The Silver Room Sound System Block Party is coming back, y’all. After founder Eric Williams shut down the block party due to years of financial burden, the popular summertime Chi event is making a comeback on July 18 at a new venue — the Salt Shed, located at 1357 N. Elston Ave.
This year’s block party will be a one-day “boutique experience,” according to Williams. At its peak in Hyde Park, the Silver Room Block Party attracted an estimated 40,000 people in 2019. The Salt Shed, however, only holds about 7,000 people max.
The block party will last from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on July 18. Early bird tickets go on sale April 17 at 12:00 p.m. for $79 until Monday, April 20 when they will permanently stay at $99 each. Ticket details are available here, at: silverroomblockparty.com.
“It’s going to feel – in some ways, to me – better, to be honest with you, because now it’s gonna be very special. It’s very curated,” Williams told The TRiiBE. “This is a time, I think, more than ever, that this is needed. People are kind of craving to have a space to outlet in many ways, and so that’s what the block party has done.”
Although the block party will be smaller due to its new location at the Salt Shed, this model is much more sustainable for Williams, who also owns Bronzeville Winery and Hyde Park storefront The Silver Room. Nevertheless, he promises the vibes will be the same as years past.
“The programming will be no different. We’ll have house music, hip hop, Afrobeats. There will be live performances. It’ll be pop ups, it’ll be fashion, it’ll be all those things that we’ve always done,” he said.
The Silver Room Sound System Block Party started in 2002 as a modest and free party on the streets of Wicker Park. Over the years, the party grew into a summertime Chi staple. Because of the growing crowd, Williams moved the block party — and his store — to the South Side. From 2015 to 2019, the block party took over 53rd Street and Lake Park Avenue in Hyde Park.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced Williams to take a two-year break. The block party returned in 2022, but this time to Oakwood Beach, a larger space to accommodate the growing crowd. And with that move also came more security, limited entry points and ticket prices ranging from $30 for single-day passes to $50 for two-day passes. Many patrons complained about the pivot to a ticketed event. 2022 and 2023’s block party at Oakwood Beach saw drops in attendance.
By 2023, it cost him upwards of $1 million to produce the free event, The TRiiBE previously reported. Williams said he shut down operations in 2023 to get back on his feet, as the block party was a major financial loss for him. Everybody knows the block party has always been a vibe, representing all aspects of Black Chicago. So losing it was a major hit to summertime Chi.
Now, Williams said, he’s found the sweet spot between the business side of the block party and the celebration of Black art and culture.
“I enjoyed that,” Williams said about the block party’s time at Oakwood Beach. He also added that building out the block party’s infrastructure at the beach was very expensive. “It has to be the sweet spot where the business side meets the art side, because if you just have the art side and no business, then you’ll lose a bunch of money. But the business with no art, that’s not gonna be fun,” he added.
This year, Williams has a theme in mind for the Silver Room Sound System Block Party that centers on America’s 250th anniversary; particularly, the impact of Black people on American culture and society. Williams said he will be hosting other smaller events leading up to the July 18 block party at the Salt Shed. He’ll share more details soon, he said.
As far as the impact of the block party, Williams said he’s clear on his vision and the importance of the event.
“The block party is something I feel has just been a celebration of our arts and culture. It means a lot to people,” he said. “To me, it’s a platform for artists, for creativity, for just our culture in Chicago, specifically, music and house music. All these things that’s just beautiful to the city.”
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect Salt Shed’s capacity, according to its website.
