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Budweiser Made in America Saw Bigger, Still (Mostly) Behaved Crowds On Day 2
Budweiser Made In America is over (Photo via Facebook)
Day two of Budweiser Made in America saw slightly higher attendance numbers, but once again, no major incidents. Sunday's headliners included Kanye West, John Mayer and Weezer, with attendance bumping up to over 37,000 tickets scanned. This is up from Saturday's 34,000.
Also up on Sunday was the number of arrests. According to LAPD's J. Kim, 80 people were arrested or given citations, City New Service Reports. This includes three felonies (narcotics, parole violation), 10 misdemeanors and 67 citations, many of which pertained to alcohol or traffic violations. Additionally, many others were treated for illnesses or injury, including dehydration and heat-related issues.
Considering the high temps, huge crowds and the fact that this was the first time a festival of this nature was permitted downtown, LAPD Lt. Andrew Neiman said that the fest went "quite well," L.A. Times reports.
Mayor Eric Garcetti, who worked with Live Nation and Jay Z to bring the festival downtown, released a statement saying that the event proved it was possible to “throw a great party” in the heart of Los Angeles, CBS reports. "We want leading companies and event organizers to know we're changing L.A. so it's no longer a place where red tape is allowed to stand in the way of jobs, innovation and entertainment."
He also got on stage with Steve Aoki.
Mayor @ericgarcetti takes the stage at @MIAFestival LA with @steveaoki #MadeInAmerica pic.twitter.com/j7hfaLuc7T
— MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) September 1, 2014
Gacetti initially faced opposition from Councilman Huizar, but was able to officially announce the festival in April. Live Nation agreed to pay for any damage caused to public property as a result of the event, plus a $500,000 fee to the city to pay for services that would typically be covered by taxpayers, such as additional police presence, as well as a $600,000 fee to use Grand Park.
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The Mayor's office said it expects the festival to have generated an estimated $12 million in local spending.
Of course, it was not without complaint. Downtown residents took to Twitter to complain of noise and traffic...but mostly traffic. And speaking of traffic, several roads surrounding the festival are still closed. Also, Civic Center Metro Station will be closed until 7 p.m. tonight. For a complete list of closures and detours, click here.
Related:
Photos from Day 1 Of Budweiser Made In America Fest
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