PEORIA, Ill. – Discussions continue to bring one of central Illinois’ biggest music festivals to the Peoria riverfront during Memorial Day weekend.
Peoria Park District Executive Director Emily Cahill is hopeful for an agreement on Summer Camp’s to come early next month after the holiday rush is complete.
Last week, Summer Camp’s organizers announced the three-day music festival will move to the riverfront next year from its traditional home at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe. Organizers also announced it would return for its 25th anniversary in 2026, but no further details on that festival were released.
Cahill believes the Peoria riverfront would be a perfect location for Summer Camp.
“There’s not much more fun about Peoria than those summer nights, when you get to go downtown and have a concert with a great performer who is performing with the backdrop of the bridge and the river,” Cahill said.
Cahill believes the event will be successful because of a familiarity with the organizer, Jay Goldberg events. She says the park district has worked with them before with numerous music festivals, including Blues Fest.
But Cahill says there’s a different mindset that needs to be had with running Summer Camp for three days on the riverfront, compared to prior events that are just one day. She says some of the details to be worked out include how many people are expected to attend, what to have for vendors, and what entertainment options to provide in-between music sets.
Cahill says people attending the festival will need to keep an open mind about the changes that will be needed moving from Three Sisters to the Peoria riverfront. One of the big changes, she says, is that people will not be able to camp on the riverfront grounds.
“There is no way for us to have people spend the night, or spend 72 hours together, on the riverfront,” Cahill said. “That’s just not feasible with the amenities that we have to offer.”
Cahill says there would not be enough space and parking to accommodate camping throughout the entire weekend. But she notes that a different experience can be better, if people give it a try.
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