Riot Fest might seem like a distant memory, but now that the mud has settled, organizers are already hard at work restoring Douglas Park to its pre-festival condition. A statement released by the festival revealed that $180,000 has been allocated to repair damages to the West Side park, which became increasingly muddy over the course of the three-day event. According to the statement, much of the repair budget was spent before the festival even began to ensure that restoration efforts could happen as quickly as possible—the repairs are scheduled to be completed within three weeks.
After Riot Fest's 2014 festival in Humboldt Park, organizers spent $182,000 making repairs and improvements, but members of the community and 26th Ward Alderman Roberto Maldonado weren't satisfied with the efforts, forcing the event to find a new home. This year, organizers are trying to leave Douglas Park in better shape than they found it. "Riot Fest is committed to not only restoring the park, but to making it better than ever before," Riot Fest founder Mike Petryshyn said in a statement, making reference to drainage repairs and improvements to the park's baseball diamond that were spearheaded by Riot Fest.
Only time will tell if the festival will be welcomed back to Douglas Park next year, but the outlook seems optimistic. Michael Scott Jr., 24th Ward Alderman, told the Tribune, "I would like them to be more engaged in the community.... If they follow through, I would be willing to entertain them coming back again." As long as the damaged portions of Douglas Park reopen quickly and no new lawsuits crop up, Riot Fest may be able to attract punks and rockers to North Lawndale in 2016.