5 Music Festivals in Chicago You Should Attend

June 9, 2015 by

Chicago is one of the best cities for music festivals, and it’s not just because of Lollapalooza. Nowadays, Chicagoans are positively spoiled as the city is host to several amazing festivals of all different genres. We’ve picked our top five Windy City music festivals coming up in 2015 and included the important details on each and why we think they’re worth attending.

Spring Awakening Festival

When: June 12-14, 2015

Where: Soldier Field

Who’s Performing?: Diplo, Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Zedd, Flosstradamus, Jack U, +more

Why Attend?: The EDM fans won’t want to miss this one. At Spring Awakening this year you can catch some of the world’s best DJs plus be there for the Midwest debut of Skrillex and Diplo’s Jack U.

Pitchfork Music Festival

When: July 17-19, 2015

Where: Union Park

Who’s Performing?: Wilco, Chance The Rapper, Sleater-Kinney, Chvrches, Run The Jewels, Panda Bear, +more

Why Attend?: A hipster’s paradise, the annual Pitchfork Music Festival brings some of the most blogged-about indie acts to Chicago’s Union Park each summer. If you attend this festival, you’ll get to see plenty of the latest up-and-coming artists along with some established favorites.

Lollapalooza

When: July 31-August 2, 2015

Where: Grant Park

Who’s Performing?: Paul McCartney, Metallica, Florence + The Machine, Sam Smith, Bassnectar, The Weeknd, alt-J, Alabama Shakes, +more

Why Attend?: What would this list be without including one of the longest-running and most recognized festivals in the world? There are hundreds of reasons why you should attend Lollapalooza, but seeing Sir Paul McCartney live in the flesh is definitely at the top of the list, and that’s more than enough.

North Coast Music Festival

When: September 4-6, 2015

Where: Union Park

Who’s Performing?: The Chemical Brothers, Widespread Panic, D’Angelo, Chromeo, Knife Party, Portugal. The Man, Steve Aoki, The Roots, +more

Why Attend?: Celebrate the end of the summer with a stellar and diverse lineup that includes everything from EDM to jam bands to rappers to R&B to indie rock. Fans of all genres will find something to enjoy here.

Riot Fest

When: September 11-13, 2015

Where: Douglas Park

Who’s Performing?: No Doubt, Modest Mouse, Faith No More, Iggy Pop, Snoop Dogg, Damian Marley, Motorhead, Rancid, Tenacious D, Billy Idol, +more

Why Attend?: Riot Fest is one that rock fans will enjoy most, but there are also hip hop, reggae, and pop acts in the lineup as well. Although it’s been expanded to multiple cities over the years, Chicago is the original and arguably gets the best bands every year. For 2015, pretty much every subgenre of rock is represented among the 100+ bands on the bill.

Music Festival

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