Riot Fest
The latest updates and coverage of Riot Fest, Chicago’s annual music festival in Douglass Park featuring punk, rock, alternative, metal, and hip-hop.
On the last day of the rock music festival, it was clear attendees were there for The Cure — and the band did not disappoint. The marathon performance deserves the title of the best headlining set of Chicago’s summer festival season.
The Cure performs on the Riot Stage on day three of Riot Fest at Douglass Park, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.
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Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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The Cure performs on the Riot Stage on day three of Riot Fest at Douglass Park, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.
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Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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The Cure performs on the Riot Stage on day three of Riot Fest at Douglass Park, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.
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Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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An attendee wears a Riot Fest jacket on day three of Riot Fest at Douglass Park, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.
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Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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Lauren Tully, a professional body piercer, joins thousands in Douglass Park for day two of Riot Fest, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023.
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Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls perform on the Riot Stage on day three of Riot Fest at Douglass Park, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.
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Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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Brian Viglione of The Dresden Dolls perform on the Riot Stage on day three of Riot Fest at Douglass Park, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.
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Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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The Postal Service performs on day two of Riot Fest in Douglass Park on the Southwest Side, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023.
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Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Ben Gibbard performs with Death Cab for Cutie on day two of Riot Fest in Douglass Park on the Southwest Side, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023.
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Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Violent J, of the Insane Clown Posse, performs on day two of Riot Fest in Douglass Park on the Southwest Side, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Members of the Insane Clown Posse spray Faygo soda at the crowd while the hip-hop duo performs on day two of Riot Fest in Douglass Park on the Southwest Side, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age performs on Day 2 of Riot Fest on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at Douglass Park in Chicago. (Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP) ORG XMIT: ILRG106
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Rob Grabowski/AP Photos
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Fans cheer as Corey Feldman performs on day two of Riot Fest in Douglass Park on the Southwest Side, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
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L.S. Dunes frontman Anthony Green crowd surfs in the crowd as they perform on the Radical Stage on day three of Riot Fest at Douglass Park, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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Nuanced sound made for one of the best-sounding sets of the weekend at Douglass Park.
Duo treats the Douglass Park Juggalos to a suspenseful wait, menacing clowns and the usual geysers of Faygo.
Parts of the city saw 5 inches of rain, with a flash flood warning remaining in effect until Monday morning.
Spray painted messages of ‘Get Out!!!’ And ‘No Park For Profit!’ allude to festival opposition by some Lawndale and Little Village neighbors.
Everything about Riot Fest breathes “made in Chicago, by Chicagoans” — from the Goose Island Beer Company setting up their bar in a retired CTA train car to the vendor booths for Liar’s Club and Reggie’s.
Messages about Riot Fest needing to leave Douglass Park greeted festival-goers, but the music played on to delight of thousands gathered for the annual festival.
“Whenever we play this city I always gives props, not only to Cubby Bear, not only to Naked Raygun, not only to my cousin Tracy who took me, but to the city of Chicago. Without you I don’t think I’d be doing this thing,” David Grohl told fans on Friday night.
Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon were seen watching from the stage wings during the band’s Friday afternoon set.
Foo Fighters lean into nostalgia for their headlining set on the first day of the indie-spirited festival in Douglass Park.
The Breeders threw it back to the ‘90s, while George Clinton rocked out at 82. And Foo Fighters closed out the day with a nostalgia-laden set.
Chicago’s annual punk/alt rock festival returns to Douglass Park Sept. 15-17.
Here’s our best guess of what some of the acts we’re seeing at Riot Fest will play at Douglass Park this weekend.
Organizers of the music festival have their pulse on some of the scene’s best new artists, who are definitely worth checking out on their journeys to possible future headliner status and beyond.
Riot Fest, which has been at Douglass Park since 2015, runs Sept. 15-17 and is expected to draw roughly 50,000 people daily. Nearby residents and workers complained about traffic, noise and limited open spaces.
Riot Fest, a showcase of alternative music, draws tens of thousands of fans. But community activists and health workers say concerts at the park disturb patients at nearby hospitals and tie up a vital community resource for days.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday for the festival running Sept. 15–17 in Chicago.
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