Riot Fest will move from Douglass Park in North Lawndale to a new location set to be revealed Wednesday, its founder shared on social media Tuesday night.
The multiday punk, rock and hip-hop festival has occurred in Douglass Park since 2015, but tensions among festival management and residents have mounted in recent years over issues including complaints of lack of access to the park and disruptions to the neighborhood by a music festival.
Founder Mike Petrynshyn promised to unveil a new concept he called “RiotLand” Wednesday morning in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.
In the statement, Petrynshyn thanked Ald. Monique Scott, 24th, for her support of the event and said that the Chicago Park District was “solely” responsible for the festival’s move.
“Their lack of care for the community, you and us ultimately left us no choice,” the statement said.
Scott, for her part, also pinned the move on “challenges” with the Park District as she expressed her support for the festival’s organizers in a statement Tuesday evening. The city department granted the festival approval months late, she said.
“This unnecessary and inappropriate delay in the process, among many other issues, has led to critical setbacks in areas that include, but are not limited to, operational, financial, and community initiatives,” Scott said.
The festival had earned widespread community support with “unprecedented benefits for the local community,” she added. She called the opposition to the festival a “false narrative” and said it came from “only a small group of people,” some of whom do not live in the neighborhood.
The 2024 lineup and ticket sales for the festival running Sept. 20 through 22, will be released Wednesday at 10 a.m, according to the festival announcement.