Oct 8, 2008 5:58 am US/Central
Lollapalooza Nets $1.6 Million For City
Park District Takes In About $400,000 More Than Last Year
CHICAGO (STNG) ―
This year's Lollapalooza rock 'n' roll festival was music to the ears of Chicago Park District officials who will accept a $1.6 million check Wednesday.
The district's take for this summer's Grant Park festival is about $400,000 more than last year's revenues.
The money will be used for capital projects and programming costs "throughout the neighborhoods," said Parks Supt. Timothy Mitchell.
"They put on a great show," said Mitchell, who added the festival sold out on two of three days, drawing a reported 225,000.
Tickets were $80 per day or $205 for a three-day pass. The district gets a guaranteed $1 million or 8.5 percent of revenues, said Brenda Palm, executive director of the Parkways Foundation, a fund-raising partner of the Park District.
Funds from this year's Lollapalooza will help pay for a new soccer field at McKinley Park, Buckingham Fountain restoration and summer camps for special-needs youths, among other efforts, Palm said.
Under the contract, promoters picked up costs to repair any damage to trees and bushes on park land after the show and reimbursed the city for police protection, Mitchell said.
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2008. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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