SeatGeek Gets Riot Fest, But The Chicago Red Stars Aren't Happy

BRIDGEVIEW, IL — Chicago’s storied Riot Fest has severed ties with the Chicago Park District and is taking the punk rock festival to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. The three-day fest is set for Sept. 20 through Sept. 22.

Held in past years at Douglass Park on Chicago’s West Side, organizers of Riot Fest announced the venue change Wednesday, along with the 2024 lineup. Co-founder Mike Petryshyn, also known as “Riot Mike,” put the blame on the Chicago Park District.

“Riot Fest will be leaving Douglass Park. And—allow me to be as clear as the azure sky of the deepest summer—our exodus is solely because of the Chicago Park District,” Petryshyn said in a videotaped statement. “Their lack of care for the community, you, and us, ultimately left us no choice.”

Newly dubbed “RiotLand,” the music festival will feature 90 bands spread out across the SeatGeek fairground. Headliners include Fall Out Boy (Friday), Beck (Saturday) and Slayer (Sunday). Also slated to perform are Rob Zombie, Dr. Dog, the Marley Brothers (playing Bob Marley), Public Enemy and Slaughter Beach, to name a few.

“We didn’t recruit [Riot Fest], they approached us,” said Ray Hanania, spokesman for the Village of Bridgeview. “We were happy to work out a contract.”

The Chicago Red Stars are also set to play the San Diego Wave in a nationally broadcast match Sept. 21, leaving the team scrambling to find another venue. The team is threatening legal action against the village days after drawing a league record crowd at Wrigley Field, the Chicago Tribune reported.

“It’s devastating,” team President Karen Leetzow told the Tribune. “It’s devastating to have to go from that kind of a high to this kind of a low, to tell your staff and players that this is the level of respect we’ve gotten immediately after delivering that event.”

Bridgeview Mayor Steve Landek told the newspaper that he talked to the Red Stars about the possibility of a scheduling conflict in May.

“The village is talking to the team,” Hanania told Patch. “Nothing has been decided but there is no reason they have to leave. The date of the game could be changed. We’re exploring all options.”

Accommodating both events on that Saturday hasn’t been ruled out.

Hanania called SeatGeek more than a stadium, it's a fairground twice the size of the stadium with 5,000 parking spaces, an obstacle Riot Fest faced when it held the music fest at city parks.

“There is more than enough room to grow,” Hanania said. “There are many assets.”

This is the second popular music fest that Bridgeview has lured away from the Chicago Park District with its promise of 5,000 parking spaces. Last year, Lyrical Lemonade moved its Summer Smash hip hop fest out of Douglass Park to SeatGeek. Summer Smash returns this Saturday and Sunday, with rapper Chief Keef headlining the Sunday show.

“The move allowed Summer Smash to increase in size and we believe RiotFest will grow exponentially and be easier for the public to access,” Hanania said.