The director of the annual Livonia Spree said added security, capacity limits and new entrance fees charged this year on the festival’s final day are necessary to limit crowds for safety reasons.
The Police Department is also taking precautions against a threatened teen takeover, while festival organizers imposed new requirements that most teens be accompanied by parents on the festival’s busiest weekend days.
The Livonia Police Department put out a statement Thursday saying the department was aware of social media posts about a possible “teen takeover” at the Spree during the weekend. The department’s post on Facebook included a picture advertising a “Livonia Spree Takeover” on Saturday. “4:00 untill were kicked out the MF!!!!” read text overlaying the photo. The Detroit News has not verified the origin of the picture.
“Everyone is aware of the history of past ‘Teen Takeovers’ that have, many times, turned into mob-like disorderly, disruptive, or unlawful behavior,” the Police Department said. “There will be zero tolerance, and everyone should expect enforcement action, including removal from the event, citation, or arrest, when appropriate. We look forward to a safe and successful Livonia Spree 76.”
“Teen takeovers” are a social media trend that brings crowds of teens to a location. Safety concerns have arisen on occasions when the gatherings have erupted in vandalism, fights and, in downtown Detroit in May, the nonfatal shooting of a 14-year-old. A planned “teen takeover” during Dearborn Heights’ Spirit Festival in mid-June led to several arrests.
The Livonia Spree is a yearly festival celebrating the Wayne County city’s anniversary; this year marks the 76th anniversary of Livonia’s incorporation from a township to a city. The Spree, which started Tuesday and runs through Sunday, includes a carnival with rides and games, drone show, fireworks show on the final night and, this year, lumberjack shows.
On Sunday, the day of the fireworks show, the festival at Farmington and Lyndon Road will charge a $5 entrance fee for Livonia residents and $10 for nonresidents starting at 4 p.m. This marks the first time the Spree will charge for entrance.
Executive Director Kayleigh Reid, who serves as Livonia’s City Council president, said so many people have attended in years past that police or EMS vehicles would not have been able to get through in a case of an emergency.
The Spree has been lucky that it hasn’t had any major incidents in the past, Reid said, but organizers decided after last year that the festival was taking too much of a risk and should avoid having the festival shut down because of safety concerns.
“Our No. 1 priority this year is safety, because we are not going to allow this Spree to end because we didn’t take all the necessary precautions,” Reid said.
For attendees over 12 years old, it’ll be $5 for per person for residents and $10 for nonresidents starting at 4 p.m. Sunday.
In addition to the Spree charging fees for the first time, the Police Department is imposing a capacity limit each day. There’s also a requirement for Friday, Saturday and Sunday that anyone 17 years and under has to have a parent or guardian with them starting at 4 p.m.
Reid declined to disclose the crowd limit, saying the safety agency commanders will have the final say about the crowd sizes each day and can cut off entry at any point if they feel the festival has gotten too packed.
The festival has metal detectors this year that attendees have to go through. Reid said there are four metal detectors, and the total cost of added security this year is around an extra $40,000. The Spree typically pays the Livonia Police Department about $60,000 for security at the festival, she said.
The Livonia Spree opened Tuesday. Its hours for the rest of the week are 2-11 p.m. Friday, and noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
jcardi@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Livonia Spree tries fee, rule to limit crowds. Takeover threat blasted
Reporting by Julia Cardi, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Julia Cardi, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
