The city of Chicago has announced that Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago, Chicago Jazz Fest and all other massive outdoor events will be cancelled for the Summer of 2020.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot in her daily news conference announced that all special events will be cancelled through Labor Day. This will essentially wipe out the entirety of the Summer 2020 music festival season and all city-sponsored events which can see attendance exceed 1 million visitors.
Lollapalooza is the most notable cancellation. C3 Presents, which promotes the festival, had held off an outright cancellation or postponement but had yet to announce a line-up. They responded with a statement posted on social media and sent to the press which reads, in part, that they will be “working hard behind the scenes to deliver Chicago a spectacular celebration of Lollapalooza’s 30th Anniversary in the summer of 2021.”
— Lollapalooza (@lollapalooza) June 9, 2020
The City of Chicago had already announced the cancellation of the House Music Festival (Memorial Day Weekend) and the city’s Gospel and Blues Festivals.
Lightfoot compared holding the events and bringing in people from around the country into Chicago’s downtown as “light[ing] ourselves on fire. It makes no sense.”
The City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events have announced a series of “re-imagined” events, including Millennium Park at Home, SummerDance in Place, Taste of Chicago To-Go and Club Concerts, the latter of which will feature Chicago musicians performing in clubs and other locations for broadcast.
