Mexico’s independence from Spain following an 11-year war that ended in 1821.
Organizers have continuously called for city-sponsored Mexican Independence Day events to return Downtown.
Mexican Independence Day festivities were hosted Downtown for years, but that stopped over a decade ago. More recently, events have taken place at locations around the city while car caravans have gathered Downtown and on DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
Last year, after initially saying the city would not close down streets to prevent Downtown logjams, city officials implemented last-minute closures anyway, shutting out people who didn’t live or work in the area.
The shutdowns had people calling for a city-sanctioned event to mark Mexican Independence Day to avoid the chaos of last-minute logistical changes and prevent moves that exclude neighbors from accessing the heart of the city.
This year’s festival is already being promoted by local event management company Special Events Management.
“El Grito Chicago is a big, elaborate cultural showcase for the city’s large and cohesive Mexican community,” according to Special Events Management’s website.
The festival will feature “big name international al entertainment,” a wide variety of Mexican food vendors, retail vendors, and an area with games and small rides for kids, according to the website.
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