Chicago’s Riot Fest Releases Lineup

Chicago’s three-day rock music festival, Riot Fest, released its lineup for their 15th anniversary, set for Sept. 13 – 15 in Douglas Park. 

Covering rock and its many sub-genres, the festival will host artists like Blink-182, Rise Against, The Struts and Dashboard Confessional.

With more than 80 artists performing over three days, 11 of those bands are planning to play at least one full album during their set. Taking Back Sunday tweeted after the lineup release to say they’re playing both Tell All Your Friends and Louder Now in one set on Sunday. Meanwhile, Senses Fail will break up their two-album performance into two sets. 

Riot Fest has become a tradition in Chicago’s music scene since the event’s beginnings in 2005. Originally a multi-venue, indoor event that ran ticket giveaways via Myspace, the festival moved outdoors to Humboldt Park in 2012. 

Riot Fest now includes carnival rides, food vendors and other attractions throughout the festival grounds to enhance the atmosphere. 

Tickets are available through Eventbrite for the entire festival and for individual days, with one-day tickets available at a discounted $49.98 for a limited time. Regular general admission is $55 per day or $150 for all three days, before fees.

The festival will run from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day. Set times have not yet been announced, but Riot Fest’s tagline already addresses potential concerns as they ended their lineup announcement with: “I’m sorry we didn’t book the exact bands you wanted, in the exact order you wanted, in the exact location you wanted, for free.”

Outside of the main festival dates, Riot Fest rocks on as it presents smaller shows across indoor Chicago venues, including Elder Brother and Speak Low If You Speak Love on Sept. 28 and Dune Rats on Nov. 15.