Made in America Festival organizers tackling security, public health concerns Labor Day Weekend
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia is gearing up for the annual Made in America music festival. Thousands of people are expected to be in town to see some of music's biggest stars.
Organizers of Made in America are tackling two fronts this Labor Day Weekend -- security and public health concerns as tens of thousands are expected to pack the Parkway. City health officials are warning everyone to avoid skin-to-skin contact because of monkeypox.
Unlike the Fourth of July fireworks show, Made in America is a ticketed and totally enclosed event.
It starts with a security checkpoint, where guests will get their tickets scanned and they'll pass through metal detectors to make sure they aren't trying to bring in any items they're not supposed to.
The festival will have a clear bag policy and bags are subject to search.
For about a week, crews have been setting up temporary fencing around the entire festival grounds -- from the Art Museum all the way to 22nd Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
As of 10 a.m. on Friday, the inner and outer lanes of the Parkway between 20th Street and Eakins Oval are now closed. Even more closures around the festival site begin Saturday morning.
The goal is to keep ticketed guests safe inside. Anyone without a ticket will be directed away by security.
Organizers say this year they will be cracking down on loitering near the perimeter of the festival.
Once guests are inside, they're free to enjoy a full day of food, drinks and music.
Made in America will be the first major event on the Parkway since the shooting at the Fourth of July fireworks that injured two police officers.
Philadelphia police say they are ready and will have a large presence both Saturday and Sunday.
"One thing that we are really good at here is putting on big events, right?" Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Michael Cram said. "So we always take what we've done in the past, improve on it."
With thousands of people expected to travel to Philadelphia for this festival, some residents are worried about what could happen this weekend.
"We live a couple of blocks off the Parkway, we just don't feel safe," Tony Collins said.
Tony and Karen Collins just moved to Philadelphia full-time a few months ago, but this weekend they won't be sticking around. They've made plans to leave town, worried that a large gathering in the city could lead to potential problems.
"We really have to go back to the drawing board and work out how we can make events like this safe and places where people can come to and enjoy themselves, spend their money, build the economy," Tony Collins said. "That's what it's all about, but right now, you just you just don't feel safe."
"Yes, I'm worried. Just about everybody in the city is worried," Arnold Silverstein, a Philly resident said.
Silverstein has lived in Philadelphia for 45 years. He says crime is just one of the concerns that come with hosting large festivals, especially when they take over an entire neighborhood.
"It makes it very difficult for the people who live in this neighborhood to go anywhere," Silverstein said. "In addition, this is not a neighborhood where there's a lot of parking. When we have the Made in America, the parking just becomes overwhelming."
Another neighbor called the festival the last hurrah of summer.
"I know some of the neighbors, kind of, complain about streets being blocked off," Shay Northan said, "but it's Labor Day Weekend, why not?"
At nearby businesses like Little Pete's Restaurant, employees have mixed feelings about the festival. They'll take the bump in business, even if it is served with a side of chaos.
"We're pretty steady on weekends, but a lot of times when they let them out, the tables flip constantly," Angela Holzbaur said. "I don't have a number, I just know I won't stop moving until I leave."
Then there are the attendees.
This will be Sean Frazier's first time at the festival. Not only is she grateful for her job as a production assistant, but she also says events like Made in America help bring people together.
"Camaraderie, you meet so many people that you never would have met, so many walks of life," Frazier said. "I think it's a missed opportunity if you don't have events like this."
Mayor Jim Kenney said police will be working closely with Made in America security and federal partners. He said the chaos on the Fourth of July had nothing to do with the event.
"The problem with what we had on Fourth of July did not come from the event," Kenney said. "It came from some knucklehead two miles away shooting a gun in the air that he probably should've never had in the first place. So, nothing happened on the footprint of the event, it was actually a pretty chill, fun day, great entertainment, great weather. We expect the same thing this weekend."
Police say there will be plenty of security staff throughout the grounds, so if any issues pop up over the weekend, guests are encouraged to say something if they see something.
In anticipation of the crowds and hot weather, the Philadelphia Department of Health is urging concertgoers and anyone planning to head out to bars and crowded settings to limit skin-to-skin contact as monkeypox cases continue to increase.
Jefferson Health family medical physician Dr. Rob Danoff says best practices learned from COVID-19, including social distancing and staying in your pod, apply.
"If you briefly bump against someone as you're walking, you should be OK," Danoff said, "but a lot of people are going to be wearing shorts, a lot of people are going to be wearing short sleeves so stay with your group, stay with the people you know. If you see all these strangers, don't be sharing drinks."
He also says anyone who has had flu-like symptoms within the last week or anyone with open sores or lesions should stay home.
"I don't want people to go crazy and be fearful," Danoff said, "but it's like play it safe."
Starting on Saturday, the headliner will be Tyler, The Creator.
Also taking the stage are a few famous Philly-born artists, including Lil Uzi Vert and Jazmine Sullivan.
It's a rap-heavy lineup on Saturday with performances from Kodak Black, Pusha T and Babyface Ray.
The Sunday lineup is stacked.
Bad Bunny is the big headliner fresh off winning VMA Artist of the Year.
Here are some other performers that will take the stage Sunday:
- Tate McRae
- Rels B
- Victoria Monet
- Ryan Castro
- Chimbala
Gates open Saturday at 12 p.m. The first performance starts at 1 p.m.
Click here to see what roads will be closed for the festival this weekend.
