Saint Paul Council approves Breakaway sound variance after lengthy debate and conditions

The Saint Paul City Council on April 16 adopted an amended sound-level variance allowing the Breakaway Music Festival at Allianz Field to reach up to 103 decibels A-weighted (dB[A]) at 125 feet for limited periods, with a package of mitigation, monitoring and staffing conditions.

The issue reached the council after a lengthy public hearing and staff report from the Department of Safety and Inspections (DSI). Barbara McMonagle of DSI told the council that the department typically recommends lower levels and earlier end times for outdoor festivals but that the genre’s sound profile differs from concert events. “The variance that this Breakaway festival has requested is for 103 decibels at 125 feet for their main stage and 95 decibels at 100 feet for their secondary stage,” McMonagle said during her presentation, adding that DSI’s recommendation had been lower.

Why it matters: Council members said they wanted to balance neighborhood impacts with the economic benefits of large events and the city’s interest in activating public assets. Breakaway’s organizers emphasized the event’s local hiring and economic impact while acknowledging last year’s neighborhood disruption.

Breakaway president Jared Fucci said the event had drawn nearly 24,000 attendees last year and generated more than $2 million in ticket sales, and delivered a proposed operational plan that ramps sound levels through the day. “In 2024, we welcomed just shy of 24,000 attendees, about 12,000 people each day, generating a little over $2,000,000 in ticket sales,” Fucci told the council, and offered a schedule that starts at lower levels and builds to higher peaks for headline acts.

Council discussion focused on community complaints from last year, how sound propagates in the Allianz Field area, and how to verify compliance. Council members emphasized better notification for nearby residents and stronger on-site monitoring than occurred in 2024. Under the amended resolution, Breakaway must fund up to 10 hours of DSI overtime per day to have an inspector on site, provide a community feedback mechanism (QR code and forms) the organizer will monitor in real time, and submit post-event audited sound reports to DSI.

The council also required changes to staging and site orientation to direct sound toward Allianz Field’s structures where feasible, and the applicant agreed to an earlier end time than originally applied for. Fucci described additional technical measures the promoter plans to use, including directed speaker arrays and a progressive sound-build table that starts at lower dB(A) and peaks for headline sets.

Vote: The council adopted the amended resolution, 4–2. Council Members Johnson and Council President Naker voted no. Council members who supported the amendment cited the mitigation package and the organizer’s commitments; those opposing said they preferred DSI’s lower recommended caps.

What happens next: The variance is approved as amended and will be enforced through DSI monitoring and coordination with Saint Paul Police. Council members said they would continue outreach to nearby property managers and residents to make sure the notification and complaint-response systems are active before the June dates.

Speakers quoted in this article are drawn from the council meeting transcript.