Residents Divided on New Street Festival Concept for Lincoln Avenue

A new street festival celebrating Northcenter’s Irish heritage has some residents feeling skeptical of shamrocks.

Sponsored by the Northcenter Chamber of Commerce, the North Side Irish Fest would replace the two-year run of the North Side Summerfest.

Marketed as the halfway point to St. Patrick’s Day, the festival is proposed for three days in September along the same footprint as Ribfest, stretching down Lincoln Avenue from Irving Park to Warner. 

About 25 residents gathered at the chamber offices Monday night to hear tentative plans and give feedback. 

Some residents, namely those who live along the stretch that already houses Ribfest, have concerns about another weekend of extra traffic.

“I think it’s pandering to a bunch of frat boys who think Irish and Guinness and ‘Let’s get drunk,’” Northcenter resident Kathleen Abbott said. “I’m not as keen on that.” 

Chamber Director Garrett FitzGerald said he wanted to cater to both families and the historical Irish culture of the neighborhood. Traditional Irish dancers would perform during the day, while more commercial Irish entertainment, like The Pogues-type bands, would play at night. 

The director hopes the warmer temperatures and timing toward the end of festival season will attract more people. 

"We have a good idea… a lot of people are excited about having an event later in the year," FitzGerald said. "You have to have some faith in us."

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Chambers are allowed to host two street festivals a year. While Ribfest is one of the most successful in the city, chamber officials have struggled finding the right concept for the second. 

For two years, the North Side Summerfest took place on Lincoln Avenue south of Irving Park and brought in just $3,000 last year.  Before that, Wine Fest lost the chamber $25,000 over two years.

FitzGerald is hoping the Irish festival will bring in at least half the revenue as Ribfest. 

The festivals are a main source of income from the chamber, paying for its staff, member programming and community grants. Northcenter is the only chamber in the city that is financially independent and doesn’t accept funding for operations. 

Local schools and nonprofits also benefit from the chamber’s festival revenue. Since 2008, more than $185,000 has been given to local schools and nonprofits.

“We do it so we can give back,” FitzGerald said. “This is real money that goes to Coonley, Bell and St. Ben’s…”

For resident Jason Ramirez, the extra traffic and crowds is an OK trade-off for more money given to schools.

"If we're taking hit for two weekends to do it, it's worth it,” he said. “This neighborhood has grown because of it and people are coming here.” 

Final approval lies in the hands of Ward 47 Ald. Ameya Pawar. The alderman’s director of constituent services, Ernie Constantino, was on hand at the meeting to hear feedback.

Pawar has until 45 days before the festival to approve or deny the request. Constantino said ideally, the alderman would make a decision by mid-July.

“If we could work to make a good Irish festival, that would be a benefit to the ward,” he said at the meeting. “But we want to listen to neighbors and don’t want to create a disruption.” 

Residents can still email, call or stop by the ward office to submit feedback.