Michelada Fest Cancels June Union Park Run and Will Return as Free Pilsen Street Festival
Organizers say rising production, labor and insurance costs forced the downgrade and they will issue automatic refunds while moving vendors to other events.
Overview
- Organizers of Michelada Fest canceled the planned ticketed event in Union Park and announced a free, three-day street festival in Pilsen for Sept. 18–20.
- The company cited sharply higher costs for stages, sound, lighting, staffing and insurance as the reason a full-scale, ticketed festival was financially untenable.
- Ticket buyers will receive automatic refunds with the process to begin within about 15–30 days and most returns going back to the original form of payment.
- Vendors contracted for the June festival will be reassigned to the Windy City Margarita Fest in August, and it is not yet clear which national or international artists from the announced lineup will perform in September.
- The move returns the event to its 2018 Pilsen street-festival roots and highlights broader strains on independent cultural events that face rising production costs, permitting and visa hurdles and tight local policing resources.