If there ever was something to celebrate, it's 20 years of unrelenting rock and punk music in Chicago! Riot Fest just released their 2025 lineup and it's looking like perfect synthesis of festivals two decades! Taking over Douglass Park for three days, September 19-21, Riot Fest will be bringing some iconic festival headliners including Blink 182, Weezer, and for the first time at Riot Fest: Green Day!
Given that it's their 20th anniversary,Riot Fest has certainly curated a nostalgic lineup that is sure to satisfy the tried and true fans of the fest. Just under the headliners are Sex Pistols, Jack White and Idles, showing off a big dose of the punk, rock and post punk that Riot Fest has cultivated over the years. But as always the rest of the card offers just as exciting prospects. "Weird Al" Yankovic in that special attraction spot is certainly exciting; Alkaline Trio will surely get their hometown crowd going; Rilo Kiley adds another worthy fest to their reunion tour, and let's not forget outliers like The Beach Boys and Hanson cementing the more ironic (but still damn good) side of Riot Fest. There are so many great acts the more you look like incredible Rico Nasty, locals DEHD, the future of the indie rock scene in The Linda Lindas, and so many more!
I won't lie, after last year's vacillating Riot Fest announcements, I was a bit worried we'd get a repeat of that this year. But Riot Fest 's confirmation of a multiyear commitment to putting on the Chicago mainstay in Douglass Park for the next few years was a great sign of some more steady footing and this lineup confirms it!
3 day passes are available now! GA passes are $299.98, VIP are $399.98, Deluxe tickers are $849.98, and Deluxe+ tickets are $1499.98! So don't hesitate as Riot Fest is ALWAYS a fun time and tickets tend to go fast, especially with lineups this nostalgic!
Check out some photos from the last few years of Riot Fest below!
Photos by Julian Ramirez, Jessica Mlinaric, Jim Kopeny, and Aaron Cynic