{"id":41153,"date":"2020-04-21T13:12:08","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T18:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=41153"},"modified":"2020-04-21T13:12:08","modified_gmt":"2020-04-21T18:12:08","slug":"city-of-chicago-and-dcase-announce-may-june-programming-cancellations-due-to-the-covid-19-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=41153","title":{"rendered":"CITY OF CHICAGO AND DCASE ANNOUNCE MAY\u2013JUNE PROGRAMMING CANCELLATIONS DUE TO THE COVID-19 CRISIS"},"content":{"rendered":"

With regret, the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events <\/span>(DCASE<\/span>) today announced the cancellation of four beloved annual events and\u00a0<\/span>what would have been\u00a0<\/span>a new<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>citywide celebration of music.\u202fDue to the COVID-19 crisis, the Chicago\u202fMemorial Day Parade and\u202fWreath Laying Ceremony (May 23) will be\u202fcancelled along with thre<\/span>e legacy music festivals: the\u202f5<\/span>th Annual Chicago House Music Conference & Festival (May 21\u201324), the 35th Chicago Gospel Music Festival (May 27\u201330), and the 37th Annual Chicago Blues Festival (June 5\u20137). Additionally, DCASE has cancelled Chicago In Tune (May 21\u2013June 7), a new\u202f18-day, citywide celebration of music that was to be a signature program of the Year of Chicago Music.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Due to<\/span>\u00a0the cancellation of these major music festivals, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and DCASE will extend the 2020 Year of Chicago Music into 2021.<\/span>\u00a0The<\/span>\u202f<\/span>Year of Chicago Music will continue this year<\/span>\u00a0and throughout next year, to amplify the excitement and momentum building across the\u00a0<\/span>local\u00a0<\/span>industry.<\/span>\u00a0Many\u00a0<\/span>of the initiatives planned for 2020 will extend into 2021 \u2014 s<\/span>pecifically, Chicago In Tune and\u00a0<\/span>the return of the<\/span>\u00a0House music<\/span>, Gospel music, and Blues festivals.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThese cancellations are disappointing to all of us here in Chicago, particularly for the countless individuals who worked so hard to organize an extraordinary Year of Chicago Music,\u201d said Mayor Lightfoot. \u201cNonetheless, these difficult but necessary steps were taken in order to ensure the health and safety of our residen<\/span>ts and visitors, which continues<\/span>\u00a0to be our utmost priority throughout the COVID-19 crisis. As upsetting as it is to remove these events from our calendar, we are already looking forward to next year where we\u2019ll be pulling out all the stops for a festival season Chicago will\u00a0<\/span>n<\/span>ever forget.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The cancellation of these specific DCASE-run festivals is\u00a0<\/span>not<\/span>\u00a0official City guidance for other event producers<\/span>; they should continue to follow the public health guidance of the CDC,\u00a0<\/span>City and State officials<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Like many other cultural presenters, the City of Chicago made these difficult decisions out\u202fof an abundance of caution related to large public gatherings and because DCASE otherwise would not have sufficient time to plan and s<\/span>uccessfully execute these major events.\u00a0<\/span>DCASE had previously cancelled its programming through May 15 in accordance with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance\u202ffor large events and mass gatherings of 50 people or more, and Governor\u00a0<\/span>Pritzker’s<\/span>\u00a0subsequent ban on\u202fevents with more than 1,000 attendees.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As the City continues to recognize the Year of Chicago Music,\u202fDCASE will offer\u00a0<\/span>digital content and virtual concerts in lieu of the 2020 House music, Gospel music and Blues festivals. Additionally, Mayor Lightfoot and DCASE are presenting\u00a0<\/span>livestreamed<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>performances by local musicians\u00a0<\/span>on\u00a0<\/span>Instagram<\/span>\u00a0Live and Facebook\u00a0<\/span>every Sunday.\u202fDCASE is collaborating with Do312 to collect and\u00a0<\/span>promote<\/span>\u00a0listings of virtual concerts (do312.com\/<\/a><\/span>yearofchicagomusic<\/a><\/span>), and Choose Chicago has curated an exhaustive list of virtual events of all kin<\/span>ds (<\/span>choosechicag<\/a><\/span>o.com\/things-to-do\/<\/a><\/span>chicago<\/a><\/span>-home<\/a><\/span>).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“These special events are Chicago summertime traditions,” said Commissioner Mark Kelly of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.\u202f”While we recognize this is disappointing news for our artists, participants and attendees, we are committed to honoring and engaging them in new ways\u202f\u2014 and<\/span>, at this difficult time,\u00a0<\/span>pivoting to advocate for and support our local arts and events sector through the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund and many other efforts.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Today’s cancellation of larger DCASE-run events in May and June does not necessarily impact smaller DCASE programs, DCASE festivals scheduled for later this summer, or co-presented programs hosted by the City in venues like Millennium Park. At this time, Millennium Park, the Chicago Cultural Center and other DCASE-managed venues remain closed to the public until further notice. City-run farmers markets will not open until\u00a0<\/span>sometime\u00a0<\/span>after May 15<\/span>. Additionally, the<\/span>\u00a0City is not issuing special event or film permits through May 15. For\u00a0<\/span>updates<\/span>, visit chicago.gov\/<\/a><\/span>dcase<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Per Mayor Lightfoot\u2019s order to close the Lakefront and several other public spaces in March, Chicago\u2019s Riverwalk will remain closed to the public. Additionally, in accordance with the Governor\u2019s \u2018Stay at Home\u2019 Order all businesses along the Riverwalk will remain closed to the public throughout the duration of the order. When the order is lifted, the Riverwalk will reopen in accordance with Public Health guidelines, to ensure the safety of visitors and residents alike.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For more information about the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund, and to donate or apply for funding, visit ArtsforIllinois.org<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For more inf<\/span>ormation and updates on the City\u2019s response to COVID-19, text COVID19 to 78015, email\u202fcoronavirus@chicago.gov<\/a>\u202for visit\u202fChicago.gov\/coronavirus.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to enriching Chicago\u2019s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago\u2019s non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City\u2019s future cultural and economic growth, via the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City\u2019s cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors. For more information, visit\u00a0<\/span>chicago.gov\/dcase<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With regret, the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) today announced the cancellation of four beloved annual events and\u00a0what would have been\u00a0a new\u00a0citywide celebration of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41154,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41153\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}