Silver Room Block Party ending after nearly two decades

Why it matters: The Silver Room Block Party is integral to the South Side community.

• "That was a big part of me keeping it going, knowing that it had a huge impact on the South Side, bringing different parts of the city together," Silver Room owner Eric Williams tells Axios. "Everybody came."

Context: The block party started in Wicker Park, where Williams ran the original Silver Room, a popular jewelry, clothing and community store.

• When Williams moved his store to 53rd Street in Hyde Park in 2015, the Block Party grew, bringing thousands of Chicagoans to Harper Court and the surrounding area.

Reality check: The festival moved to Oakwood Beach last year after running out of room on 53rd Street. But that made the costs rise for stages, labor and vendors.

• "As the producer of a festival, you see costs keep rising. You still want to do it, but it was becoming a block party with the budget of a festival," Williams tells Axios.
• "To break even, I'd have to charge $150 a ticket. And I couldn't do that."

Between the lines: The once-free fest now charges $75 tickets at the Oakwood Beach location. Williams and the Silver Room Block Party aren't part of a community organization, so they don't get help with resources from the local chambers of commerce, as some other neighborhood festivals do.

• "They have TIF funds or SSA money to market their communities. We don't."

What they're saying: For Williams, 18 years of producing this party is enough. "It's kind of a sense of relief in many ways," Williams says.

• "I've been doing it as a labor of love, and I think people don't really understand how festivals in general work."

What's next: The last Silver Room Sound System Block Party will take place over two days, July 29-30.