As Chicago attempts to survive another January polar vortex, it can at least look in anticipation towards the summer when its favorite country music festival, Windy City Smokeout, returns to the United Center for its 13th year. The annual celebration, which started as a small parking lot gathering back in 2013, has grown steadily over the years to become one the most popular celebrations of country music in the U.S., going on to win two of the last four Academy of Country Music’s “Festival of The Year” awards.
This year’s event will run from Wednesday, Jul. 8 through Sunday, Jul. 12, upping the ante by adding a fifth day of entertainment at the front end of the festival, a first for the country music extravaganza.
This summer's lineup features a star-studded cast of country music's best, including headliners Treaty Oak Revival, Lainey Wilson, Blake Shelton, Jordan David, and crowd favorite Hootie and the Blowfish, alongside many others.
On top of the concerts, the festival has become famed as much for its barbecue as it has for its music. Boasting twenty of the top pitmasters from across the country, the event has become a mecca for meat lovers everywhere with flavors and smells in abundance. Windy City Smokeout’s food scene also offers two special experiences, Friday’s “Biggest Happy Hour of the Summer” and Sunday's “Bottomless BBQ Brunch,” giving fans even more ways to enjoy the festival.
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In addition to Chicago’s flagship event, the festival's producers, including Chicago restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You, are bringing back its sister event “Lone Star Smokeout,” for its second year in Arlington, Texas.
Tickets to Windy City Smokeout are available now with single-day and four-day passes listed below. Note that five-day passes are not for sale with Wednesday being treated as a standalone.
Wednesday General Admission: $70
Wednesday VIP: $165
Thursday-Sunday Single Day General Admission: $85-90
Thursday-Sunday Single Day VIP: $370-400
Four Day General Admission: $299
Four Day VIP: $1251
Bottomless BBQ Brunch: $21 + ticket cost
Below is the full daily lineup for the festival
Wednesday
Braxton Keith
Sterling Elza
Treaty Oak Revival - Headliner
Thursday
Carley Scott Collins
Noeline Hoffman
Ghost Hounds
Scotty McCreery
Hootie & The Blowfish - Headliner
Friday
Chandler Walters
Mackenzie Carpenter
Vincent Mason
Hudson Westbrook
Lainey Wilson - Headliner
Saturday
ADHD
Blake Whiten
Tyler Hubbard
Russell Dickerson
Jordan Davis - Headliner
Sunday
Tyler Nance
Carter Faith
George Birge
Warren Zeiders
Blake Sheton - Headliner
For more information or to purchase tickets please see Windy City Smokeout’s official website.
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