(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Despite a torrential downpour, a tornado warning, a temporary evacuation and a delayed start, Pride in the Park was a success over the weekend.
The LGBTQ+ festival at Grant Park marked the first large-scale event since Chicago’s reopening.
Hank Zemola, CEO of Chicago Special Events, which put together Pride in the Park, estimated there were 10,000 people on Saturday and 8,000 on Sunday.
Saturday’s storm delayed the kickoff to the two-day music festival by two hours and created muddy park grounds, but the biggest challenge was planning the large-scale event during a pandemic.
“We used the system called CLEAR Pass as people were entering to make sure that people are vaccinated or recently tested,” said Zemola. “And I think there was a very comfortable feeling on the grounds that people felt like they could get back out and enjoy summer events.”
Zemola said the city of Chicago and Chicago Park District were constantly updating organizers so that they could plan accordingly.
Last year, Pride events were canceled due to COVID restrictions.
This year, the Chicago Pride Parade has been moved to October.
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