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TO: Mayor John Laesch
FROM: Tony Martinez, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer
Nicole Mullins, Chief Community Services Officer
DATE: 07/08/2026
SUBJECT:
A resolution authorizing the Director of Purchasing to enter into an agreement with the Aurora Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium and Office Building Authority and the City of Aurora for the production of the 2026 Fiestas Patrias celebration.
PURPOSE:
To authorize the Aurora Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium and Office Building Authority to produce and manage the 2026 Fiestas Patrias celebration, with strategic input and guidance from the City of Aurora and the Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board.
BACKGROUND:
Fiestas Patrias has grown into one of the City's largest and most anticipated annual community events. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 festival was held at RiverEdge Park and was coordinated primarily by City staff and members of the Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board. While the event was highly successful and drew record attendance, it also presented significant operational and logistical challenges due to its size and complexity.
To address those challenges, the City expanded Aurora Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium and Office Building Authority, commonly referred to as the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA) role in planning and executing the festival beginning in 2023. Aurhoirty's expertise in event production, logistics, and venue operations significantly improved the overall management of the event in both 2023 and 2024.
By assuming responsibility for production and operational logistics, relieved City staff and Heritage Board members of responsibilities outside their areas of expertise, allowing them to focus on programming, community engagement, and cultural aspects of the celebration. ACCA's experienced staff also enhanced public safety, streamlined operations, and improved the event's financial performance.
Today, Fiestas Patrias has become one of the largest Latino cultural celebrations in the Chicago suburbs, attracting nationally touring musical acts and thousands of attendees. Producing an event of this scale requires the specialized experience of RiverEdge Park personnel, who routinely negotiate artist contracts, coordinate complex production requirements, and fulfill technical rider obligations.
The long-term goal of Fiestas Patrias is to provide a premier cultural celebration while generating scholarship funds administered by the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley for Aurora students of Hispanic descent.
Since 2022, the festival has generated more than $400,000 in scholarship funding for Latino youth in the Aurora community.
DISCUSSION:
Under the proposed agreement, Aurora Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium and Office Building Authority will advance and pay all event-related expenses associated with producing Fiestas Patrias. Aurora Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium and Office Building Authority will also receive a $15,000 administrative management fee to compensate for the planning, coordination, and production services required to execute the festival, a process that typically spans six to nine months.
All ticket sales and beverage sales will be processed through RiverEdge Park's ticketing and point-of-sale systems. Following the conclusion of the event, RiverEdge Park will provide the City with a final settlement statement detailing all revenues and expenses.
If the event generates a net profit, Aurora Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium and Office Building Authority will remit the proceeds to the City to benefit the scholarship fund. If the event incurs a net loss, the City will reimburse Aurora Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium and Office Building Authority or the deficit. Aside from the agreed-upon $15,000 management fee, Aurora Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium and Office Building Authority neither profits from nor absorbs any financial loss associated with the event.
The City, the Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board, and Aurora Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium and Office Building Authority collaboratively develop a projected event budget to maximize net profit while maintaining a high-quality festival experience. Revenue from the event comes from ticket and beverage sales, community sponsorships, and City of Aurora sponsorship of $75,000. Actual financial performance is influenced by several factors, including weather conditions, attendance, and the caliber of entertainment secured for the event.
The sponsorship efforts for the event is a collaborative effort from members of the Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board and City staff.
Should the event incur a loss, reimbursement would be paid from the approved 2026 Hispanic Heritage budget, Account No. 215-1607-450.50-57.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
Approval of this agreement will ensure that the City, the Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board, and Aurora Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium and Office Building Authority can continue to produce a safe, well-managed, and financially successful Fiestas Patrias celebration that is expected to attract more than 15,000 attendees over the two-day festival while continuing to generate scholarship funding for Aurora students.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Staff recommends approval of the proposed resolution.
cc: Committee of the Whole
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
title
A Resolution authorizing the Director of Purchasing to enter into an agreement with the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA) for the production of the 2026 Fiestas Patrias celebration in partnership with the City of Aurora and the Aurora Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board at the Aurora Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium and Office Building Authority (RiverEdge Park).
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, Fiestas Patrias is one of the City's largest and most anticipated annual community events and one of the largest Latino cultural celebrations in the Chicago suburbs, attracting nationally touring musical acts and thousands of attendees; and
WHEREAS, producing an event of this scale requires the specialized experience of ACCA/RiverEdge Park personnel, who routinely negotiate artist contracts, coordinate complex production requirements, and fulfill technical rider obligations; and
WHEREAS, the City of Aurora wishes to enter into an agreement, the Fiestas Patrias ACCA Contract attached hereto and incorporated herein as Exhibit A, with Aurora Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium and Office Building Authority, to outline obligations and duties of the respective parties and payments associated with Fiestas Patrias; and
WHEREAS, should the event incur a loss, reimbursement would be paid from the approved 2026 Hispanic Heritage budget, Account No. 215-1607-450.50-57, in an amount not to exceed $80,000.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows:
SECTION ONE: The Fiestas Patrias ACCA Contract with Aurora Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium and Office Building Authority, attached hereto and incorporated herein as Exhibit A, is approved, subject to final review and approval by City Corporate Counsel.
SECTION TWO: The Director of Purchasing is authorized the execute Exhibit A, Fiestas Patrias ACCA Contract 2026.
SECTION THREE: Finance is authorized issue payments, not to exceed $80,000 from 2026 Hispanic Heritage budget, Account No. 215-1607-450.50-57, to Aurora Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium and Office Building Authority (dba the Aurora Civic Center Authority) consistent with the terms of Exhibit A.
SECTION FOUR: SECTION TWO: SEVERABILITY. If any section, paragraph or provision of this Resolution shall be held to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, the invalidity or unenforceability of such section, paragraph or provision shall not affect any of the remaining provisions of this Resolution.
SECTION FIVE: REPEAL OF PRIOR ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS. All prior Resolutions and Ordinances in conflict or inconsistent herewith are hereby expressly repealed only to the extent of such conflict or inconsistency.
SECTION SIX: EFFECTIVE DATE. This Resolution shall be in effect immediately from and after its passage and approval.