CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Mayor Lori Lightfoot said it's very possible Chicago could see some major summer events return this year, like Taste of Chicago, but nothing is certain.
Mayor Lightfoot said she expects the "the summer of 2021 is going to look more like 2019 and less like 2020," but if you ask her about the chances for seeing the annual Air and Water Show or attend Taste of Chicago, she refuses to get specific. She said that will depend on how the city is doing in the battle against COVID-19.
"I think we are cautiously optimistic, but I am not going to predict specific events taking place over the course of the summer," she said. "Obviously for some events we need to start making some decisions soon, and we have been in discussions with various organizers of some large scale events for some time now, but they also understand that we have to be cautious and follow public health guidance.
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In other words, the numbers of new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths need to keep coming down for the shows to go on.
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Mayor Lightfoot spoke hours after a City Council committee advanced the city’s 2021 special events ordinance.
According to the Chicago Tribune, while the annual measure grants the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events the authority to administer summer festivals such as Blues Fest, Taste of Chicago, and smaller neighborhood events by hiring vendors, selling tickets and signing contracts without needing to repeatedly seek council approval, its passage by the full council later this month would not mean the city necessarily planned to hold the full slate of signature summer celebrations.