Riot Fest, the longtime Chicago music festival that focuses on punk and rock, announced its 2024 lineup back in June along with big news: the event was relocating from its home of nearly a decade, Chicago’s Douglass Park, to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois. That decision stemmed from delays by the Chicago Park District to approve the festival’s permit, according to Riot Fest organizer Mike Petryshyn. Now, the festival is moving back to Douglass Park roughly a month before the festival takes place September 20-22.
Petryshyn told The Chicago Tribune that he’s “loved working with [the Park District] recently” and the two parties came to an agreement that allowed for an amicable return. Last year, Riot Fest saw a jump in its permit cost from around $300,000 to $700,000, and it was similarly approved mere months before the festival took place.
Riot Fest’s presence in Douglass Park is a point of contention that has faced mounting criticism over the years, particularly in regards to how much space it occupies in the park and the extent to which it damages the grounds. In June, Ald. Monique Scott, who oversees the North Lawndale neighborhood that Riot Fest takes place in, called the festival “a cornerstone of positive impact and opportunity in our community” and described most of the opposition as a “false narrative” from a small number of people, some of whom don’t live in the 24th Ward. This year, Riot Fest meets the requirements for the Park District’s Park Enhancement Fund to allocate 10% of revenue to Douglass Park specifically, and will continue its year-round community initiatives such as park cleanups, community job fairs, and free ticket registration.
Pavement, Beck, Fall Out Boy, and Slayer will headline Riot Fest this year. The 2024 lineup also includes St. Vincent, Public Enemy, Bright Eyes, Waxahatchee, Spoon, Dr. Dog, Cypress Hill, Tierra Whack, Something Corporate, the Armed, Beach Bunny, Drug Church, Taking Back Sunday, Fiddlehead, Basement, Sum 41, Gel, and Sublime featuring late singer Bradley Nowell’s son, Jakob.
Full album performances at Riot Fest this year include the Offspring playing Smash, Manchester Orchestra doing Cope, and Mastodon performing Leviathan. Other noteworthy sets are an Operation Ivy tribute by Laura Jane Grace and Catbite, Bob Marley’s sons getting together to perform his music, and NOFX playing a farewell performance each night of the festival.
Read “So Much for Destiny: The Story of Pavement’s Terror Twilight.”