Plan to move Taste of Chicago due to NASCAR draws City Council backlash

CHICAGO (WLS) — There’s a delay in approving the city’s summer events schedule, including for things like Taste of Chicago, is on hold until the next mayor is seated.

The delay comes at the request of Alderman Brendan Reilly, whose 42nd Ward includes Navy Pier and parts of Grant Park.

Grant Park is free and open to the public, but it’s also the site of many summer events like Lollapalooza and Taste of Chicago.

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“We just learned Taste of Chicago is the same weekend as NACSAR. Taste of Chicago occurs in the middle of Grant Park. You can’t access it when racetrack built around park,” Ald. Reilly said.

Reilly said the Lightfoot administration just decided to move the Taste to Navy Pier without any dialogue with him or neighbors.

“That is a last minute switcheroo just like the casino deal was, like the NASCAR deal was, this is a trend, it is likely what this mayor wasn’t re-elected,” he said.

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Additionally, Reilly said the administration has not been transparent about how many days Grant Park will close for NASCAR. He said the city council was originally told 25 to 30 days maximum, but now he said it may be 40 to include set up and break down.

“People are going to have a very hard time getting to programing in Maggie Daley Park, the baseball diamonds are not available for use,” said Leslie Recht, president of the Grant Park Advisory Council.

Recht said her organization has yet to hear any of the latest details from NASCAR.

“There are a lot of issues that were never addressed when the contract with NASCAR was signed,” she said.

While Recht and Reilly said park groups and the city have a good working relationship with Lollapalooza, between both events portions of Grant Park will be closed for over 80 days.

“Grant Park is being quietly and slowly privatized where there are only a handful of days each summer season where the public can use it without having to pay an admissions fee,” Reilly said.