Residents across parts of East Dallas and Lakewood reported unusually loud noise Friday night from a large electric dance music festival at Fair Park, prompting city officials and festival organizers to make adjustments ahead of the weekend’s second night of concerts.
The Breakaway Music Festival drew large crowds to Fair Park, with attendees praising the atmosphere and performances.
But the sound carried well beyond the park, according to residents who said they could hear booming music miles away, including inside their homes.
“It was loud, to say the least,” said Bailey Cleere, who lives near Fair Park. “It was something I thought was going on across the street from me.”
Cleere said she is accustomed to hearing concerts from the venue but described Friday night’s noise as significantly louder than past events. She said the sound was strong enough to be felt inside her house.
East Dallas neighborhood chat groups filled with complaints from residents who said they could hear the music as far as five miles away, including parts of Lakewood and the Mockingbird Lane and Abrams Road area. Several residents reported calling the city’s 311 service to complain.
City Council members who represent East Dallas said they were alerted to the concerns and were told Fair Park officials worked with event organizers to make sound-level adjustments for Saturday night’s show.
Dallas city council member Adam Bazaldua, whose district includes Fair Park, issued a statement apologizing to residents affected by the noise. He said city officials have been in communication with the Park and Recreation Department and that sound monitoring is underway around Fair Park and will be increased to better assess conditions.
Bazaldua said the festival’s organizers already have contractors measuring decibel levels and that he requested those readings occur more frequently. He noted that residents experienced the noise differently depending on their location.
“One contributing factor identified is the positioning of the stage,” Bazaldua said in the statement, adding that it is currently facing open land with no structures to absorb or deflect sound. He said the placement was intended to reduce interference between the festival and events at Dos Equis Pavilion but had unintended impacts on surrounding neighborhoods.
Bazaldua also cited weather conditions, including low cloud cover, which he said can cause sound to travel farther by reflecting noise back toward the ground instead of allowing it to dissipate upward, particularly at night.
He said city officials have spoken with teams from both the Breakaway Music Festival and Dos Equis Pavilion, and both acknowledged the concerns and agreed to make efforts to reduce sound levels as curfew approaches.
Residents said they are not opposed to events at Fair Park but hope sound levels are more manageable going forward.
“We deserve to be able to go to sleep and put our kids to sleep without listening to a rave,” Cleere said.
Bazaldua said city staff and organizers are continuing to work together to minimize future impacts and reduce disruptions to nearby neighborhoods.