Iron Blossom Festival featuring Angine de Poitrine, Geese, Dijon, Die Spitz, Portugal The. Man, Phantogram, LCD Soundsystem, Kevin Morby, Edgehill, The Stews, Evening Elephants, Victoryland in Richmond, VA on September 19 - 20, 2026. All photos taken by JoAnn Snavely.
No amount of rain and sludge could prevent this year's installment of Riot Fest from uniting artists and fans once again. The annual punk rock festival arrived in Chicago's Douglass Park to a frenzy of crowd surfing and muddy mosh pits over its three-day span.
This year's festival featured a number of local acts, making many performances a sort of homecoming, including those by Rise Against and Alkaline Trio. The lineup also featured a number of globally recognized headliners, with Twenty One Pilots and Tool claiming each day's closing slot. Between the very palpable buzz of energy among the crowds and the abundance of artist-specific merch and outfits, it was very clear that every fan had something they were eagerly looking forward to!
To kick off day one of the festival, I made my way to the Rebel stage for División Minúscula's performance. The Mexican band was an early pioneer of punk rock in Mexico, debuting their first album Extrañado Casa in 2001. There were clearly many hardcore fans in the crowd as they shouted back all the band's Spanish lyrics with true force. Following División Minúscula, I conveniently waited at the same stage for Radio Free Alice, an Australian band in the midst of a global tour ahead of their debut album, What's In Between, set to release at the end of October. I had the pleasure of speaking with the band later in the day as we discussed the album's inception and the numerous producers they worked with as it took shape. Not only are they brilliant songwriters experiencing a surge of momentum, but I also learned that they have an affinity for recording in studios with windows and are beginning the lifelong journey of raising a sourdough starter!
Among the plethora of food, merch and pop-up booths, this year marked an especially exciting moment for famed band Rise Against as they too claimed their own spot among the vendors. Their booth featured a number of artist artworks in addition to several original props from their “Ricochet” music video, many of which were being sold through a silent auction. Local to Chicago, Rise Against has performed and headlined Riot Fest many times over the years, though this marked the first time they had this level of physical presence throughout the entirety of the festival. Ahead of their evening performance at the Roots stage, I spoke with Brandon Barnes, the band's drummer, about their relationship with fellow Riot Fest performers and Chicago natives Alkaline Trio. The two groups have shared the stage for decades and recently released a split single ahead of their first tour together, a dream finally taking shape. Brandon and the band would go on to deliver a monstrous set in front of a roaring crowd that went ballistic for every track, including their closing hit, “Savior.”
Day two commenced with a trip to the Radical stage, where local band Aim High delivered an energetic and impassioned set. The group made special use of their time on stage by also capturing content as part of a music video in development. I caught up with the band hours later to discuss the video and their creative process as a whole. Caleb Brown, Aim High's lead vocalist and creator, shared that the band originated as a space for organic expression with members steadily joining over time. Halfway through the day's events, legendary Chicago meteorologist Tom Skilling took to the stage as the festival's esteemed guest. After a rousing round of applause, Tom shared that the impending rain expected to begin later in the evening had forced festival management to adjust the day's schedule. As the crowds scrambled to find the latest lineup, all activities resumed although with noticeably less spacing between artists and a substantially earlier ending time. Saturday's lineup was a testament to Riot Fest's diversity of subgenres and its inclusion of musicians outside the rock sphere. I saw Angine de Poitrine's captivating instrumentals, Sugar's raw vocals and Gogol Bordello's infectious intensity, with performances ranging from experimental and alternative rock to gypsy punk. I closed the night with a trip through the '90s and 2000s via Nas' throwback set where he merged classic hits with his own discography.
The overnight downpour turned Douglass Park into a mud pit as fans reclaimed their spot on the festival grounds, this time with ponchos and rain jackets in hand. As more people filtered in, the ground transformed from relatively sturdy mud into a slosh-like texture that devoured shoes, phones and anything in sight. These conditions, however, stood no chance against the indomitable human spirit present on the third and final day of Riot Fest, as very messy circle pits and crowd surfing could be seen at virtually every stage. While muddy, the day was also filled with critical political and social messaging. Canadian band Arm's Length spoke about Macklemore's advocacy for a free Palestine and both the opportunity and obligation artists have to use their platforms to call for justice. Patti Smith herself later picked up the torch as she and her band performed “Peaceable Kingdom,” a song written in 2003 addressing the conflict in Gaza. Patti spoke about the tragic nature of the track's enduring relevance as the situation in Gaza has persisted over the years as well as the continued importance of advocating for such causes. The crowd came together in unison for all of Patti's set and for the three-part test of endurance that is “Land.”
It's one thing to show up for music and another to do so with the level of passion exhibited at Riot Fest 2026. For many, including myself, the weather conditions have immortalized this event as a reminder of what it means to adopt an optimistic outlook and meet supposed setbacks with a smile. Riot Fest is already gearing up for its 2027 installment which is sure to bring another all-star lineup and, most importantly, a lovely community of bold, creative, music-loving people!
Words and photos by Lalo de Armas
ERRA (with support from Vianova, Chamber, and Resolve) performing at Newport Music Hall in Columbus, OH on September 19, 2026. All photos taken by Kayla Kreller.
Celebrating its 20-year anniversary, Chicago’s annual punk rock music festival, Riot Fest, returned to Douglass Park on September 19th through September 21st, 2025 with hardcore music and guaranteed mosh pits. Headlined by Blink-182 (Friday), Weezer (Saturday), and Green Day (Sunday), this three-day event brings together a unique population of music fans. You’ll see families excited to share their love of music with their young kids singing along to Blink-182’s “All The Small Things” next to a fully tattooed, Liberty spiked emo couple.
Musical festivals are known to bring people together simply for the love of music but, in today’s political climate, this year’s Riot Fest had a different undertone to it. Finding a community we belong to is one of the hardest parts of being human. Riot Fest, however, seemed to make that process effortless. Despite what was going on beyond the gates of Douglass Park, festival-goers were buzzing with excitement from sun up and past sundown all three days.
In addition to the star-studded headliners, the daily line ups were filled with incredible acts. Artists like Rico Nasty and Rilo Kiley brought unique sets to accompany the many punk rock musicians Riot Fest is known to host. Other artists, like GWAR and Green Day, used their time on stage to share their political views. GWAR openly beheaded an “Elon Musk” figure and disemboweled a “Donald Trump” actor, which garnered a lot of attention — both positive and negative — from online viewers. Green Day changed the lyrics of their hit song, “American Idiot,” to ‘I'm not a part of a MAGA agenda.’ On the flip side, a band called Screeching Weasel, stood up for our country’s first amendment right to free speech while also kicking a man out of their crowd for flipping the lead singer off.
The popular theme for many acts this year were album plays, where artists would play through the entirety of a specific album during their stage time, along with hits fans are always excited to see. Weezer played their 1994 album, Weezer, more commonly known as their Blue Album. The Front Bottoms celebrated the ten-year anniversary of their LP, Back On Top, along with hits like “Tighten Up,” “Joanie,” “Outlook,” and “Twin Sized Mattress” to close out their set. Further, fans were treated to The Academy Is…’s Almost Here, Knuckle Puck’s Copacetic, Bad Religion’s Suffer, and The Ataris’ So Long, Astoria. The concept of album plays received mixed reviews amongst fans in-person and online. While some were excited to hear their favorite LPs played in their entirety, others mentioned how they were missing out on the large discographies some artists have.
The most memorable moment of the entire weekend was the surprise appearance of John Stamos. For years, Stamos has been a staple on the Riot festival grounds, albeit in “butter form.” Yes, there is a literal butter (well, plastic) statue of John Stamos in the middle of RiotLand. In order for Stamos to appear, he approached the festival organizers with a list of demands. For example, there needed to be a John Stamos look-alike contest scheduled, a special Riot Fest x John Stamos t-shirt needed to be designed, John Stamos masks needed to be printed and distributed for fans to wear, and no one was allowed to make eye contact with John Stamos’ hair, among many other requests. Whether all of his demands were met or not, Stamos made his official Riot Fest debut as the drummer of The Beach Boys. He shared his thanks for Riot’s love for him and noted how excited he was to finally grace the Riot Fest stage.
Even though I wouldn’t call Riot Fest’s hardcore, punk rock genre my typical type of music, the three-day festival was a great way to spend a long weekend. While Riot does bring together a certain type of music lovers, there were still acts scheduled that anyone could find themself enjoying. Along with this, Riot provides an array of activities for fans to experience, like a small vendor and antique market to peruse, festival rides to enjoy, and a variety of food and drink vendors to try out each day. If you haven’t been to Riot Fest before, it is definitely a must-visit Midwest festival to experience at least once in your life.
Riot Fest has already announced their dates for next year, noting they will return to Chicago from September 18th — 20th, 2026. In recent years, Riot Fest’s return to Douglass Park has stirred up a lot of controversy from the neighborhood it occupies. Nestled in the middle of an already tightly packed community, residents despise the crowds and noise that the festival brings before, during, and after their three-day stay. Organizers have tried moving the festival grounds to a new location before ultimately returning to Douglass Park, so it is unclear what future years may bring. Regardless of where Riot Fest lands next year or beyond, we highly recommend checking out all it has to offer!
Words and photos by Isabel Dowell
Ninajirachi (with support from Syzy) performing at Fortune Sound Club in Vancouver, BC on September 19, 2025. All photos taken by Ely Diaz.
ZHU performing at The Fillmore in Philadelphia, PA on September 19, 2023. All photos taken by Brandon Lu.
Roar (with support from Harmless and Foot Ox) performing at The Vera Project in Seattle, WA on September 19, 2023. All photos taken by Nicolette Ivy.
Coheed and Cambria + The Used (with support from Meet Me @ the Altar) performing at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ on September 19, 2021. All photos taken by Ryan Levy.
Sylar performing at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY on September 19, 2018. All photos taken by Samantha Pappalau.
Mutemath performing at The Fillmore in Philadelphia, PA on September 19, 2017. All photos taken by Cami Liberty.
Colony House performing at The Fillmore in Philadelphia, PA on September 19, 2017. All photos taken by Cami Liberty.
ROMES performing at The Fillmore in Philadelphia, PA on September 19, 2017. All photos taken by Cami Liberty.
