Our bird's-eye view of summer, fall music fests in Chicago and the suburbs
Last year, the music festival season in Chicago and the suburbs came to a screeching halt as the pandemic forced most fests to pivot to livestreaming events or shut down completely. And while some organizers chose to postpone this year's events again until 2022, others unleashed a flood of lineup announcements and ticket sales over the last few weeks. Now, peering over the rim into festival season, here's what we can see nearby.
Note: Listed ticket prices do not include taxes or additional fees. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, events are subject to change; visit fest sites for updated information on health protocols.
Long Play Music Fest
July 1-4 at Rivets Stadium, 4503 Interstate Blvd., Loves Park; starevents.com
Top billing: Cheap Trick, Gin Blossoms, Jeff Tweedy
Tickets: $39.99 for three-day general admission; $19.99-$29.99 for single-day passes; VIP packages also available
Windy City Smokeout
July 8-11 at the United Center Parking Lot C, 1901 W. Madison St., Chicago; windycitysmokeout.com
Top billing: Dierks Bentley, Darius Rucker, Jon Pardi and Brett Eldredge, along with Cody Johnson, Morgan Evans, Hailey Whitters, Cody Canada and the Departed, Lainey Wilson and more
Tickets: Four-day general admission passes are $150, with single-day passes going for $35 for Thursday, $50 for Friday, $60 for Saturday and $35 for Sunday; single-day VIP passes cost from $150-$250.
Lollapalooza
July 29-Aug. 1 at Grant Park, 337 E. Randolph St., Chicago; lollapalooza.com
Top billing: Foo Fighters, Post Malone, Tyler, The Creator, Miley Cyrus, Marshmello, Journey, Megan Thee Stallion, Band of Horses, Modest Mouse, Angels & Airwaves and Chicago's own Rookie and Whitney
Tickets: Four-day general admission runs $375-$400; single-day GA is $130-$140; GA+, VIP and Platinum packages are also available.
Homegrown Arts & Music Festival
July 31 at BaseCamp Pub, 5750 Lakeside Drive, Lisle; homegrownartsandmusicfestival.com
Top billing: Sun-Riser, Mel Senese, Black Bolts, Aaron Williams and many more original artists from the Chicago and suburban scenes
Tickets: $20 for all-day pass
Last Fling
Sept. 3-6 along downtown Naperville's Riverwalk and Rotary Hill; lastfling.org
Top billing: 7th heaven, Hi Infidelity, Sixteen Candles, Libido Funk Circus, The Boy Band Night, Motown Nation and more
Tickets: Free admission to concerts
North Coast Music Festival
Sept. 3-5 at SeatGeek Stadium, 7000 S. Harlem Ave., Bridgeview; northcoastfestival.com
Top billing: Kaskade, Louis the Child, GRiZ, Ganja White Night, Zeds Dead and Rezz, but save some hometown love for sets by Ron Carroll, Align, Bentley Dean, Birthdayy Partyy, Dani Deahl, INZO and Stratus
Tickets: $243.51 for three-day general admission; single-day passes are $83.57
ARC Music Festival
Sept. 4-5 at Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph St., Chicago; arcmusicfestival.com
Top billing: Eric Prydz, Camelphat, Bob Moses, Gene Farris, Hot Since 82, Steve Gerard, Meduza and more
Tickets: Two-day general admission passes run $229-$249; ICON VIP cost $799-$899.
Pitchfork Music Festival
Sept. 10-12 at Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph St., Chicago; pitchforkmusicfestival.com
Top billing: Phoebe Bridgers, St. Vincent, Erykah Badu, Big Thief, Angel Olsen, Flying Lotus
Tickets: Three-day passes are sold out, but single-day general admission will run you $90. (Pitchfork also links to ticket resellers, so all hope is not lost.)
Riot Fest and Carnival
Sept. 17-19 at Douglass Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Drive, Chicago; riotfest.org
Top billing: Smashing Pumpkins, Run the Jewels, Nine Inch Nails, Coheed and Cambria, Lupe Fiasco, Taking Back Sunday, Dropkick Murphys, Pixies, Machine Gun Kelly and more, including hometown sets from The Lawrence Arms, Beach Bunny, Vic Mensa, The Bollweevils, Knuckle Puck and Pet Symmetry
Tickets: Tickets are almost gone, but three-day passes start at $199.98; single-day for $124.98.
Spring Awakening Autumn Equinox 2021
Oct. 2-3 at Addams/Medill Park, 1301 W. 14th St., Chicago; springawakeningfestival.com
Top billing: Adventure Club, Martin Garrix, Excision, Diplo, Dillon Francis, Galantis, RL Grime and SOFI TUKKER
Tickets: Two-day general admission for $179; two-day VIP for $299; two-day ultimate VIP for $899.
Other fests to watch:
Long Grove Strawberry Fest: June 25-27 in downtown Long Grove, 308 Old McHenry Road; longgrove.org
Belmont-Sheffield Music Fest: July 16-18 on Sheffield from Belmont to Roscoe, Chicago; chicagoevents.com
Wicker Park Fest: July 23-25 on Milwaukee Avenue from North Avenue to Paulina Street; wickerparkbucktown.com
Ruido Fest: Aug. 20-22 at Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph St., Chicago; ruidofest.com
Summer Camp Music Festival: Aug. 20-22 at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illinois; summercampfestival.com
Motoblot Road Show: Aug. 27-29 outside the Cobra Lounge, 235 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, motoblot.com
Punk the Burbs 4: Oct. 30 at Cairo Ale House, 2009 Franciscan Way, West Chicago; facebook.com/punktheburbs