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No large fests at Naper Settlement in 2023 because of construction

Naper Settlement won’t be leasing its grounds for large festivals in 2023 because of new welcome center construction, but smaller, museum-organized events and programs will continue.

Settlement CEO/President Rena Tamayo-Calabrese told the Naperville City Council during recent budget talks that the area around what will become the Birck Family Innovation Gateway will be under construction until its September opening, making it challenging to hold large outdoor events.

She also confirmed the popular Soulfest music festival would not be returning the settlement.

After last year’s event in June, concert organizer Michael Brown said he was hoping to expand the festival. With the settlement in the midst of an expansion, the museum’s property didn’t make sense going forward, he said.

Calabrese also said Naper Pride Fest organizers are exploring locations with the Naperville Park District.

“We are budgeting under the assumption that (Naper Pride) would not return. If they do return, they would be welcome,” she said.

Although several groups approached the settlement about renting the grounds, “being able to offer the right kind of setting for some of those events is more problematic,” Calabrese said.

“We have said to them it’s not a good year for us in 2023 given the construction,” she said.

Losing events like Soul Fest will cause a 47% drop in large-scale rental revenues, though it’s just a portion of the museum’s overall budget, Calabrese said.

Of the settlement’s proposed $4.5 million budget, property taxes accounts for $4.2 million. The remaining $370,000 comes from rentals, admissions and museum-hosted happenings.

Not all larger outside rentals will be canceled.

Some of the more staple events that don’t need the entire site or are held in the area near the Pine Craig mansion should not be affected, Calabrese said.

Also events and programs organized by Naper Settlement will continue.

Besides the new welcome center, the museum campus is home to the new Benck Family Agriculture Center, which is expected to open at the end of this year or in early January, and the Herman and Anna Hagen Memorial Thresher Hall, which opened in August.

The new buildings unlock the opportunity for the museum to reassess the role of large public events in the settlement’s long-range planning, Calabrese said.

Space in the Innovation Gateway will give them the ability to market the property for destination weddings and corporate events, she said.

“It is time for us to examine whether that is a direction that we want to continue (and) that we want to grow in,” she said.

Once the buildings are open and operational, Calabrese said they will have a better idea of ​​the revenue possibilities so the settlement can develop a five-year plan and then a long-range strategic plan.

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