Council approves Pride Fest, concerts and Juneteenth permits and OKs request to close Route 159 for Pride

The Belleville City Council approved a package of special-event permits on May 5 for Pride Fest, concerts and Juneteenth activities and passed a resolution asking the Illinois Department of Transportation for permission to close Route 159 during Metro East Pride Fest.

Items approved in the communications and resolutions segment included a Metro East Pride Fest permit and related street-closure and facility-use requests for Oct. 3–4, 2025; a resolution (No. 3543) requesting IDOT permission to close Route 159 for the event; a Lincoln Theater request to host A.J. Mitchell on July 19, 2025 (including closure of eight parking spaces and barricades); Juneteenth events organized by the Belleville-O’Fallon chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi on June 14 and a Juneteenth beer release hosted by Shoehorn Brewing on June 22; an Experience Live Music Row event on May 10; and a Belleville Public Library request to host a Mobile Museum June 4–6.

Permits and requests included detailed street-closure plans, parking-space closures, requests for additional city services (police, public works, barricades, trash toters and picnic tables), no-parking signage and temporary use of Public Square and nearby blocks. The council voted to carry the motions; council members also approved a title-only reading and subsequent adoption of Resolution 3543 asking IDOT for the Route 159 closure.

City staff were authorized to coordinate logistics such as street closures, signage, parking-space restrictions and required city services; the council did not negotiate special fees or change permit terms on the council floor.