Pitchfork music festival
After two decades spent as one of the most acclaimed music festivals in North America, the Pitchfork Music Festival will not be returning to Chicago in 2025, organizers have revealed.
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The news was shared on both the festival’s website and social media accounts, explaining that, “as the music festival landscape continues to evolve rapidly, we have made the difficult decision not to host Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago in 2025″.
“This decision was not made lightly,” the statement continued. “For 19 years, Pitchfork Music Festival has been a celebration of music, art, and community—a space where memories were made, voices were amplified, and the shared love of music brought us all together. The Festival, while aligned with the taste of the Pitchfork editorial team, has always been a collaborative effort, taking on a life of its own as a vital pillar of the Chicago arts scene.
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“We are deeply grateful to the City of Chicago for being our Festival’s home for nearly two decades, to the artists who graced our stages with unforgettable performances, and to the fans who brought unmatched energy year after year. Thank you to At Pluto and the rest of the hardworking Festival team whose dedication and creativity were the backbone of every event, and to the broader community whose spirit and support made the Festival a truly unique experience. And thank you to Mike Reed for founding the Festival and for your inspiring vision.”
“Pitchfork will continue to produce events in 2025 and beyond,” they concluded. “We look forward to continuing to create spaces where music, culture, and community intersect in uplifting ways—and we hope to see you there.”
The Pitchfork Music Festival has its origins in 2005’s Intonation Music Festival, which saw local promoters Skyline Chicago recruit Pitchfork Media to curate their inaugural event at Chicago’s Union Park. Though Intonation would return in 2006, Pitchfork Media split to create their own event under the Pitchfork Music Festival name.
Over the years, the festival has featured a raft of celebrated headliners, including Animal Collective, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Slint, Björk, Wilco, A Tribe Called Quest, the Isley Brothers, and more. Though their 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it returned in earnest in 2021, with this year’s event taking place in July and featuring Jamie xx, Alanis Morissette, and Black Pumas as headliners.
The festival also expanded outside of its Union Park home, holding international events in Paris between 2011 and 2022; in London from 2021 to 2023; Berlin in 2020 and 2022; and a lone event in Mexico City this year.
The news of Pitchfork Music Festival’s demise arrives months after Condé Nast announced in January that staff layoffs would take place as the website was absorbed by another Condé title, men’s magazine GQ.
Carly Rae Jepsen, Alanis Morissette, Black Pumas and more are officially headed to the Windy City this summer. Pitchfork Music Festival announced its 2024 lineup on Wednesday (March 13), tapping dozens of artists for performances in Chicago’s Union Park July 19-21.
Jepsen, Morissette and Black Pumas are all billed as headliners, as are Jai Paul, 100 Gecs, Jamie XX, Jessie Ware, Brittany Howard and Muna. Spread out over three days, the weekend’s festivities will also feature Jeff Rosenstock, Yaeji, Sudan Archives, Amen Dunes, Billy Woods & Kenny Segal, Tkay Maidza, Doss, ML Buch, Rosali, AngryBlackmen, Black Duck, De La Soul, UNWOUND, Bratmobile, Wednesday, Water From Your Eyes, Sweeping Promises, Feeble Little Horse, HotlineTNT, Kara Jackson, L’Rain, Lifeguard, Grandmaster Flash, Les Savy Fav, Crumb, Jessica Pratt, Mannequin Pussy, Hailu Mergia, Model/Actriz, Nala Sinephro, Maxo, Joanna Sternberg and Akenya.
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Beer, wine and cocktails will be available on site, as will food from local restaurants and stands for artist merchandise. Plus, vinyl vendors, craft business owners and poster sellers will set up shop on the premises.
Tickets for the event are already on sale, with options for both single and three-day passes available to concertgoers. General admission is priced at $219 for the entire festival and $109 for a single-day pass, with PLUS and VIP upgrades also on sale.
The 2024 showcase follows last year’s lineup of Radiohead side project The Smile, Big Thief, Bon Iver, Alvvays, Perfume Genius, Leikeli47, Nation of Language, Roc Marciano & The Alchemist, Youth Lagoon, Ric Wilson, Grace Ives and more. Past headliners include Mitski, The National, Phoebe Bridgers, St. Vincent, Robyn, HAIM and Charli XCX.
See the 2024 Pitchfork Music Festival lineup and schedule below.
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Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival announced this summer’s lineup on Monday (March 20), with a roster of headliners that includes Radiohead side project The Smile, Big Thief and Bon Iver. The three-day event (July 21-23) in Union Park will find the Smile’s Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner joined on night one by Alvvays, Perfume Genius, Leikeli47, Nation of Language, Roc Marciano & The Alchemist, Youth Lagoon, Ric Wilson, Grace Ives, Jlin, Axel Boman (Live), Mavi, Sen Morimoto and Contour.
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Saturday night’s lineup — topped by the Adrianne Lenker-led Big Thief — also includes Weyes Blood, King Krule, Snail Mail, Panda Bear + Sonic Boom, Julia Jacklin, Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul, Vagabon, MJ Lenderman, Yaya Bey, Black Belt Eagle Scout, 700 Bliss, Palm and Deeper.
The final night will feature Justin Vernon’s Bon Iver sharing the stage with: Kelela, Koffee, Killer Mike, JPEGMafia, Hurray For the Riff Raff, Mdou Moctar, ILLUMINATI HOTTIES, Jockstrap, Soul Glo, Florist, Lucrecia Dalt, Rachika Nayar, and Ariel Zetina.
“We’re excited to be back at Union Park with a lineup of artists responsible for some of the very best music of the past year — Alvvays, Kelela, Yaya Bey, Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupil, Grace Ives, 700 Bliss, and more — alongside a few special moments with indie icons,” said Pitchfork editor in chief Puja Patel in a statement. “For one, this year will mark the very first time that Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood (as The Smile) and Bon Iver will perform at the Chicago festival. And Big Thief will complete their tour of the fest’s stages over the years with a headlining set, their first at a festival this size.”
Tickets for the festival are on sale now, with three-day passes ($219) and single-day passes ($109) available along with a Pitchfork PLUS ($419 for three-day, $209 for single-day) upgrade with a number of extras; click here for ticket information.
See the full 2023 Pitchfork Festival lineup below.
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