Would Nightmare on Chicago Street be worth it? Elgin council debates 51% cost increase

A popular Halloween event might return this fall to downtown Elgin, but it would cost the city significantly more than in previous years.

Elgin City Council members on Wednesday reviewed a proposed list of special events for 2022 that includes the possible return of Nightmare on Chicago Street. But the city would need to spend an estimated $512,000 - roughly $173,000 more, or 51% - than it cost when the event was last held in 2019.

The council will decide the event's fate next month.

Kate O'Leary, Elgin's special events coordinator, said event costs have increased across the board.

"Materials, labor, production and rentals have all been affected by the pandemic," she said. That and a projected shortage of volunteers could drive the cost of producing Nightmare.

The event - which features entertainment, bands and food vendors - drew a crowd of roughly 14,500 in 2019. More than 400 people worked to organize and execute it.

"Part of the concern here is that because we have lost the momentum of the event after a two-year hiatus, our volunteer base is severely diminished," O'Leary said. "We're effectively starting from scratch in building the event, but with the expectation of production levels after nine years of event growth."

Council member Corey Dixon said he wants the event to happen, but he's concerned about the cost.

"$512,000 ... that's a hard pill to swallow," he said.

O'Leary said the city in 2019 made back in proceeds about two-thirds of what it spent.

"It's safe to say it's not a moneymaking event," O'Leary said.

Council member Steve Thoren said the city should look beyond the money made directly from the event.

"There is a huge hidden return that is not measurable," Thoren said, citing conversations he's had with some downtown business owners who experience their busiest day of the year during Nightmare. "The city benefits, the businesses benefit."

There is also concern that local businesses, many still dealing with staffing shortages from the pandemic, aren't prepared to deal with what comes with such a large event.

A recent survey of downtown businesses yielded 25 responses, with nine businesses saying they would be open during the event should it happen, 10 saying they would plan to close and six currently unsure of their status.

Mayor David Kaptain expressed concern about the survey's results.

"The benefit of this was supposed to be for downtown businesses, and half the businesses are not going to participate, according to this survey," he said.

Council member Dustin Good cited his years of experience working at Elgin Public House during previous Nightmare events in understanding why some businesses might be hesitant to participate.

"It might be big for money," he said. "It might be your biggest day of the year. But it also might be a day that you lose half your staff because they quit because it's frustrating you didn't have the support system in place."

Nightmare would account for over 60% of the proposed $819,600 budgeted for the 2022 special events schedule.

Other popular events are back for 2022, including the Concerts in the Park and Movies in the Park series.

The concert series, which drew about 300 people for each of the Wing Park shows, will be back with five performances this summer.

The movie series, which had been held exclusively at Festival Park at 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays in July and August, would see some changes this year if approved by the council.

The city intends to shift the series to Friday nights and rotate locations to include sites on the east and west sides of town. They would also rent LED screens and projectors to allow earlier movie start times and add themed children's activities like character meet-and-greets and face painting.

Fourth of July would feature the annual parade at 9 a.m., with an evening concert followed by fireworks at Festival Park. The city estimates the addition of a concert to this year's event will double the 2021 attendance of 5,000 people.

Memorial Day, the Sept. 11 ceremony and Veterans Day will see similar programming to 2019, O'Leary said.

Holiday events, including the annual tree lighting, Letters to Santa and the Holiday Cheers beverage crawl were all proposed to return in 2022.