Boat bash planned for America's Cup event on lakefront
Chicago boat owners and their friends who are looking for a summer blowout might find one next month that, well, floats their boat.
A Boater's Bash will be held at Monroe Harbor on June 11 and 12, the weekend of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Chicago, a qualifying event for the 2017 America's Cup in Bermuda. It's the first time the sailing competition will be held in Lake Michigan in its 165-year history.
The event, billed as Lake Michigan's largest floating party, was organized by Chicago Harbors in collaboration with the Cup event organizers, a spokesman said. It is considered the "infield party," with boats racing on the waters in front of the harbor, according to the Chicago Harbors website. The Chicago Park District has a contract with Westrec Marinas to manage the harbors.
A 100-foot-long and 26-foot-wide platform providing a DJ stage area and space for a jumbo video screen will be installed within the breakwall of Monroe Harbor, which is downtown near Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain. Boats can link up to the platform and to each other from noon to 6 p.m. — a few yards away from the racecourse.
About 20 to 30 boats no more than 60 feet long will be able to tie off directly to the barge, said Scott Stevenson, executive vice president of Westrec. There will be 40 mooring cans — floating buoys — that allow three boats each, for a total of 120 more boats, he said. No boats over 50 feet will be allowed on the moorings, he said.
The bash will be held at Monroe Harbor as a way to engage more boaters in general and attract boaters to pick that harbor for future boating slips, Stevenson said. "The more boaters use their boats, have fun and involve their friends, the more active the harbors are and the more money we make for the Park District," he said in an email.
Last boating season, Monroe Harbor was 58 percent occupied, meaning 437 of its 759 mooring cans were used.
None of the other America's Cup World Series events has offered a similar experience, the spokesman said. Fans can also watch the race from Navy Pier, including from a grandstand seating area.
Bash passes cost $50 per boat, per day. For an extra $15 fee, guests can be shuttled from the harbor office to the anchored boats. Party crashers without invitations to specific boats will be brought back to shore, the site said. Spectators will not be allowed on the barge, Stevenson said.
The party is expected to cost $15,000 to $25,000 out of Westrec's marketing and special events budget, Stevenson said.
Its budget is funded by the Chicago Park District's contract, which runs through 2025. He expects to generate more than $100,000 in revenue for the Park District from a combination of Boater's Bash passes; water shuttle fees to get to the party boats; boater passes that cost $149 for the weekend to gain access to the bash, Navy Pier and a tour around the racecourse; and transient fees paid by visiting boaters for overnight dockage.
The Park District has hosted other events at harbors to draw boaters. The 31st Street Harbor was the site last year of Harbor Fest, a boat show and music fest. It hosted Aquapalooza, a water and beach party with live music, in 2014.
Chicago boat owners and their friends who are looking for a summer blowout might find one next month that, well, floats their boat.
A Boater's Bash will be held at Monroe Harbor on June 11 and 12, the weekend of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Chicago, a qualifying event for the 2017 America's Cup in Bermuda. It's the first time the sailing competition will be held in Lake Michigan in its 165-year history.
The event, billed as Lake Michigan's largest floating party, was organized by Chicago Harbors in collaboration with the Cup event organizers, a spokesman said. It is considered the "infield party," with boats racing on the waters in front of the harbor, according to the Chicago Harbors website. The Chicago Park District has a contract with Westrec Marinas to manage the harbors.
A 100-foot-long and 26-foot-wide platform providing a DJ stage area and space for a jumbo video screen will be installed within the breakwall of Monroe Harbor, which is downtown near Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain. Boats can link up to the platform and to each other from noon to 6 p.m. — a few yards away from the racecourse.
About 20 to 30 boats no more than 60 feet long will be able to tie off directly to the barge, said Scott Stevenson, executive vice president of Westrec. There will be 40 mooring cans — floating buoys — that allow three boats each, for a total of 120 more boats, he said. No boats over 50 feet will be allowed on the moorings, he said.
The bash will be held at Monroe Harbor as a way to engage more boaters in general and attract boaters to pick that harbor for future boating slips, Stevenson said. "The more boaters use their boats, have fun and involve their friends, the more active the harbors are and the more money we make for the Park District," he said in an email.
Last boating season, Monroe Harbor was 58 percent occupied, meaning 437 of its 759 mooring cans were used.
None of the other America's Cup World Series events has offered a similar experience, the spokesman said. Fans can also watch the race from Navy Pier, including from a grandstand seating area.
Bash passes cost $50 per boat, per day. For an extra $15 fee, guests can be shuttled from the harbor office to the anchored boats. Party crashers without invitations to specific boats will be brought back to shore, the site said. Spectators will not be allowed on the barge, Stevenson said.
The party is expected to cost $15,000 to $25,000 out of Westrec's marketing and special events budget, Stevenson said.
Its budget is funded by the Chicago Park District's contract, which runs through 2025. He expects to generate more than $100,000 in revenue for the Park District from a combination of Boater's Bash passes; water shuttle fees to get to the party boats; boater passes that cost $149 for the weekend to gain access to the bash, Navy Pier and a tour around the racecourse; and transient fees paid by visiting boaters for overnight dockage.
The Park District has hosted other events at harbors to draw boaters. The 31st Street Harbor was the site last year of Harbor Fest, a boat show and music fest. It hosted Aquapalooza, a water and beach party with live music, in 2014.
