July 12, 2025
Free admission • Millennium Park
Gospel music has deep roots in Chicago. The Chicago Gospel Music Festival, one of the city’s free summer music festivals, keeps that tradition alive with a joyful, family-friendly celebration against the mesmerizing backdrop of Millennium Park.
Learn more about the Chicago Gospel Music Festival, explore this year’s lineup, and start planning your visit.
Chicago Gospel Music Festival lineup
The genre-spanning lineup of musical acts includes a powerful group of top talent at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.
Check back for the full 2025 lineup and schedule.
About Chicago Gospel Music Festival
A tradition for the past 40 years, Chicago Gospel Music Festival explores the depth of this Chicago-born genre. Each year, the festival lineup spans traditional and contemporary, lively choral groups, extraordinary vocalists, dynamic duos, and more.
The one-day festival is held in downtown Millennium Park, home to the city’s annual slate of free music festivals. This annual event is free and family-friendly, so settle in for some powerful performances in a jaw-dropping setting.
History of Chicago Gospel Music Festival
The origins of today’s gospel music can be traced to Chicago during the Great Migration, when musician Thomas Dorsey relocated to the city in 1919. He joined a church in the city’s Bronzeville neighborhood, a community rich with Black art, music, and culture. As the church’s music director, he married elements of blues music with spiritual themes — ushering in a new era of 20th-century gospel music.
This transformative new genre boomed in popularity, moving from religious worlds to the broader public realm thanks to the invention of the radio and other Chicago musicians like Mahalia Jackson.
Jackson, one of the most influential singers of her generation, is known as the “high priestess” of gospel music and played a central role in bringing the genre to the world stage.
Chicago Gospel Music Festival evolved from a grassroots movement on the city’s South Side. A tribute event to Thomas Dorsey at the South Shore Country Club in 1985 drew an overwhelming local response, attracting tens of thousands of gospel fans. Over the years, the event continued to grow and eventually moved to downtown Grant Park as the Chicago Gospel Music Festival, considered to be the largest event of its kind in the world.
Chicago Gospel Music Festival FAQs
Where is the Chicago Gospel Music Festival?
The Chicago Gospel Festival is held at lakefront Millennium Park in downtown Chicago.
Is the Chicago Gospel Music Festival free?
The Chicago Gospel Music Festival is free and open to the public. All performances at Millennium Park are free to attend throughout the weekend.
How can I get to Chicago Gospel Music Festival?
Public transportation is one of the easiest ways to get to Chicago Gospel Music Festival. The city’s public transit system connects visitors to Millennium Park by bus and train. Millennium Park is also directly accessible via Metra.
Nearby parking garages are located at Grant Park North Garage (25 N. Michigan Ave.), Grant Park South Garage (325 S. Michigan Ave.) and Millennium Park Garage & Millennium Lakeside Garage (5 S. Columbus Dr.).
What accessibility amenities are available at Millennium Park concerts?
Every aspect of Millennium Park has been designed to be accessible and inclusive to all patrons. That includes:
- American Sign Language Interpretation is provided for all concerts on the Jay Pritzker Pavilion stage.
- Assistive listening devices and wheelchairs are available at all Millennium Park events from the Patron Service Tent
- Accessible seating (with companion seats) is available throughout the Jay Pritzker Pavilion seating bowl
Learn more about accessibility in Millennium Park.
Can I bring a folding chair and blanket into the Chicago Gospel Music Festival?
Yes, chairs and blankets are welcome on the Great Lawn. Folding chairs are not allowed in the seating area of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
Tents, oversized umbrellas, oversized blankets or plastic tarps, helium balloons, oversized flags, signs/banners, barbecue grills, open flame candles, or staking of any kind are not allowed on the Great Lawn area.
Can I bring food and drinks into Chicago Gospel Fest?
Yes! All guests will be allowed to bring their own food and non-alcoholic beverages to free events at Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Outside alcoholic beverages are not allowed.
Will food and drinks be available to purchase?
Refreshments, including food, beer, and wine, are available for purchase from the on-site concessions vendors.
What is the rain policy?
Concerts and performances in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion are held rain or shine, unless there are severe weather warnings and/or the threat of lightning in the area.
Are recording devices allowed during a concert?
Photography, video, or recording devices are prohibited at all concerts at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
Can I bring my dog along?
Animals are not permitted in Millennium Park, unless they are service animals.
For additional questions regarding Millennium Park, visit millenniumpark.org.
