Chicago street festivals struggling to survive amid rising costs, dwindling donations

Chicago street festivals struggling to survive amid rising costs, dwindling donations

Chicago's beloved summer street festivals are at risk of disappearing due to rising production costs and declining gate donations.

CHICAGO - Local street festivals are a beloved part of Chicago’s summer identity, but organizers say the future of many of these events is now in jeopardy.

Pamela Maass, executive director of the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, sounded the alarm in a Chicago Tribune op-ed published Friday, warning that escalating costs and declining gate donations are pushing some of the city’s most iconic festivals toward the brink. Maass said her group has now formed a coalition of more than 20 Chicago festivals under the banner "Save Our Street Fest" in an effort to preserve these events.

What they're saying:

According to Maass, Wicker Park Fest saw a 50% drop in gate donations in 2024 — a blow she called unsustainable. While vendor booths and concessions help fuel the local economy, she emphasized that those revenues go directly to the individual businesses, not the organizers.

"When you're walking past that gate thinking, ‘My $5 doesn’t matter,’ everyone else was starting to think the same thing," Maass said.

Donations needed

Local perspective:

Without sufficient gate donations, Maass said organizers are forced to scale back programming. Wicker Park Fest, for example, will lose one of its three music stages this year, and some vendor slots have been eliminated due to budget constraints.

She also noted that public safety costs are nearly on par with the price of booking original live music acts. Despite the perception that the city sponsors these events, Maass said local nonprofit chambers or community groups shoulder the full financial and logistical burden — including hiring private security, which is required to obtain city permits.

The coalition’s message this summer is simple: donate at the gate.

Maass warns that if 2025 mirrors the donation shortfalls of last year, several festivals may disappear for good.

Street festival organizers who have joined this movement include: 

• Belmont Sheffield Music Festival
• Ribfest Chicago
• Andersonville Midsommarfest
• Taste of Randolph
• Wells Street Art Fest
• Chicago Pride Fest
• Square Roots Fest
• Roscoe Village Burger Fest
• Ravenswood on Tap
• Wicker Park Fest
• Northalsted Market Days
• Thirsty Ears Festival
• Edison Park Fest
• Lakeview Taco Fest
• Edgewater Music Fest
• Ravenswood Art Walk
• Lakeview East Festival of the Arts
• Norwood Park Fall Fest
• Lincoln Square Ravenswood Apple Fest
• Oktoberfest in Avondale