The Midwest's largest free performing arts festival will return for its 5th year to Navy Pier! Chicago Live! is set to take place Saturday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, September 21.
This year’s Chicago Live! event will feature more than 100 companies, artists and performing arts organizations from Chicago. In honor of the festival’s five-year anniversary and continued commitment to celebrating Chicagoland’s greatest performers and companies, at the center of this year’s Chicago Live! will be the world premiere of five commissioned pieces ranging from unique musical compositions to breathtaking dance numbers. Artists performing world premieres will include; Giordano Dance Chicago; Aerial Dance Chicago; Victor Garcia, trumpet; Momenta Dance Company and Lake Shore Symphony Orchestra with Russell Vinick as music director.
Extending beyond the Pier, the 2025 edition of Chicago Live! will take to the water, with several performances being held in Lake Michigan aboard Shoreline Sightseeing cruises, including a fully staged musical theatre performance by Music Theatre Works at 2 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 20.
With more than 100 performances taking place across five stages, Chicago Live! is guaranteed to have something for the more than 100,000 Chicago-area residents and out-of-town guests expected to be at Navy Pier over two days.
Presented by the Pritzker Foundation and supported by Peoples Gas, Chicago Live! was launched in 2021 following the pandemic as a way to reconnect audiences with Chicago's performing arts community after an 18-month closure. In just five years, the festival has more than doubled in size, growing from 43 performing companies in its inaugural year to more than 100 groups and individual artists slated for this September’s event.
Backed by the Pritzker Foundation with additional support from Peoples Gas, Chicago Live! was created in 2021 as the city emerged from the pandemic. In the short span of five years, the festival has experienced remarkable growth, expanding from its debut lineup of 43 performing companies to more than 100 ensembles and individual talents scheduled for this September.
For more information on Chicago Live!, including the full performance lineup, click here: Navy Pier website.
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