For many people, the arrival of summer means more time spent outside at places like the beach, baseball games, or just lounging in a hammock and enjoying the warm weather. In the Chicagoland area, summer is especially cherished due to its infamously cold and wet winters, with most people taking advantage of every warm day they can.
Summertime in the city of Chicago is filled with hundreds of outdoor events including parades, lakefront shows, and perhaps most abundantly, music festivals. Music festivals are synonymous with summertime in Chicagoland as it is really the only opportunity to host outdoor music events in the brief timeframe of good weather.
Beginning roughly around early June, the music festival season of 2024 is looking to be an exciting one with something to attend practically every week of the summer. The history of music festivals in this area is rich and has led to creating some of the most famous and iconic festivals in the country. Here is a short guide to some of the largest and most legendary festivals coming to the Chicagoland area during the summer of 2024.
The Chicago Blues festival was founded in 1984, in memory of Chicago Blues pioneer Muddy Waters who had passed away the year prior. Since its first run, the festival quickly grew to be one of the most popular blues festivals in the world, with the biggest stars in blues music performing throughout the years. Some notable past performances include B.B. King, Junior Wells, Chuck Berry, Etta James, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The festival is free and is a celebration of Chicago’s integral role in the development of modern blues music in the 1940s and 50s. This year’s blues festival is a special one, with Chicago Blues legend Buddy Guy closing out the festival in one of his final performances in the city as part of his farewell tour. The festival is in Millennium Park from June 6-9 with over forty performances over the four days. For more information go to https://www.choosechicago.com/articles/festivals-special-events/chicago-blues-festival/
The Ravinia Festival is one of the oldest music festivals in the United States, started in 1905. Ravinia is hosted in Highland Park, and lasts from June to September every year with hundreds of performances on multiple stages. The festival’s main focus is on classical music and jazz, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra using it as their summer home for nearly 100 years. It has featured some of the world’s biggest musical acts in past years such as Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, Jim Croce, and Don Henley. The festival site is in the Ravinia neighborhood of Highland Park, with three stages, the pavilion — the largest – seats 3,350 people. There is also a large lawn for attendees to bring their own chairs and blankets to sit and listen to the various performances. This year’s Ravinia Festival begins on June 7 and continues every weekend until September 15. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra will continue its yearly tradition of performing nearly every week along with many other artists such as The Roots, Elvis Costello, James Taylor, Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey, and The Beach Boys featuring John Stamos. For any lover of classical music and jazz, The Ravinia Festival will offer dozens of performances throughout the summer to see. Get more information and tickets at https://www.ravinia.org/Online/default.asp
Ravinia is the oldest music festival in the area, one of the newest music festivals has quickly become one of the biggest musical events in Chicago, specifically with the youth. The Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash was founded in 2018 by music video director and Illinois native Cole Bennet. Bennet gained fame in the mid to late 2010s by directing music videos for various rappers who rose to fame on the internet music platform SoundCloud. After directing for artists such as Juice WRLD, Trippie Redd, and Lil Pump, under the production company of Lyrical Lemonade he expanded the brand further into a full-on music festival. The festival began by featuring many of the artists that were featured on the Lyrical Lemonade YouTube channel, which today has a collective eleven billion views across all music videos, but has since grown larger. Originally hosted in Douglas Park, the festival has since moved to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, right outside the city. This year’s Summer Smash is looking to be the biggest one yet, with massively popular artists such as Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, and Chief Keef headlining the three days. The festival will run from June 14-16 with dozens of supporting artists performing on multiple stages. For any fan of modern hip-hop, the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash is guaranteed to have it for you. Visit https://www.thesummersmash.com/
It would be impossible to talk about music festivals in the Chicago area without mentioning its most famous festival: Lollapalooza. What began as a touring festival in the early 90s, Lollapalooza found its permanent home in Grant Park in 2005. People from all over the country travel to Chicago every summer to see some of the world’s biggest artists perform. Lollapalooza has always had a focus on alternative rock music, founded by Perry Ferrel of Jane’s Addiction and openly rejecting any “mainstream artists.” Over time, however, this declaration became less and less prevalent as the festival is now known for its stacked lineup of the biggest acts. Some past headlining acts include Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ice Cube, Metallica, Amy Winehouse, and Kendrick Lamar, and this year’s lineup is not light with star power. Lollapalooza 2024 will be from August 1-4. Some of the headliners of this year include Tyler, The Creator, SZA, The Killers, and blink-182, with nearly one hundred supporting acts, including many local Chicago area bands. Lollapalooza, live every year, will be the biggest music festival not just in the Chicago area, but the Midwest, with an expected 400,000 attendees. For more information and tickets go to https://www.lollapalooza.com/
There are dozens of other music festivals coming to the Chicagoland area to check out for any music lover out there. Some other ones include Pitchfork Music Festival, Riot Fest, Wicker Park Fest, and Villapalooza, among others.
“I love the way that these large festivals incorporate local acts into their lineups.” said MCC student Alamea Samples. “The local Chicago music scene is very supportive of each other.”
Indeed many local bands are on the lineups for festivals such as Lollapalooza and Riot Fest, along with other fests featuring smaller acts. The best way to support local artists this summer is to visit the various music festivals coming to the Chicagoland area.
