Breno Bueno, an undergraduate at the University of St. Thomas, has invited 4,000 fans of electronic dance music to the parking lot outside Allianz Field next month for what he’s dubbed the “Forbidden Festival.”
The back-to-school style, open-bar celebration has already drawn its share of supporters and detractors, the latter including residents who recalled the noise created by the two-day Breakaway Music Festival in the same location in June.
On Wednesday, despite a flurry of letters of concern to the St. Paul City Council, Bueno’s “Forbidden Fest” survived one of its largest hurdles to date.
The seven-member council voted 7-0 to approve his request for a 90-decibel sound level variance from 2 to 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 21, but not without promising stepped up enforcement.
Council Member Anika Bowie, who represents the neighborhood, said her office had met with Bueno and walked away assured the Forbidden Fest would be more contained than the Breakaway Music Festival, which drew some 24,000 visitors across two days.
“It’s one day,” Bowie told the council. “It’s not going to be the same amount of people. The stage is placed in such a way so the sound is blocked by the stadium. We have received and read through the public comments.”
Bowie said the city’s 300-foot notification requirement was insufficient, and that more notice needed to be given to the surrounding area alerting them to the festival.
Council President Mitra Jalali, who said she and many of her constituents live within walking distance of Allianz Field, said she had “laid in bed during the EDM music festival and felt the sound way above the limit. … We’re going to be monitoring this event that weekend. We’re going to be following up about sound level limit enforcement.”
Promoters of the Breakaway Music Festival have called the turnout at Allianz Field among their top sellers, and said they looked forward to returning next year with closer attention paid to noise limits.
