Neighbors worried about noise at upcoming music festival

The Forbidden Festival is coming to Allianz Field Sept. 21, 2024, with unanimous St. Paul City Council approval of a needed sound level variance Aug.14. But will the surrounding community hear an encore of this summer’s Breakaway festival, which drew many noise complaints?

Breakaway, which drew more than 24,000 attendees over two days in June, generated noise complaints as far south as Mendota Heights. Ward One Council Member Anika Bowie, whose ward includes Allianz Field, and Council President Mitra Jalali, whose Fourth Ward borders Allianz, said they will be watching the upcoming event closely.

Jalali, who lives near Allianz, said she could feel the sound while lying in bed during the Breakaway Festival. She said the Forbidden Festival will have stepped-up noise monitoring, with follow-up on compliance.

Bowie agreed with neighbors that the city’s current 300-foot notification requirement is insufficient. When Allianz is considered, notice covers University Avenue businesses and neighbors beyond University Avenue.

The council approved a 90-decibel sound level variance from 2 to 10:30 p.m. Sept. 21.

Forbidden Festival organizer Bruno Bueno didn’t appear at the city council meeting. He met in advance with Bowie and city staff. He also met with Union Park District Council (UPDC) Aug. 7.

Bueno made promises that the upcoming event would have more controls in place. The festival will be just one day and will have attendance capped at 4,000 people. He also said that stage placement and other controls should make a difference.

The council received seven letters from area residents objecting to the variances. Merriam Park resident KC Cox testified at the public hearing. Cox said her windows were rattling during the Breakaway event. 

Letters from Merriam Park, Snelling-Hamline, Lexington-Hamline and Hamline-Midway neighbors outlined similar concerns. Many neighbors are worried that the event, with an open bar, is being marketed to college students. “How can we think an open bar festival for just turned legal drinkers is a good idea?” said Snelling-Hamline resident Gretchen Hoar.

Others said events at Allianz and at Concordia University’s Seafoam Stadium are overwhelming neighbors with noise and spillover parking.

UPDC didn’t make a recommendation on the variance, but asked for sound monitoring throughout the event and monitoring in the surrounding neighborhoods. “The sound got out of control during the Breakaway Festival,” said UPDC Board President Sarah Dvorak.

The district council  also discussed measures to be taken with the event’s open bar, server training and security. Bueno assured district council members that event staff will have proper training and that sound will be monitored carefully.

Bueno is an undergraduate student at the University of St. Thomas. He said his upcoming event is designed to appeal to a different crowd than other area music festivals, and that he has experience with festivals similar to his Sept. 21 event. 

Forbidden Festival organizers will place the stage in a way that doesn’t send music into the surrounding area. It’s planned to have the stage face the Allianz Field stadium itself.

“We will have systems in place to control noise,” Bueno said.

UPDC members and neighbors want a way to audit sound during an event, so that actual noise levels can be checked afterward. One huge issue during and after the Breakaway event is that community members haven’t been able to see any documentation of what noise levels actually were.

“We’re much more interested in sound levels beyond the festivals’ permit,” said UPDC  Board Member Mark Morrow.

Forbidden Festival organizers will do continuous sound monitoring during the Sept. 21 concert, said Bueno, and will have a contact phone number for use during the event. Bueno said he is glad to meet with UPDC after the event.