CIty Hall Nixes Bid to Privatize Taste of Chicago

By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 2, 2011 4:52PM

Nearly snowed under among all the blizzard talk was news from City Hall yesterday that the bid to privatize Taste of Chicago by Celebrate Chicago LLC was rejected. Celebrate Chicago, the partnership of the Illinois Restaurant Association, JAM Productions and AEG Live, originally proposed a $20 admission for Taste. They later reduced the proposed admission to $10.

Budget Director Eugene Munin said in a statement released to the press, "While Celebrate Chicago is an experienced special events team that is qualified to manage and operate the lakefront festivals, we believe the proposed entry fee for the Taste of Chicago is unacceptable for Chicagoans and our visitors." City Office of Budget and Management spokesman Peter Scales said Taste and the other festivals in the proposal will remain in house, for now. “It’s going to be without an admission fee," Scales said. It may or may not be the same as it was in the past.”