“The Q” took over the area behind Englewood High School this past Saturday, bringing together a party-ready mostly-millennial crowd armed with tents, grills, lawn chairs and plenty of good vibes to share. The free event is put on annually by South Side native Anthony Peterson, 43, Terrel Jones, 45, and Aaron Murphy, 40, along with a committee of close friends and family.
“For the people who’ve never heard of The Q, it’s probably the best event in Chicago that they’ve never heard of,” Peterson told The TRiiBE. “It’s almost a giant version of a backyard kickback.”
The Q originally started as a small get together of about 15 people in 2006. The location? At the house of a friend who lived across the street from Peterson’s grandma’s house on West 97th Street and South Vincennes Avenue.
A recent graduate of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale at the time, Peterson said they did the kickback again in 2007. A few hours after that one ended, though, his mother unexpectedly passed away. Friends encouraged him to bring everyone back together in her memory the same year as a memorial. More than 100 friends and family showed up.
“From there, it kind of took on a life of its own. We were in my neighborhood for about six or seven years, and then we kind of had to house hop to different neighborhoods where we found someone who was willing to host us in their backyard,” Peterson said.
From those first gatherings, “The Q” was born. Details about it initially spread by word of mouth. More and more people come out each year. It moved from one backyard to another before landing at Englewood High School in 2018. Peterson said, nearly 1,800 people attended the event in 2025. This year’s event had an estimated 3,000 guests.
Now, it’s become one of Chicago’s best kept secrets. For many, it’s a summertime tradition. Spotted at this year’s event were the likes of urban historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas, Chairman Fred Hampton, Jr., son of the slain Black Panther Party revolutionary, and West Side community builder Crystal Gardner.
Here’s what the vibe was like this year: DJs kept the party going on the concrete dance floor. Vendors sold everything from barbecue and lemonade to Chicago streetwear. Some of the vendors out there included local brands So Chicago (SoGo), Product of Chicago, Ty’s Suga Shack, Hermana’s Tacos and Lemonade Angels.
This year’s celebration was the biggest The Q has seen yet, according to Peterson. Attendees have the option to bring their own tents, chairs, coolers and grills — much like the Chosen Few DJs House Picnic & Festival. Throughout the day, friends bounced from tent to tent, dancing and laughing in the field.
Although the celebration is based on the South Side, it’s clear that all of Chicago is welcome. SoGo founder Michael Cox waved a “God Bless The West Side” flag while walking through the dance floor, antagonizing the South Siders, who jokingly teased back.
Peterson likes to think of The Q as the millennial version of the House Picnic. At The Q, all genres that make up Chicago’s music identity are played. From Chief Keef’s drill classics, to BabyChiefDoIt’s new track “Ghetto Love Story,” and DJ Chip’s “Juke Slide,” all genres of Black Chicago’s music scene were enjoyed. Not only that, but the girls enjoyed when major artists like Sexxy Red or Glorilla blared from the DJ’s speakers.
“In this city, if you don’t play house music, then people automatically assume Black people can’t congregate together with their music because it leads to fighting,” he said. “Every year we show that we can.”
Around 7 p.m., Peterson is able to take off his event planner hat and take in the crowd.
“It’s just nothing but love,” he said. “Half the people don’t even know each other, but they’re just dapping up, giving each other hugs.”
Peterson doesn’t charge an entry fee for the event, and that’s intentional. He wants “The Q” to operate as a reunion. A way to ensure that his side of town can have a free function, without breaking the bank for those who desire to attend.
“We make no profit off of this,” he said. “It’s primarily the committee who funds this for the people.”
As The Q gets bigger, however, so do the costs. This year, organizers added more portable restrooms and hired a cleanup crew for the first time instead of cleaning the grounds themselves the next morning.
“The bigger we get, the more we have to look into, well, when do we charge and how do we charge?” Peterson said. Typically, festival organizers have grown from free events to ticketed ones to accommodate the behind-the-scenes costs that arise with growing crowds, such as fencing, venue costs and permits, and security.
“But, for now, we’re going to be the beacon of light on the South Side,” Peterson said. “It’s my love letter to Chicago.”
