Safety among top concerns as music festivals kick off

CHICAGO — Rain or shine, festival goers will still be out enjoying their favorite music festivals this weekend and organizers are prepared to address their top concern — safety.

In light of the recent mass shooting in Highland Park, organizers for the Mas Flow Raggaeton Festival said they’ve invested more into their security by hiring a private company and having a more thorough screening process at the entrance. 

“Security and the guest experience is really important for us,” said Director of Grass Roots Events Alexandra Castro.

Despite recent mass shootings and the rain coming down during Mas Flow Friday, festival goers said they still felt relatively safe attending the event.

“This is my neighborhood, I grew up over here,” said Ray Cerda. “Upon entrance, you see all of the security. You see the helicopters and you see they are taking that extra step to keep us safe.”

Another music festival set to kick off this weekend is the Pitchfork Music Festival, where organizers said there will be an on-site resource and response center where counselors and a security team will be available to attendees who see behavior that violates the festival’s code of conduct.

The Office of Emergency Management & Communications would also like to remind festival attendees that if they see anything suspicious, to go ahead and report it.