ChicagoFest
ChicagoFest | |
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Michael Bilandic |
ChicagoFest was a
History
Some of the hundreds of superstars that appeared over the years were
In addition to its 30,000 seat Main Stage, ChicagoFest featured 16 other stage areas that seated 2,500 to 5,000, that presented nationally known recording artists.
In addition to music, ChicagoFest also featured a cinema at which the premier of The Buddy Holly story attracted Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, The Premier of MTV was mounted at ChicagoFest, A Laser Light Show, The Mike Douglas Show originated at ChicagoFest, 100 local food vendors sales grossing ten million dollars annually.[3]
As the festival grew over the years, it attracted roughly 100,000 visitors per day, and approximately 1,000,000 people attended Navy Pier for the fest.
Politics
Jane Byrne became mayor in 1979 and attempted to cancel ChicagoFest. However, a public relations campaign mounted by the Chicago Tribune and Labor Unions gained enough support to convince Byrne to reverse her decision.[6] In 1982, after black Chicago residents were angered by Mayor Byrne's nomination of three white board members to new positions in the Chicago Housing Authority, Jesse Jackson and other civil rights leaders called for a boycott of ChicagoFest. Stevie Wonder and over one hundred other local black entertainers cancelled their scheduled appearances, and a picket line was set up outside the festival.
References
- ^ "August 7, 1982 - 3 acts set to replace Wonder at Fest | Chicago Tribune Archive". Archives.chicagotribune.com. 1982-08-07. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
- ^ "ChicagoFest". 12 November 2012.
- ^ Robbins, William (1980-08-11). "Festival offers Chicagoans grand diversion from woes of sports, politics and winter". The New York Times. pp. A16.
- ^ Klose, Kevin (1983-08-03). "Chicago Shenanigans; City Council Members Ignore the Mayor's Call". The Washington Post. pp. A2.
- ^ Robbins, William (1980-08-11) . "Festival offers Chicagoans grand diversion from woes of sports, politics and winter". The New York Times. pp. A16.
- ^ Davis, Robert (February 1995). "Running Chicago". Illinois Issues. pp. 22–24. Archived from the original on 2006-09-10.