Riot Fest will take over Douglas Park September 14-16 as scheduled, putting fan speculation around its cancellation to bed.
“@RiotFest Can you please just confirm Riot Fest is happening? I’m flying in from NY. Starting to get worried and tomorrow is the last day I can cancel my trip for a full refund. Not asking for any other info, but please just a ‘yes it’s happening,’” one hopeful attendee tweeted on August 31 — two weeks before the festival’s kick-off.
“It’s 100% going on,” Riot Fest co-founder “Riot Mike” Petryshyn told Billboard Thursday. “New announcements are coming shortly.” He added that crews are already in Douglas Park preparing for next weekend.
“It’s doing awesome, we’ve never had a down year in Chicago. I think everyone is going to be alleviated shortly.”
Hours after Petryshyn spoke with Billboard, headlining act Blink 182 announced it would not be appearing due to drummer Travis Barker’s health.
“It is with a heavy heart to report that blink must cancel its fall mini-tour which was set to kick off September 12th on their way to headline Riot Fest in Chicago,” the statement read. “Medical issues have sidelined Travis per doctors’ orders. Trav’s medical team anticipated that he would be well enough by fall to tour but after recent checkups, they were not able to clear him in time for the scheduled run of dates.”
Replacing Blink 182 will be veteran Riot Fest acts Run the Jewels, Taking Back Sunday and Weezer.
Rumors regarding whether or not festival organizers had obtained the permits needed to put on the festival began circulating on Reddit and Twitter as recently as Tuesday, the same day Riot Fest announced it’d be giving away tickets at the Chicago White Sox game later that night. Members of the media, who had to submit their request for press access to cover the festival by August 1, didn’t start receiving confirmation notices until late Wednesday afternoon.
But the festival continues its radio silence regarding the second wave lineup announcement, release of single-day tickets and its day-by-day schedule. Headliners — which include the likes of Beck, Elvis Costello and Father John Misty — were announced May 30, followed by a “special gift” of deep-discounted tickets and early access to 2019 passes for fans after its ticketing platform, Ticketfly, was wracked by a breach.
In an interview with the Tribune in July, Petryshyn said, “We took the position right away. From that morning, it was like, ‘How are we going to make this up to our fans?’ This is something worst-case scenario about trust.”
Now, fans are wondering how organizers will make this snag up to them.
The festival has been catering to a smaller fan base since 2017; officially becoming a Chicago-only event after Riot Fest Denver ended in 2016. In addition to dropping that location, Riot Fest is now just Riot Fest, rather than Riot Fest and Carnival, as it used to be billed.
Because of the festival’s lack of useful information, fans, especially those traveling from out of town, are still unsure of who they will be able to see, and when.
According to a Thursday report from Block Club Chicago, 12th ward alderman George Cardenas, whose area includes the southern portion of Douglas Park near Sacramento Drive and Ogden Avenue said, “every indication points that (Riot Fest) is going to happen.”
Irene Tostado, press secretary for the Park District, told the Tribune district officials, including an assigned project manager, are looking into the issue — hoping to have clarified information on permits, vendors and set-up in Douglas Park by Thursday afternoon.
The Tribune has reached out to Riot Fest for comment.
Twitter @jessitaylorro
