Apr 15, 2021
Introducing ARC Music Festival, the newest live music experience to join Chicago’s already-packed lineup of summer festivals.
ARC released its first-ever lineup on Tuesday and it taps directly into Chicago’s house roots.
“We want to make sure that the music festival is really representative of the city,” said Joe Calderone, director of marketing for ARC co-presenter Auris Presents. “We’re from Chicago, so it’s a festival by Chicago for Chicago. So we want to make sure (that’s reflected in) every aspect, from the culinary, to the sound, to the music production, to experience.”
Chicago brought the world house music in the 1980s and ARC is paying homage to that with a high-energy lineup that includes the likes of Camelphat, Eric Prydz, Deborah De Luca, Steve Gerard, and Zhu.
ARC will be held on Labor Day Weekend, September 4-5, the same weekend as North Coast Music Festival, another electronic-focused summer festival in Chicago. North Coast’s lineup is also stacked, featuring headliners Griz, Ganja White Night, Kaskade, Louis The Child, Rezz, and Zeds Dead. It’s safe to say that Chicago will be the center of the electronic music universe on Labor Day Weekend.
In addition to the festival, the event organizers are also planning after-show experiences that’ll be announced later. Many of Chicago’s music venues often play home to after-shows for summer festivals, creating an immersive music experience that runs through the veins of the city.
“We’re building out a full schedule of events that take place once the sun goes down and we leave the festival, so we’ll have more details on specifics of that … closer to the actual date,” Calderone said.
The festival will be held in Union Park, on the west side of the West Loop neighborhood near downtown. Tickets go on sale Thursday, April 15 at 12 PM CST.
