Tattoo will return next year to Sears Centre

There's one thing for certain for next year at the Sears Centre: The Heartland International Tattoo Music and Dance Festival will return to the arena.

Organizers announced they have booked the weekend of April 9 for the three-day festival. This year's was the first held in Hoffman Estates, with previous ones held in DeKalb.

Being closer to Chicago allowed for better exposure, said Michael Embrey, the show's executive producer. Don't think of ink, as "tattoo" is a Dutch word for music pageant. The event touts traditional Gaelic and Celtic culture and heritage. It features bagpipe bands, Irish and Scottish drill teams and other musical acts, including choral and brass bands.

"It bridges so many ethnic groups, as well as ages," Embrey said.

School groups from across the country travel to compete at these events, and Embrey hopes to draw 4,000 people next year. Embrey also has plans to expand the event with a beer festival. Eventually, a monthlong arts festival could be in the works as he looks to add activities on additional dates, he said. Next year's event includes a Bob Hope USO Show, a British car show and a Scotch whisky tasting.

This year's event coincided with the village's 50th anniversary celebration and opened with a parade through Hoffman Estates.

Embrey hopes to make the parade a staple that focuses on International Tartan Day, a Scottish heritage event. That holiday falls during the festival.

New York City holds the only other Tartan Day parade in America. Embrey also wants to capitalize on the void left by the abrupt end of Chicago's South Side Irish Parade, which had been canceled.

Embrey praised the Sears Centre, as the village continues to be in talks about taking over the 11,000-seat venue from its primary owners, the Ryan Cos., who are struggling paying off bills, including payments on the $55 million village-backed loan which paid for most of the arena construction. The facility hasn't attracted as many events as village officials and the owners have wanted, but having an event like the Tattoo helps.

There's also talks about bringing a minor-league hockey team to the arena, which would provide about 30 home games a year. Village officials have said the North American Hockey League has expressed interest in moving a team to Hoffman Estates, while league officials have denied the notion.