Attendance at Chicago's renowned Taste of Chicago festival was slightly down in 2023 after the event moved weekends due to the presence of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, city officials said.
According to Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, approximately 120,000 people attended the 2023 Taste of Chicago event in Grant Park, down from an attendance of 155,000 in 2022.
City officials attributed the attendance decline to rainy weather in Chicago during the Friday of this year's Taste of Chicago.
Typically held in early-to-mid July, this year's Taste of Chicago was pushed back to Sept. 8-10, a delay of two months from 2022's festival which was held from July 8-10.
The 2023 NASCAR Chicago Street Race blocked off access to parts of Grant Park for residents for weeks prior to and following the race, pushing the city's renowned festival back in 2023.
With the return of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race confirmed for 2024, it's currently unknown when next year's Taste of Chicago will occur.
However, city officials said that there will be three neighborhood events and a three-day downtown event as part of Taste of Chicago in 2024.
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