Chicago is a city known for its rich musical legacy — and house music is one of its most iconic innovations. The Chicago-born genre, developed by Black DJs during the late 1970s and ‘80s, first started as an underground dance scene and has since exploded into a worldwide phenomenon.
Join us in celebrating the 40th anniversary of house music and learn more about Chicago’s house music legacy, including where to experience it for yourself.
Dive into Chicago's iconic house music scene all year long with these unique events.
A free celebration to honor the iconic West Loop venue, The Warehouse, widely considered to be the birthplace of house music. The event will be free and open to the public with DJ sets by House music legends, food trucks, and a speaking program featuring civic leaders.
Commemorating the 40th anniversary of House music, this one-of-a-kind exhibit will pay homage to the energy, music, and dance of Black and Latino youth on Chicago’s south and west sides that laid the critical foundation for Chicago House music. Presented in partnership with the Design Museum of Chicago and The Vintage House Show Collective, the exhibit will explore the history of the artists, clubs, and labels that built the style of House pioneers and practitioners.
Chicago’s top DJs playing your favorite house & dance music! Get ready to party! This outdoor music series is free to the public.
ARC Music Festival is taking place August 30 – September 1 at Union Park. After expanding to three days for the first time last year, ARC heads into its third year firmly rooted as a fan-favorite in the global festival circuit, continuing to bring in internationally renowned talent to the birthplace of house music.
Explore the legacy of the city’s house music scene, from the early days at The Warehouse to the Chicago House Music Festival, through the eyes of legendary Chicago DJ Chip E.
Learn more about house music’s queer roots and how locals are cultivating inclusive spaces in Chicago’s nightlife scene.
Come experience house music in the city where it was born with our guide to iconic and under-the-radar clubs and venues in Chicago.
— Chip E, known as the “godfather of house music”
