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Martha Murphy
Professor McLaughlin
Multimedia Writing and Rhetoric
3 April 2015
The Rhetorical Effect of City Festivals on Chicago Culture

The multiple large-scale Chicago Festivals have received enormous attention, especially
in the last decade, because they continue to gain popularity and shape visitors perspective of the
city. Chicago hosts several internationally recognized festivals each year that continue to have a
prolonged impact on the spirit of the city long after the event ends and the gates are shut. These
parades, music festivals, art fairs and food fests are not just unaffiliated events that last a few
days each year, but rather the core of Chicagos identity. Whether the venue is beside the
lakefront, in Grant Park, or along the north shore, millions of people travel to Chicago to
experience these perspective changing events. Those who are opposed to the presence of these
festivals feel that these events do not have any impact on the city or its residents way of life, and
believe that these events are simply approved to make money for the city. However, I support the
reasoning that these festivals convince people how to see Chicago and allow them to quickly
capture the citys artistic character. This debate is important to me because as a resident of
Chicagoland, I have attended many of these festivals multiple times, and I believe they are of
great importance in shaping peoples attitudes about the city. An immense part of Chicago
tradition and culture would be lost if an effort to downsize or even discontinue these festivals is
ever put into effect.

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This issue may seem like a very small argument, but these festivals create a
representation of the city to thousands of visitors. In 2014 alone, over 40,000 runners
participated in the Chicago Marathon (Douglas), and over 300,000 people bought Lollapalooza
tickets, with the festival selling out in less than 90 minutes (cityofchicago.org). Today, multiple
events such as the Taste of Chicago, Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, and the Chicago Blues festival are
regarded as some of largest festivals in the country (topeventsusa.com). These events are
growing in size and popularity every year. Tickets for festivals are getting more expensive to
buy, and the Marathon has even resorted to a lottery process in 2013 in order to decide who gets
to run (Douglas). Because these festivals try to embody the spirit of Chicago, the fact that
Chicagoans have to compete with tourists for tickets to these events makes this argument a very
relevant issue. There is a balancing act between attracting tourists to these events, while still
keeping the spirit of Chicago alive with the locals.
The purpose of this paper is to show how Chicago festivals and events have significantly
influenced the city over the past two decades. I plan to discuss how these events shape the
overall culture and ideology of the city. I will argue that despite the controversy and drawbacks
present, the benefits of these large scale Chicago festivals contribute in favor of the continuation
of these annual events. Likewise, the ethos that is subsequently portrayed through related media
and rhetoric conveys an idealistic urban identity which continues to attract thousands of people
to Chicago year after year. By the end of the essay, I hope to address the counterarguments
concerning the negative opinions that have evolved as a result of these festivals growing
popularity, and demonstrate the invaluable presence these events have in shaping Chicago
culture.

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Through my research I will not only discuss these festivals impact as a whole, but I will
also place particular focus on two large Chicago festivalsLollapalooza and the Chicago
Marathonwhich will serve as two focused examples to show how these festivals specifically
change the nature of the city. These two festivals arguably have the most impact on the city, and
they are also the most famous events that Chicago annually hosts. The role of media also greatly
influences the success of these two events. By analyzing related promotional materials, I will
gain valuable insight into why these events are becoming so popular and how they affect
peoples collective opinion about Chicago.
Chicago culture has evolved from the citys strong immigrant foundations. In the early
days of the city, there was never one group of people that was prominent in the area. Instead,
many diverse groups of people came together to form a melting pot that left a sampling of
customs from many different lands (Ortiz). These different cultures are appreciated in the diverse
lineup of festivals that Chicago hosts every year. Events such as the Irish American Heritage
Festival, Taste of Greece, La Fiesta Del Sol, and the Thai Festival are a few of the many festivals
the city hosts that capture the many different nationalities represented in Chicago culture and
tradition (chitownfestivals.com). Chicago culture is also heavily formed by signature foods
which reflect the citys ethnic and working-class roots (ch.icago.us). Deep dish pizza, the
Chicago style hot dog, the Italian beef sandwich and many other foods that embody Chicagos
culture are showcased in festivals such as The Taste of Chicago, the worlds largest food festival
(choosechicago.com). In addition to food, music is also a major component of Chicago culture
that continues to impact the citys urban identity. Chicagos blues, Jazz, and Gospel roots were
the foundation of Chicagos famous musical reputation, and this tradition has continued into
contemporary styles (ch.icago.us). Chicago is the birthplace of House music, and the city also

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has a growing independent rock scene thanks to multiple festivals featuring various acts each
year including Lollapalooza, the Intonation Music Festival and Pitchfork Music Festival
(ch.icago.us). All of these events go beyond a mere presentation of the diversity present in
Chicago. Chicago Tribune writer Benjamin Ortiz writes, youll get a mood, feeling, language
and clothingan immersion that, while youre there, is fully capable of transporting you. Ortiz
says that these festivals will change the way you think about the city. There may be controversy
over just how influential these events are to Chicago, but most can agree that these signature
events continue to create an appreciation of many strong ethnicities, that kept alive by the
spirited people of Chicago.
Among all of the festivals that take place in Chicago, Lollapalooza and the Chicago
Marathon are two that combine all of the different ethnicities and influences of the city and put
them together into a celebration of culture and identity. Both of these events websites note that
participants will witness a cultural experience by attending Lollapalooza or running the
marathon. It isnt just a three-day festival or a four hour race that people attend. Rather,
participants are immersed in a frenzy of cultural sharing. Additionally, the spectators who attend
these events are also very diversethey come from all walks of life to Chicago to partake in
these events. You could describe these two festivals as days of sharing that enhance the city
culturally, monumentally, socially, and artistically.
Lollapalooza, an annual, three day alternative and indie music festival that takes place in
Chicagos Grant Park, is considered to be one of the big four music festivals in the United
States (Trinh). Since its humble beginnings in 1991, Lollapalooza has rapidly grown in size and
popularity to the point where festivalgoers call it the Wal-Mart of Festivals (Lozano). The
festivals website features a page titled The Festival Experience, which addresses what visitors

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are to expect throughout their whirlwind weekend. The first lines read, Lollapalooza is more
than just a music festival. Taking place each year in historic Grant Park, Lolla is a three-day
cultural experience that takes place on 115 acres between downtown Chicago and Lake
Michigan (lollapalooza.com). Lollapalooza is an event that continues to surprise and excite its
visitors.
The festivals YouTube page features many advertisements that display recaps from past
festivals and capture the intense mood of the festival. The Lollapalooza 2014 Recap video opens
by showing the Chicago skyline, which is an icon of the festival and the City of Chicago.
Footage of Grant Park, Buckingham Fountain, the Chicago Flag, and the Sears Tower are all part
of a rhetorical device to enhance the larger theme and background of the festivalLollapalooza
is not just a music festival, but also a celebration of Chicagos unique identity and history. The
video shows the crowds of people, mostly teenagers, flooding the streets, train stations, and
subways, all ready to take part in this iconic experience. Strobe lights, crowd surfing, wild
outfits, and loud rock music featured in the video enforces the idea that the crowd is young and
that the festival brings the city to life. In the midst of the summer, Lollapalooza is the heart and
soul of the city for 72 hours (youtube.com). The rhetoric of this video was all intentional to not
only persuade people to come to Lollapalooza, but also to show that experiencing this festival is
necessary for one to fully immerse themselves in Chicagos identity.
Lollapalooza is so unique because if the festival was hosted in any other American city,
the tradition and spirit of Chicago that is infused within it would be lost. Lollapalooza also has
festivals in Brazil and Chile, and not surprisingly, the experience of these shows is completely
different than Lollapalooza-Chicago, even though all three festivals have similar set lists. The
Lollapalooza merchandise and advertisements change from year to year, but Chicago influences

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are always a prominent feature in the festivals promotional materials. Reoccurring images
include the Chicago skyline, the Sears tower, and an outline of Lake Michigan. Common colors
of t-shirts are blue and red, which are the colors of the Chicago flag, and the festival often gives
away coupons and conducts raffles to promote Chicago restaurants and businesses.
Lollapaloozas media and merchandise prove that the festival is not only made unique by
Chicago, but is also unified with the city.
Lollapalooza is promoted by official advertisements and media, but the festival is
additionally promoted by festivalgoers themselves. Snapchat, an Iphone app that became popular
in 2011, has changed the way crowds experience Lollapalooza (techcrunch.com). Instead of just
a taking a collection of pictures that will appear later on some form of social media, Snapchat
users can now view the festivals Snapchat Story while the festival is going on (Rumore). A
Snapchat story features an event in a certain location and highlights the most memorable posts
that were sent from the app. Snapchat is a unique form of rhetoric that captures Chicago culture
because it features footage from the festival in real time. Snaps are sent in from festivalgoers,
approved by Lollapalooza media, and then viewed by anyone with the Snapchat app (Rumore).
Increased technology, advertisement, and social media, such as Snapchat, has made music
festivals explode in popularity over the past decade, and they all are outlets of communication
that shape peoples attitudes about the festival and the city.
Similar to Lollapalooza, the Chicago Marathon is another large Chicago event that
combines Chicagos diversity and cultural influences. On the marathons website, the Chicago
Experience is a page, much like the festival experience page on Lollapaloozas website opens
with a statement that says, On race day, runners are treated to a 26.2-mile tour of diverse
cultures, historic buildings and residences, renowned architecture, vibrant murals and the mouth-

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watering scents of some of the best dining in the world (chicagomarathon.com). Chicago is very
proud of its ethnic neighborhoods, and the Chicago Marathon is so iconic because the cheering
sections and spectators along the course are all very different, but they all share a part in Chicago
ideology. Runners wind through 29 different neighborhoods that are all diverse and display
cultures from around the world. From the magnificent mile to Lincoln Park, Chinatown to
Greektown, and Little Italy to Old Town, these areas of the city all have long-standing history
and rich tradition (chicagomarathon.com). People are able to run marathons all around the world,
but in Chicago, the experience is completely unique. The marathon provides snapshots of
Chicago history along the way, and since 1.7 million spectators come to cheer on the runners, the
event also brings the diverse people of the city together in a celebration of accomplishment
(chicagomarathon.com).
In addition to Chicago runners and local spectators, the marathon attracts participants
from around the world. In 2014, 400,000 runners from diverse backgrounds came together to
accomplish one common goal (chicagomarathon.com). The popularity of this event builds a
strong international community, and in turn this community brings influences from hundreds of
nations to Chicago every year. The spirit of the Marathon can be seen all throughout the entire
race, but it is most prominent at the start line. Just in front of the Buckingham Fountain, with the
Chicago skyline looming in the background, thousands of runners line up to complete the test of
human nature. These thousands of people range from novice runners to elite competitors, and
come from many different places, ethnicities, and walks of life; yet, they all gather in Chicago
once a year to showcase their efforts and ability.
The Chicago Marathon promotional materials convey the citys culture in ways almost
identical to that of Lollapalooza. In a 2011 Chicago Marathon promotional advertisement, the

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video opens over Grant Park showing the thousands of runners about to start the race. The video
cuts to several different ethnic neighborhoods and shows many spectators all cheering,
displaying different flags and colorful signs. The rest of the video moves through the course,
showing the people of Chicago loudly cheering on runners to the finish. The video ends at the
finish line, in the heart of Grant Park, with a celebration of the end of the race. Large Chicago
Marathon posters with the Chicago Flag on them can be seen in the foreground (youtube.com).
In the video, all of the spectators with posters says something about the unique spirit of the city.
Residents from all different parts of the city come out to support the runners, and they stand
outside for hours in the heat or freezing cold to cheer for family, friends, or even strangers. These
people they are cheering for are from all over the world. They possibly speak different
languages, and their countries might even be political enemies. However, the spectators of the
Chicago Marathon cheer for everyone in the race. Photos on the Chicago Marathon website show
people giving each other high fives, the masses of people running up LaSalle Street, and children
hugging parents who have just completed the race (chicagomarathon.com). This event is a great
demonstration of ethos, since the atmosphere the city creates for the runners is very friendly,
encouraging, and welcoming. The Chicago Marathon brings people together from across the
world, and for one day, they are all Chicagoans, unified with positive spirit of the city and its
people.
Chicago festivals over the past decade have an invaluable effect on shaping Chicago
culture. All of the festivals showcase the diversity of the city and celebrate the many different
ethnicities present in the city. Specifically, Lollapalooza and the Chicago Marathon bring
Chicagos diversity together for a celebration of identity and accomplishment. These festivals
may only be believed to last a day or two, but in reality, the presence of these festivals shape the

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spirit of Chicago year round because they encourage inclusiveness and are open to adaptation.
Every year, these festival carry on the original culture of Chicago for current and future
generations.

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Works Cited
"A Brief History Of Snapchat." TechCrunch. TechCrunch, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.
"Bank of America Chicago Marathon." Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Bank of America
Corporation. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.
"Chicago Festivals List | Chi Town Fests." Chi Town Festivals. ChiTownFestivals, 2015. Web.
03 Apr. 2015.
"Culture of Chicago." Culture of Chicago. <ch.icago.us> Web. 03 Apr. 2015.
"Lollapalooza 2015." Lollapalooza 2015. Lollapalooza, 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.
"Lollapalooza Sells Out." City of Chicago. City of Chicago.org, 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.
"Top 15 Chicago Illinois USA Events and Festivals." Top 15 Chicago, Illinois USA Events and
Festivals. Top Events USA, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.
"Watch & Relive Lollapalooza 2014." YouTube. YouTube, 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.
"Welcome to Chicago." What to Do in Chicago. Choose Chicago, 2015. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.
Douglas, Scott. "Chicago Marathon Switches to Lottery for Registration." Runner's World &
Running Times. Newswire, 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.
Lozano, Pepe. "Lollapalooza Music Festival Sparks Controversy." People's World. U.S. News,
14 July 2010. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.
Ortiz, Benjamin. "Experience Balkans, Brazil, Germany, France with a Ride across Town to
Overseas." The Chicago Tribune 16 Feb. 2012: 1. Print.

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Rumore, Aubrey. "Snapchat Progresses as Social, Cultural Platform."University Wire [Carlsbad]
30 Oct. 2014:1 Print.
Trinh, Jean. "18 Best U.S. Summer Music Festivals." The Daily Beast. N.p., 2013. Web. 3 Apr.
2015.