The remnants of Fall Out Boy’s Friday night confetti drop had barely settled on the lawn at Douglass Park when gates opened for day two on Saturday. Yet, the leftover scraps could also be seen as recycled décor to celebrate the onslaught of more local talent coming through the park over the next 12 hours. Starting with the 40-year-long overdue reunion of Evanston’s Verböten to christen the day, the schedule also offers 9-year-old North Lawndale rapper Dat_Boy_Zach (the youngest performer ever to take a Riot Fest stage), dark wave electro trio Pixel Grip, upcoming punks Sincere Engineer and fan favorite rockers Beach Bunny.
Riot Fest has always been a great champion of local talents and flavors, giving them due space over the course of the weekend, and that trend continues in 2024. Beyond the music, the homegrown spotlight is also apparent in the vendors with Delilah’s, Reggie’s and Cobra Lounge set up with large dedicated drink tents, the Logan Arcade plugged in at RiotLand, and food offerings from local eateries including Big Star, Harold’s Chicken, The Publican, Dark Matter Coffee and others. The Beyond The Fest Community Corner is another great local attraction where many of Riot Fest’s neighborhood initiatives take center stage, including the youth empowerment program Boxing Out Negativity.
But any activation or area with shade continued to be the big draw as the temps swelled near 90 degrees for the second day in a row, just in time for the last official .