Jennifer Hudson looks upbeat as she films scenes for a Weight Watcher's commercial in Los Angeles, April 16, 2012
*The City of Chicago today announced the list of headliners for its newly-revamped Taste of Chicago. According to The Chicago Sun Times, hometown star Jennifer Hudson will anchor the five-day festival with a performance on Wednesday, July 11.
Death Cab for Cutie will play on Thursday, July 12, Chaka Khan — with opener Raphael Saadiq – performs on Saturday, July 14 and country singer Dierks Bentley on Sunday, July 15, according to the city website. Friday’s headliner has not yet been announced.
While musical performances at the city’s famous food festival have been free in previous years, the city council voted Wednesday to charge a $25 fee for tickets to the performances in Millennium Park’s Petrillo bandshell.
Amid complaints about the festival’s high cost and the spike in crime that usually accompanies the heavily-attended event, the city decided to halve the summer event, which will only run for five days this year.
While the festival consistently brings huge waves of tourists into Chicago, attendance has been declining, with last summer’s event bringing 11 percent fewer visitors than the previous year, and more than a quarter less than in 2006 and 2007. In a cost-cutting measure, the city also opted out of its usual July 3 fireworks show in Grant Park, which used to coincide with the festival.