Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Lolla Officially Staying in Chicago for Another Decade

Apparently when we posted last week about Lolla contract extensions, it wasn't quite a done deal yet.  However, it still felt like it was going to happen and sure enough it did (via Tribune):

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Sunday announced a new contract to keep Lollapalooza in Grant Park for another 10 years.

Lightfoot said the festival will continue to take place in Chicago through 2032, revealing the news ahead of J-Hope’s headlining act on the Bud Light Seltzer stage Sunday evening.

“People have been saying to me, ‘Mayor, we love Lolla. It’s the best thing going.’ I agree. And so I’m here to tell you by decree, we’re gonna make sure that Lolla continues in the future,” Lightfoot said as the four-day event wound down.

The contract will be in place for the 2023 festival, and festival organizer C3 Presents and the Chicago Park District will have the option to extend the contract under the same terms for five years. It was unclear Sunday whether the agreement will go before the Park District board.

Full contract details were not available Sunday, including mention of the city’s amusement tax, a final sticking point in the negotiations. Last week, C3 Presents executives were pressing the city for assurances that Chicago’s amusement tax would not rise higher during the course of a new agreement.

The charge increased from 5% to 9% for large-scale events over the course of the existing 10-year Lollapalooza contract.

This seemed like a no brainer and one that the Mayor couldn't let slip through the cracks.

 

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