A months-long back and forth between NWSL club Chicago Red Stars, the village of Bridgeview and Riot Fest, one which would have seen the club temporarily booted from their home stadium, has finally reached a temporary solution. Riot Fest and the Chicago Red Stars have announced a partnership between the two organizations “to celebrate the spirit of both women’s sports and live music” that will no longer interfere with the Sept. 21 game against San Diego Wave FC.
“I would like to thank Riot Fest and the organizers for communicating with us over the past two months and during this process. I look forward to our partnership and each of us being able to host our events in a manner that best serves our fanbases and allows us to collaborate going forward,” said Chicago Red Stars president, Karen Leetzow.
Here’s what to know:
A new partnership
The Chicago Red Stars were exploring venue options around their Sept. 21 match against San Diego Wave FC after the music festival’s usage of SeatGeek Stadium saw their game unable to take place there. The summer announcement that Riot Fest, a music festival, would be held at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill. — primarily in the surrounding parking lots — presented some logistical issues for the NWSL franchise.
The new partnership will feature the two organizations working together to “foster strong community ties and celebrate the achievements of women in sports while creating unforgettable experiences for both supporters.” The Red Stars will have a booth at Riot Fest weekend where fans can learn about the club, have a chance to win Red Stars tickets, and more. The Red Stars will host a future “Riot Fest Night,” on Nov. 3 with more details between the two sides to follow in the coming weeks.
“Riot Fest has always been about more than just music— it’s about culture. Partnering with the Chicago Red Stars was a natural fit because the same level of passion and dedication we pour into Riot Fest, we see in the Red Stars,” said Michael “Riot Mike” Petryshyn, founder of Riot Fest.
Rocky relationship with Bridgeview
Riot Fest, a decades-old “punk rock” festival typically held in the Chicago Parks District, announced on Wednesday they would return to Douglass Park in Chicago after a prior announcement in June that the village of Bridgeview would be the new home of its festival weekend slated for Sept. 20-22.
Village representatives were under the impression that moving forward there would be no event conflict regarding the stadium specifically. While the parking lots and surrounding areas of SeatGeek Stadium have hosted events concurrently with past Red Stars events (community fests, carnivals, and man-made pumpkin patches), a large-scale event like Riot Fest presented a possibility of pushing out the Red Stars from their originally scheduled date.
The initial Fest announcement was met with backlash from the women’s soccer community and long-time Riot Fest attendees who have frequented the festival in the city. The concept of Riot Fest as a “Riot Land” put off long-time fans of the fest with potentially inconvenient transportation, excessive shuttle usage, and partner hotels as features that ultimately felt like obstacles instead of lures.
Moving on and looking ahead
The Red Stars were inclined to find a solution for their players and fans over the last two months, and at one point fellow midwestern club Kansas City Current reached to offer their facilities to host the Red Stars and San Diego Wave FC.
The biggest loser in all this is the village of Bridgeview. Riot Fest is now partnered with the Red Stars and has returned to its roots with Chicago parks and will no longer host the massive music fest in Bridgeview. The Red Stars, in the first official year under new ownership led by Chicago Cubs Co-owner Laura Ricketts, will keep their original match date moving forward. But the scales have now been tipped for another major pro sports team to keep an eye on a future that doesn’t include games being played at SeatGeek Stadium.
The Chicago Fire paid $60 million to break their lease to move out back in 2019, and the Red Stars have been primary tenants ever since. The new ownership group has been vocal, and active, about their efforts to find a long-term solution for their club and fans.
