Riot Fest 2024 is moving back to Douglass Park on Sept. 20-22 instead of relocating to Bridgeview.
In an open statement to fans, the Riot Fest team said, “Driven by the overwhelming support of the North Lawndale community, the City of Chicago and our fans, we’re excited to announce that we are coming back home to Chicago and Douglass Park. As the largest independent music festival in the U.S., for the past 19 years we have honored our roots by fostering a culture where everyone feels they belong. This is who we are: deeply connected, inclusive, and unwavering in our commitment to community.
“As we continue to build a long-term partnership with the City of Chicago, we remain focused on our shared vision of stability and growth in the neighborhood we call home. We deeply appreciate the support from Mayor [Brandon] Johnson, Alderwoman [Monique] Scott, the Chicago Park District, and The North Lawndale and Little Village communities.”
“If there was no Chicago, there’d be no Riot Fest,” said event founder Michael “Riot Mike” Petryshyn. “It grew out of an independent music community where one would be able to see Naked Raygun, Smashing Pumpkins, or Rise Against on a random Saturday night, and you’d still have enough time to go catch a late-night set at Legends and if lucky enough, maybe Buddy (Guy) would be there performing at his venue.”
As part of their permit to hold the festival in Douglass Park, Riot Fest will allocate 10% of the revenue from the festival back into Douglass Park, CBS News noted. The Park District estimated this year’s festival would generate approximately $712,000 for the park.
The planned move to Bridgeview had conflicted with a Sept. 21 match the Chicago Red Stars women’s soccer team has against the San Diego Wave. That development had incurred the wrath of Red Stars leadership, which was scrambling to find a new home for a nationally broadcast match only days after drawing a league-record crowd (more than 35,000 people) for a match at Wrigley Field. However, the Red Stars and Riot Fest have announced a partnership; following the Aug. 14 announcement of Riot Fest’s return to Chicago, the Red Stars plan to host their Sept. 21 match against San Diego Wave FC as originally scheduled.
Just a few of this year’s acts include Fall Out Boy, Slayer, Beck, Cypress Hill, Public Enemy, Tierra Whack, NOFX, The Marley Brothers, St. Vincent, Spoon and Sublime.