DOWNTOWN — A popular two-day festival celebrating Mexican Independence Day is expected to draw 12,000 people when it returns Downtown after a 10-year hiatus, organizers said Thursday.
El Grito festival will run 2-10 p.m. Sept. 14-15 in Grant Park and is being hosted by the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, city of Chicago, Park District and the Mexican Consulate in Chicago.
Organizers revealed details for the festival during a bilingual virtual community meeting Thursday.
The festival will take place at Butler Field with one main stage for entertainment, a kids activity area, food area, a main bar and VIP bar, restrooms and a will-call station.
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.
With Latinos representing nearly 35 percent of Chicago’s population, 20 percent being Mexican, organizers said they are excited to bring the festival back Downtown.
“I think that for many years, our community has not had the opportunity to celebrate properly as other communities,” said Reyna Torres Mendivil, consul general of México in Chicago. “I can see how other communities that also enrich the city with its culture, such as the Irish or the Italians, have had their celebrations, so I felt the need to recuperate the possibility for this celebration for our community as a vibrant part of the city.”
Organizers immediately faced questions during Thursday’s meeting about security for the event following the shutdown of Little Village’s parade last weekend due to what police described as gang violence.
The El Grito festival has a security plan in place and is working with Illinois Security Company, a private security team that will conduct bag check and security screenings with a K-9 team and will enforce a list of prohibited items, organizers said.
The festival team and Illinois Security Company are in communication with the Police Department, Office of Emergency Management and the CTA to make sure the security plan is implemented, organizers said.
El Grito is also working to partner with nearby restaurants and bars so people can continue celebrating “in a safe place” at designated after-parties after the festival closes.
“We’re excited to offer this year an event that is carefully planned, organized and allows everyone to celebrate Mexican Independence Day in a dignified, respectful and safe way and in a unified manner,” said Korina Sanchez, board member with the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Neighbors also asked why the event takes place in the afternoon and into the evening instead of during the day. Sanchez said that was intentional so as not to distract from other events scheduled for Little Village.
“We did not want to take away from any events that will be celebrating already in distinct parts of the city,” Sanchez said.
Tickets prices have yet to be announced, but admission will be free 6-10 p.m. Sept. 15 for the El Grito Civic Ceremony, which will be performed by the Mexican consulate.
Street closures will be in effect Sept. 10-17 for Jackson Boulevard between Lake Shore Drive and Columbus Drive, organizers said.
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