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    Riot Fest Chicago

    3.6 (89 reviews)

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    Riot fest
    Amisha R.

    Riot fest is always a blast. There's a wide selection of music, mostly rock and roll and punk from different decades. With a variety of great food selection, it'll be tough picking just one thing to try. I would wait to buy tickets on resale the day of the festival because they'll be significantly cheaper.

    The Cure 9/17/23
    David O.

    Amazing first time experience at Riot Fest 2023! The headliners were great which is the main reason I attended. Took my HS aged kids to the show & they loved it! Will definitely be back if the artists I love will be on the list

    Patrick T.

    So glad I got to experience the 15th year of RIOT FEST. I have to say what a line up! GBV, B52's, Wu, Patti Smith, Ween, Nick Lowe, that one Jack White Band, and so much more that I had no clue about! The diverse line up was really fantastic and the sound was great.. At least Saturday and Sunday when I went! I heard Friday they had issues! Anyway.. I will say this fest is maybe to big for me.. To many people everywhere.. And also there seemed to be a large amount of BEES flying around every second of the fest! If you don't like big crowds this is not for you! The set up was pretty darn good for seeing the bands, but I will say Jack White's guitar was drowning out WEEN which was not fun for this guy but what can you do! Also the lines for beer were never too long so that was great! I'm a germ a phone so porta potties scare me in general but I'm also a Festival goer for over 20 years so I know to bring some wet wipes and hand sanitizer. I love riding the ferris wheel and overlooking the mass amount of people! I also dug that people were cool and chill! I was wondering what was going to happen with SLAYER fans and WU Tan fans mesh and everyone was great! I admit I had a riot at riot fest!

    The Riot Fest Devil all lit up!
    Giselle G.

    I'm not a fan of music festivals, generally. At all. I like indoor settings and nice places to sit down. But that was then. After missing out on live music for a year and a half, we decided to fly up to Chicago to see Morrissey play set at Riot Fest this year. It was a very well organized festival, at least the "preview party" on Thursday that we attended was. The fest required a negative covid test or a proof of full covid vaccination from all attendees, which made it as secure a gathering as one could have in this era. Many attendees were masked also. And it was a wonderful evening! Morrissey gave a heartfelt show, as did Patti Smith. It was a lively festival and everyone I encountered was really cool and pleasant. The bathrooms were clean and plentiful and had hand sanitizer stations. The drink prices were reasonable. The only negative was that they stopped selling merch very soon after the show ended and since the lines were quite long, it cut a lot of fans out from getting concert memorabilia.

    Billy Bragg on the Jumbotron.
    Kyle H.

    I yearn for my review of yore (2012) when Riot Fest was just in its inital move to an outdoor space at Humboldt Park. I enjoyed it again there in 2013, and did not hesitate to grab a three-day pass for 2014. The biggest change was the move to the north end of the Park, taking up the space between Division and North, Kedzie and California. It was bound to happen, as festival attendance grew, people complained about sound bleed between nearby stages, but it just made the Fest a bit of too unwieldy. You know when you have to choose at Lollapalooza to leave someone's set 20 minutes early to get to the other side of Grant Park? It's like that now. Getting there- Do DIVVY or Cab it. Avoid Division Street. Next year, take Blue Line to California and walk south. After work on Friday I couldn't even catch the Division bus at Ashland, as every bus was full of concert goers by the time it reached us. I did DIVVY, as many did, and parked it at California and North. Friday 2014 was a freezing cold rainy muddy mess, but Riot can't do anything about the weather. What they can do is put down those plastic squares by the port-a-potty entrances, and put boards/sawdust down in the worst places in the Park, as they do at Pitchfork on Day 2 following a bad rain. Nothing was done. As the mud dried, it smelled like a horse barn all weekend. One positive with a larger setup, is that sets at neighboring stages start immediately one after the other, on time. You could just stay between two stages all day if you wanted to. More bathrooms needed! Always. Like, twice as many. Bigger festival, more people, more port-a-potties needed. Like, one per person would be good! The North Avenue entrance was great. Those working were so helpful and polite, it was a breeze! Nearby, kids from Youth Making a Difference (YMA) were selling water for $1, and snacks. Hit up the community vendors! Also near that entrance were lockers for rent- great for stashing your black hoodie, backpack, rain gear. There was some good food, Cevapcici, Dia de Los Tamales, Pulled Pork everything, so it's easy to avoid the generic fried food vendors. Also nice was the All Rise Brewing Company (Cobra Lounge) that sold their Wonderbeer and Dizzy Blonde Wheat Ale for the same price $7 as the generic beers. They were selling wine in boxes for $20, which I recently saw at the store for $3.99. Ouch, the mark up! I enjoyed discovering Lucero from Memphis, and From Indian Lakes on a smaller stage. It was great to see Billy Bragg on his own, and see so many raised fists singing along "the Union forever!" The Cure was a great headliner, as was Jane's Addiction in Perry's weird way. The full classic album is a great come-on, and so many people enjoyed Slayer's Reign in Blood. The addition of more indie bands suited my taste, but overall, this remains a punk festival, even with the move to a more mainstream taste. (But saw lots of old punks singing along with Offspring, who were completely mainstream/major label, so, even the punk lines are blurred). It was great to see so many people, young and old, at Cheap Trick. Would I go again next year? Umm, Who's playing?

    Elizabeth P.

    So much fun! I'm a big live music fan - all types. This festival is great because there is a mix of headliners that we've all heard and up and coming bands that I'm putting on my playlist as soon as I finish this review. It's in Douglas Park and - as is the case with any Fest- it has parking but it's expensive, the L requires a second mode of transportation like an Uber or bus, etc. it's crowded but not overcrowded like lollapalooza or taste of Chicago. It's easy to walk around look at merch, grab good food, and hang out. Everything is reasonably priced. $9 for a beer is way better than Hollywood Casino Ampitheater's $17. The ticket price for an all day event is actually super cheap. The event is run well and the crowd generally seems to be all about dancing and meeting fellow rioters. I'm planning to attend next year - this was a great experience.

    Jacob J.

    First off we hit the concert on that Saturday of, trying to check-in with the Yelp phone app and couldn't find it anywhere. So, I freaking loaded this location for Riot fest on Yelp.. I uploaded photos and was thinking.. I'd score first to review too.. NOT! I look on here now and see its been stolen from me! It's cool though.. Kudos Michael G. and everyone else. So this has been my most recent experience of Riot in years. I know I'd been to it before and yearly get bombarded with emails when it rolls around, but just haven't been able to get around to going. At the time a few friends asked me about it and I was thinking and thinking till my buddy Jaik S. called me up and said he's got me covered for TWO days. SWEEEEET!! Two solid days of great bands, fantastic sun and good weather. It was very warm but not unbearable. A lot of good vibes with lovers of good music and some interesting dancing when Gogol Bordello got on stage. This year Riot had a theme of a concert with a carnival. So it included a Ferris wheel and the typical carny games found at most Chicago festivals. Regarding the music: I went thinking I wasn't sure whether I'd know half of these bands and their music and left thinking I've heard all of these bands what the heck was I thinking?! The beer selections were weak and cocktails remained only for those with VIP tickets. Boo. On the day of, they have to (should) offer some kind of upgrade for folks wanting to drink something other than beer. Note: Never try and bring booze in, they were checking bags and persons for any and all contraband. You could lose your chance to enter just because you want to save a few bucks and bring in a bottle of something or be forced to trash one of your belongings. People descended from all over the country. Chatted with a few folks visiting from the West Coast, Tennessee and then by chance bumped into some hardcore Yelpers from NYC that were going on and on about their love for Yelp. LoL, I never say anything when this happens in real life... of course Jaik S. has to bring up # of reviews just to have a laugh at my expense. Big thanks to the community of Humboldt Park for being cool with the hundreds of people that descended onto their community for the stay of the concert and dealing with the urine soaked grasses and overcast of herb infused clouds. Much of which probably happens on a weekly basis. cheers!

    Welcome
    Jill O.

    I've gone to Riot Fest two years now, and this year will make lucky number three. There's nothing I look forward to more each year! The lineups are always amazing, and are generally pretty well scheduled on the like six stages that there are. The people are super nice, and it's a great place to people watch. There's always a good selection of food trucks and booze stalls, a freak show, and a carnival. Go in with a plan though- the map of the fest is your best friend.

    Hannah K.

    Riot Fest is a festival in its truest sense. Tons of people, completely at the will of the weather, somewhat intoxicated and determined to see as many of their bucket list bands as possible. For regular concert goers these festivals are high holy days. Find me three rows in from the gate soaking in the bass, reveling in the group of sweaty strangers I'm surrounded by, in common pursuit of musical ecstasy. Smaller than Lollapalooza, older crowd (which is a huge plus for those of us sick of drunk 16 year olds puking all over our parks). Tons of great food, drinks, and a SOLID lineup every year. A big plus, the porter-pots were cleaned daily and the sanitizer was refilled! This is pretty huge. Lots of parking at reasonable prices, and the convenience of either the California or Kedzie pink line stops off the L. Thanks Riot Fest! So then why 4 stars? Well four major things: 1. A single location where goers can fill up water bottles for free is not only stupid, it's negligence. It was V hot and the lines for water were too long. Not everyone can justify 3-7 bucks for water. 2. The bar only took cash and the ATM fees were 5 dollars. GET CASH BEFORE YOU GO! 3. The bars only sold vodka and bourbon based cocktails. No tequila, no gin, no rum, no fun! Lots of beer though. And 4. A single entrance to the festival with no signage or explanation of direction for queuing or gender search lines. This caused confusion and cutting which nobody likes.

    Emily S.

    I was really excited to check out Riotfest this year and once inside the gates immediately felt too old! Its a cool fest with a lot of different bands and maybe the biggest crowd Ive ever been in! I saw some of my favorite bands (Bloc Party) and some classic ones (B52s!) with some of my favorite people which made it a good time. It was rad to see bands like Slayer and Wu Tang playing at the same time! My biggest complaint is there is no re-entry. Once youre in you are stuck. It can make for a really long, hot day. There arent many places to sit, the bathroom lines are long and gross and you have to cross a massive crowd of people to get to overpriced food. Man I sound old writing this but Ive definitely learned from this experience these kinds of fests are not my style! I would only go again if the lineup was AMAZING, but Im glad I have had the experience!

    Lines to get into Riot Fest on Saturday

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    This venue is amazing!! Awesome bands! Enough space and close up experience with artists!

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    Review Highlights - Riot Fest Chicago

    Despite its location (Douglas Park,) the area is well guarded and heavily patrolled after dark.

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    Fiesta del Sol - A super large tamale! This was at least 3-4 servings for $12.00.

    Fiesta del Sol

    (12 reviews)

    Pilsen

    The last time we visited Chicago a few years ago, we attended and really liked the Tacos y Tamales…read morefestival. This year we found we'd missed that event, but Fiesta del Sol, supposedly the largest Latin festival of its kind in the USA, would be happening during our trip instead, and both of those events take place in the exact same area of the Pilsen neighborhood. We took an Uber here on Saturday afternoon to check it out, eat some authentic Mexican food and enjoy the music and folkloric performances. This festival features streets lined with vendors selling food and merchandise, they had 2 performance stages with live bands, a grassy area with a DJ spinning, and a 2 block-long section that was set up like a carnival midway with games of chance, thrill rides and amusements. Visiting Fiesta del Sol was a good way to spend a few hours, enjoy some good food and entertainment and best of all, admission was completely free. Do know that the food at some booths is better quality than others and if I were to attend this festival again, I'd walk around and look at everything before deciding where and what to eat. Some vendors, for instance, were cooking their meat and preparing items fresh, including one stand that was grilling steak and turkey legs over an open wood fire, while others had pre-cooked everything and were taking items out of a cooler and reheating them as customers ordered - and to us, the pre-cooked options lacked flavor. Another thing to note is that Fiesta del Sol was a "dry" event with no alcohol sales. Even booths selling things like pina coladas and micheladas were selling non-alcohol versions. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but those planning to have a cold beer while enjoying the music on a hot summer day or to come and party it up with a few drinks, won't be able to do that here.

    I rarely get opportunities to go to festivals in the summertime due to my busy schedule but this…read moreyear I've managed to go to two; Fiesta del Sol being one of them. It's a big event that has gone on for over 50 years. The vendor list is extensive with blocks upon blocks of rides, sponsors, food tents and games. There were a few craft vendors although I would've liked to have seen more craft tents like textiles and ceramics. I was able to catch a few dance performances while eating what I purchased at the tents on the lawn. Pricing for food items varies. Some tents had good deals on stuff, others not so much. For instance, I got a large tamale for $12 that was at least 3-4 servings which I felt was good value. Other tents simply price gouged. I paid $10 for a melon agua fresca that although was on the large side didn't really feel like it was worth the $10. Also, a single quesabirria which appeared to be 4 inches in length cost me $5 each. Tasty but pricey. I also learned that this is a non-alcohol event so if you were expecting booze here, you may get disappointed. My friend was hoping to buy a michelada but was bummed because the entire event was dry. I'm guessing it's because A: this is a family type of event and/or B: They didn't get a liquor license for this festival. Overall, I liked the vibe and the energy. It was packed so expect to bump elbows with folks. I went on a Sunday and I knew parking was going to be difficult but we managed to find street parking about 4 blocks away. Pro tips: *If you want to save on parking (because parking is free in the city on Sunday), go Sunday versus the rest of the week. * Also, pack wet wipes. It helps clean your hands free of food residue afterwards. *Performances are in the park so bring a blanket or a carry on collapsible folding chair. *It's summer so stay cool and stay hydrated. *Don't forget to bring your sun shades.

    Tacos Y Tamales Festival

    Tacos Y Tamales Festival

    (13 reviews)

    Pilsen

    2025 Review! Same Fest, New Location! Tacos & Tamales Fest…read moreis now on Blue Island Ave between Wolcott & Ashland. Their new location is so much better to space out the crowd, offer better street parking/access to public transportation, and allows for more vendors! They had the similar mix of local businesses, corporate freebies, artist tents, and (3) music stages; but, I'm already looking forward to seeing how they continue to grow next year.

    I usually skip food festivals because I hate crowds, but this is one I'd been looking forward to…read morefor weeks. I don't eat good tamales very often and it was very convenient to have one location with all of the local venders so that I could try multiple restaurants at once. -Narrowing down which restaurant was my favorite to avoid future disappointments. Hands down, Yvolina's was my favorite. The chicharron tamale with green mole sauce was still in my mind when I woke up this morning. But sadly, I had to eat a grapefruit instead. ::sad face:: They run about $10 each, but are very large. I did also enjoy Yvolina's Chicken Tinga tamale, but the chicharron is the one I'd go back for. Didn't love the churros from Xurro, but I'm a pastry chef and make churros quite often. Maybe I just prefer my own. I ordered the churro s'more and wouldn't order again. It was all way too dry. Not enough chocolate either. There were many kinds of venders. If tamales aren't your thing, you aren't out of luck. With tacos, tortas, burritos, quesadillas etc.. sold up and down the streets, there's something for everybody. My only regret was not ordering the street corn that everyone seemed to me walking around eating. As much of a pain it was to be raining, it was the perfect time to go. The crowds were very minimal. It was still a lively bunch though. Many people dancing in the streets as the music blasted in the air. I very much enjoyed my evening and will definitely return next year. Parking is a bit of a beast. Prepare to have to park a bit far and walk.

    Porky's Rib Fest

    Porky's Rib Fest

    (2 reviews)

    Chicago is a summer of festivals and I love exploring each and every one. We saw a Groupon for…read morePorky's rib fest and decided to give it a shot! At $15 for two adult entrance tickets and free parking, it was pretty reasonable for festival pricing. As you do at a rib fest, we ordered a bunch of ribs from the following places: - Rasta Joe's: The best out of the bunch. The ribs were cooked perfectly and the sauce was great, with a hint of Caribbean flair. The portion size was also quite generous as we received 6(!) ribs for the 1:3 size that cost $10. This is what I expected a half slab to be. We were extremely happy with this! - Chicago BBQ: Decent. The ribs are quite fatty and fall or the bone. I would equate this to like Barnellis ribs. They're tender and BBQ-ey but nothing extraordinary. I would eat them again though. At $8 for 3 ribs, I'd go for Rasta's. - Texas Lightning: Ew. Ew. Ew. Complete regret for this one. So glad we got a sampler because I think I would have shed a tear if we bought a full slab. High expectations for the Texans but they failed to deliver. The ribs were extremely dry, flaky, and flavorless. It was like someone microwaved a slab of ribs and drizzled some sauce over it. The Jamaican Pork at Rasta's was pretty good too! Good spices. We would definitely give Rasta's an A++ for their ribs. The carnival itself looked fun but also very expensive. Overall, it was a decent event with live music and booze.

    Another long overdue review: It was my 2nd year in a row going here and I came back determined to…read moretry the ribs I remember liking so much last time! Me, my cousin, niece and nephew went here on a Thursday around 7pm. Chicago BBQ company: we tried their Beef brisket, Pulled pork, Cornbread and Half slab ribs(unfortunately it wasn't fall-off-the-bone like at Ribfest Chicago, beef brisket seems like pulled pork) Uncle Bob's: we tried 1/2 slab ribs, Pulled pork, Beef brisket, and Cornbread( didn't measure up to Chicago BBQ company) Howling coyote: we tried 1/2 slab rib dinner(they claimed their ribs are more tender than a mother's love! It was tender but Chicago BBQ had more flavor) Rasta joes: tried their 1/2 slab ribs and Jalapeno cheese cornbread (had flavor like Chicago BBQ but not as tender as howling coyote) Porky chicks BBQ: we tried the Big porky- had most meat and very tender and they gave generous portions, sauces were good too!

    Pilsen Fest - Fest foods. August 2017

    Pilsen Fest

    (3 reviews)

    Pilsen

    This fest has really went down. it used to be sooooo much fun! It was moved to 16th street (from…read more18th street), and turned from an expression of culture and the Pilsen neighborhood to just another fest selling things. It was much smaller than previous years with less food choices and fewer authentic vendors and had bad music, at least during the daytime when I went. I usually stay to hear the musical lineups but this was so boring I stayed long enough for the kids to get tacos and look at the 3 shops that were there. They even had some band singing sweet dreams singing the wrong words! I hope the fest will go back the way it was then I'd return. If not I'd say skip it.

    There are a ton of festivals that happen during the summer in the Chicagoland area and Pilsen Fest…read moreis one of them! I enjoyed listening to various types of performances from rock, DJing, to an amazing musical family band called Cielito Lindo. The band's age ranged from about 7 years old to the father's age, and they were amazing at harmonizing together. There is a lot of cultural aspects to this festival including Chinelos, a dance from one of the Mexican regions. It was so much fun to participate in! There are various businesses from Pilsen area that participate to sell food including Taqueria y Restaurant El Buen Valle, which had delicious tacos, and had tons of drink options like agua fresca and alcohol. It's only a few blocks long, so it's very contained and easy to get around. Would definitely come back next year.

    Buffalo Grove Days - New stage

    Buffalo Grove Days

    (5 reviews)

    Another typical suburban festival -- carnival rides, mixed with music stages, and food tents, and…read moresometimes, business vendors. To be honest, I enjoy em, and this one, called Buffalo Grove Days, or what the cool kids call it -- "BG Days" is A-OK with me. I do like how this is well laid-out. There are shuttle buses to take/drop you to where you need to be. I didn't bother looking for parking and ended up parking at wherever the Buffalo Grove Days parking signs pointed to, which ended up being at the Buffalo Grove Metra station, which was free. I do have to say that the offering of carnival rides BG Days have, compared to the other copious amounts of suburban festivals, was less. It was actually hard to use up our 22-tickets (this year it was 22-tickets for $25) and I'm glad I didn't go with the unlimited rides for $25 each. The carnival games included pop-a-shot, lucky ducks, and other typical games. Food-wise, the food tent was actually pretty big. Lots to choose from, from pizza, to Mexican, to Dairy Queen. Food prices were A-OK and definitely not like the $40 for a piece of lettuce prices you'd find at the Taste of Chicago. BATHROOM REVIEW: The couple of port-a-potties we visited were actually pretty clean! Many to choose from and there was no line on the evening we went. Sit or squat? It's still a port-a-potty after all. Squat.

    Free to enter. There are various shuttles (bona-fide school busses!) to bus you from parking lots…read moreto the fairgrounds and back. Tip: Make sure to note whether your bus says COOK CO or LAKE CO on the side window so you can get back on the right bus route. Bring chairs or blankets for the parade (starts at 1). The north side of Lake Cook has craft fairs and food, while the south has rides and games (and a few food options - mostly cotton candy, elephant ears, corndogs). Ride tickets amount to about $1.25, and kiddie rides are typically 2-3 tickets. There are two sections of rides: the kiddie ones and adult. Food vendors included a lot of pizza (Nancy's, Wapaghettis...), Jersey Mike's, JD's BBQ, Culvers..also mac and cheese, chicken tenders, burritos, pretzels, etc from various other vendors. There's a covered picnic area to chill and take a break from the sun and heat, as well as a misting tent. Prices weren't TERRIBLE. My steak burrito was $7 and my custard sundae was $3. Pop cans are $1.50 and water is about $2.50. You can bring your own beverages, water, coolers, whatever (non-alc), too. There's an abundance of portra johns, and we even saw some being cleaned! Clean sh!tters?! Score!

    Riot Fest Chicago - festivals - Updated May 2026

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