SOUTH SHORE — The Chicago Margarita Festival is making a host of changes as it plans to move to the South Shore Cultural Center for the July 30-31 fest.
The festival has announced the changes to address concerns from last year’s inaugural fest at Northerly Island as it works out a move south.
“We are doubling our margarita-serving stations and tripling the number of servers,” organizers announced on Facebook. “We are tripling our free water supplies by having a water sponsor this year.”
The fest faced criticism in 2015 for hour-long waits for drinks and food that wasn’t always available when people got to the front of the line.
“They ran out of food,” said Yvonne Landa, who paid for access to the VIP tent last year. “Then they ran out of margaritas and told us to get out.”
She said she and her husband left when the food and margaritas ran out more than an hour before the festival was scheduled to end. She said she’s going to wait and see how this year’s event goes before going back.
The festival is under new management, but the new organizers did not return multiple calls and emails for comment.
The festival is promising on its website that water will be free this year and the tickets will be cheaper. There are double the number of janitors and triple the number of restrooms at the South Shore Cultural Center, they said.
Chicago Park District officials said the festival has not yet secured permits for the cultural center, 7059 S. South Shore Drive.
The festival has already moved locations once, on Feb. 26, when it ditched plans to hold it at the 63rd Street Beach House for the larger cultural center.
The festival is also planning music for both days but has not yet announced a lineup.
Tickets went on sale Feb. 22. For $15, you get one tasting ticket; additional margaritas can be bought for $7 each. VIP access costs $65 and includes two tasting tickets. Two-day tickets are $25 for regular admission and $115 for VIP.
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