The name change and new location is part of a rebrand to be more inclusive of those who may be turned off by “brew” being in the title, which implied to many that the main draw of the festival is to drink liquor.
With DJ Jazzy Jeff set to return as the Sunday headliner, the festival is scheduled for the weekend of September 11-12. The full lineup of musical acts will be released later this summer.
“We’ve always had these family friendly activities and community participation, but people would hear the name ‘Brew Fest’ and think it’s not a place for them if they aren’t really a drinker,” Jeff said. On Monday (June 28), he spoke to The TRiiBE about how it feels to bring back one of Black Chicago’s favorite summer festivals.
“It feels amazing just to have made it through the pandemic, and then to be able to execute the fest bigger and better is wonderful,” he said.
In 2019, at the sixth annual event that took place at its previous location on 53rd Street in Hyde Park, the festival attracted more than 50,000 visitors over two days.
This year, in preparation for a similarly large turnout, Jeff and Swain are moving the festival grounds to a much more expansive location at Midway Plaisance Park on 59th Street and Dorchester Avenue.