Mayor Daley: No Admission Fee For Taste Of Chicago
CHICAGO (WBBM) -- Mayor Daley made it clear on Thursday that he does not want to see an admission fee for the Taste of Chicago.
Daley said the fest has branched out into other offerings--like live music--that have driven up the cost of the money-losing Taste.
On Thursday, he blasted a private proposal to run the Taste and include a $20 admission fee.
"This is called taste of food," he said. "We are not into music; we're not into anything else. We got into tangents and the cost kept going up. We are going to get it back down and do the Taste of Chicago for food and that's all."
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A private group called Celebrate Chicago LLC would charge Taste customers $20 for admission, but give them $10 in food and drink tickets. The other $10 would help pay for bigger-name entertainment, but there would be a second price to see that entertainment.
The admission fee would apply during weekends, holidays and after 4 p.m. on weekdays.
The concert tickets would cost $25 to $65, but the $20 Taste admission fee would be waived for those who bought concert tickets.
Taste of Chicago has been costing the city millions over the last three years.
