Although DJ sets have always been a part of the festival, a new addition to the lineup this year is live performances from music artists. Because of that, the event will also be ticketed for the first time.
“In thinking about the long-term viability of the event and growth, we decided to make this a ticketed event, which allows us to bring top-level national and international talent to Hyde Park and to the South Side,” Swain said.
Additionally, fest goers will hear from some legendary and local deejays spinning live on the ones and twos, including Chicago house music DJ Terry Hunter, Boolu Master, Jay Illa, Mike P, Mustafa Rocks, DJ BG, DJ Grilla, Malik Shabazz, Wyld Chyld and Deejay Alicia.
2022 marks the 15th anniversary of Lupe Fiasco’s sophomore album The Cool. It was released in December 2007, and features popular tracks such as “Go Go Gadget Flow,” “Paris, Tokyo,” and “Superstar.” Back in September 2021, he performed the album at the Pitchfork Music Festival to commemorate the anniversary.
“To be able to kick this off again in June, and to experience kind of the first real summertime Chi that we’ve had in two years, we are really excited about it,” Swain said.
The festival got its start back in 2014. When Jeff and Swain started the event, it centered around craft beer. But as the festival grew, they wanted to change the focus to attract a variety of sponsors. The Hyde Park Summer Fest is a celebration of Chicago’s South Side, Swain explained.
“The interaction just from the community has been great with thousands of views and interactions on our personal pages, the Fest pages, personal phone calls, with people saying that they are going to fly in and make sure that they don’t miss this comeback,” Jeff said.
For more information about the Hyde Park Summer Fest, visit: hydeparksummerfest.com.