Michelada Fest organizers announced that the two-day event, originally scheduled for July 19-20 at Oakwood Beach, has been canceled.
In a message posted to the fest’s website on Tuesday, organizers cited the “rapidly changing political climate,” as well as concerns around visas for international artists, among the reasons for the cancellation.
Full refunds for ticketholders are underway and will be processed in the next seven to 15 days per original payment format.
Festival founder Fernando Nieto told the Sun-Times that as independent organizers, they can’t afford to take on such a large risk with so much looming uncertainty.
This year’s iteration would have marked Miche Fest’s second time at the beachfront location, celebrating Latin music, art, food and drink, especially the fest’s namesake Mexican michelada. This year’s festival also would have included two stages, one dedicated to showcasing local talent.
Last year’s festival attracted approximately 10,0000 attendees each day, said a festival spokesperson.
“We’ve had seven years of extremely devoted and loyal fans, and we felt that it wouldn’t be responsible … to continue to push and promote the event,” Nieto said. “Given the fact that there’s so much risk going on right now with artist visas, our main goal is to make sure that we deliver a great event to our fans.”
Among the artists slated to perform at this year’s festival were Grupo Firme, Luis R. Conriquez, Anitta, Danny Ocean and Tokischa.
Nieto said that the absence of Michelada Fest is going to leave a “great cultural hole” in Chicago’s arts scene this summer.
Nieto added that the cancellation doesn’t just impact the fans and the organizers of the fest, but also local artists, vendors and contractors who were relying on the festival to provide them with income and wider exposure.
“We are in uncharted territory,” Nieto said of all of the rapid changes to immigration policy since President Donald Trump took office in January.
“I’ve been personally very vocal about this,” he continued. “Not only are our people being targeted, so is our culture, and we have to continue to support each other. We will continue to do so, but for right now, we’re just continuing with the rollout of our cancellation, and we’re going to regroup over these next few months and do our best to return next year.”
Last April, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services hiked visa fees for international musicians from $460 to over $1,615 per application. The USCIS website says the increase happened to “recover our operating costs more fully and support timely processing of new applications.” And if an artist wants to expedite their visa, it can cost up to nearly $3,000 per application. Some festivals cover or contribute to visa fees for international artists, effectively heightening the risk of financial loss if visas are revoked or denied.
What that means for other festivals in Chicago remains unknown. The Sun-Times has reached out to Sueños Music Festival organizers for comment about the Grant Park music fest set for Memorial Day weekend.
“I don’t wish this on any other festival,” Nieto added. “I hope that there are no other cancellations, because I know what it feels like on the organizer side to take this big of a hit, especially if you’re an independent organizer.”
Nieto is also on the teams behind the Pilsen-based Windy City Margarita Fest (May 16-18 at 18th Street and Blue Island) and the Taco and Tequila Fest (Aug. 8-10 at Cermak and Canalport), and those organizers have had ongoing conversations with the city to address questions around safety and law enforcement — especially immigration — as it pertains to these cultural events.
