Sweet dreams for zombie lovers as Nightmare on Chicago Street packs downtown Elgin

The return of Nightmare on Chicago Street was a dream come true for zombie lovers Saturday in Elgin.

After being canceled the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a plague of the undead was unleashed on the downtown.

“I'm so happy to be back here,” said Jennifer Rodriguez of Hanover Park, her face a ghostly white with blood red accents. She said this is her fourth time attending Nightmare.

“I've missed this so much.”

Over 300 performers, including zombie actors, musicians and dancers, lurched along the downtown streets and entertained on multiple stages.

Freddrick Wimms, who serves as the de facto creative director for the event, said work has been going on for months but setup could only take place in a few days leading up to Saturday. He was still running around putting the finishing touches on displays as the gates opened at 6 p.m.

“It was a super stressful week, but we got it done,” he said. “The last two years that we haven't been doing it, I missed it with all my heart,”

The city got a late start on planning Nightmare first due to uncertainty about the pandemic. By the time they were reasonably sure it would be safe to hold the event, rising costs and shortages of rentals, building supplies and labor led the city council to vote against having it this year. But the city council reconsidered after public outcry and added over 50% to the budget to cover the increased cost.

Kate O'Leary, Elgin's special events coordinator, said early in the evening that the event was well on its way to reaching their capacity of 15,000.

“People see the uniqueness of what we're doing and it's very gratifying,” she said. “It's months and months of hard work that you finally get to see right before your eyes. Now that it's going it's a huge relief, and I'm feeling a lot of emotions right now.”