Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Events Festivals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council tables proposed "Igloo" Caribbean festival after residents raise sound, parking and cleanup concerns
Summary
Promoters told the council the proposed May Caribbean Festival would be a 21+ outdoor event with DJs, food vendors, and enhanced security; council members unanimously moved to table final approval pending a site map, parking/transportation plan, decibel limits and a finalized fee schedule.
The Lithonia City Council on Oct. 7 tabled a proposal for a Caribbean-style festival known as the "Igloo" Festival after council members and residents raised concerns about sound levels, traffic and post-event cleanup.
Promoter Omar Anthony told the council the event would be an adult-only (21+) outdoor party featuring DJs and food vendors, running roughly from mid-afternoon into the evening. "The event itself is a Caribbean Festival ... it's just a big Caribbean party," Anthony said, and added his team has increased security, provided more portable toilets and worked with cities on traffic controls at larger events in recent years.
The festival’s organizers said past productions ran as rolling crowds and that a full site map, fencing, ride-share zones and additional police presence were part of their current playbook. Anthony said his team plans to "overcompensate" on security and provide 17 to 18 portable restrooms and full fencing to control access.
Council members repeatedly returned the discussion to the neighborhood impact of music and the difficulty of post-event cleanup. One resident and several council members recalled earlier events where amplified sound carried toward nearby houses and where street litter and neighborhood cleanup took the organizers and the city multiple days to address. "Don't forget about the streets," a resident said during public comment, urging that cleanup not stop at the park boundary.
City staff told the council park rental fees and other financial details were not yet finalized. Council members asked promoters to return with explicit traffic and parking plans (including possible satellite lots and shuttles), a proposed cap on ticket sales or a fire-marshall limit, and a plan to monitor and limit decibel levels during the event.
Faced with outstanding items, a council member moved to table the proposal "to a later date" so organizers could provide the requested materials; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote of "all in favor." The council did not record a roll-call vote in the transcript.
Next steps: the promoter was asked to provide a detailed site map, a parking/transportation contingency plan, proposed ticket caps or a clear maximum occupancy, and a proposed noise-decibel standard for council review before the item returns to the agenda.
