ENGLEWOOD — A music festival that unites young and old South Siders through live art activations and nostalgic tunes will return to Englewood in September.
The Englewood Music Festival is back for its fifth year Sept. 13. The free event is noon-9 p.m. on Kennedy-King College’s baseball field, 6401 S. Halsted St.
Louisiana rapper Boosie, ’90s hitmakers Next and Grammy-winning gospel artist Le’Andria Johnson will headline the festival. Boosie, a Southern rapper with a two-decade career, will bring early club hits like “Wipe Me Down” and “Set It Off” to the stage.
“It’s going down,” the rapper said in a video shared on the festival’s Instagram page.
The Englewood Music Festival will continue its tradition of spotlighting diverse genres and local talent.
This year’s celebration will include musical numbers from DJ Myles, Arkansas singer Spud Howard, soulsters Mac & Starnes, R&B singer Nathan Palmer and DJ Caleeb.
Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th) founded the Englewood Music Festival in her ward in 2021 to “celebrate the excellence of Englewood” and bring the “good food, good vibes and great energy” she’d experienced at other neighborhood festivals to Englewood.
Coleman selects “nostalgic music” to attract a crowd, she previously said. Prior performers for the festival include Waka Flocka Flame, Juvenile, Kindred the Family Soul, Kelly Price and Twista.
The Englewood celebration is one of the last remaining community festivals on the South Side.
Hyde Park Summer Fest, a celebration of Black joy with performances from world-renowned artists, ended after a nine-year run in 2024. The Silver Room Block Party, founded by Eric Williams in 2002 as a small get-together, grew into a community phenomenon before ending in 2023.
The Englewood Music Festival with Auburn Gresham’s 79th Street Renaissance Festival, South Shore Summer Fest and the Englewood Jazz Festival are the few free cultural events that bring day-long musical festivities to South Side blocks.
Neighbors can reserve a free ticket to the Englewood Music Festival here. Guests who are 21 or older can buy drink tickets for the festival’s libation garden online and pick up early bird tickets at Ike’s Liquors locations.
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