North Coast Music Festival preview

On Labor Day weekend, North Coast Music Festival will take over Union Park in Chicago. Entering its 8th year, the festival brings some of the biggest names in hip-hop, jam, and EDM to the Midwest. North Coast is one of the final major outdoor festivals of the year.

Headliners will include Deadmau5 & Eric Prydz, Gucci Mane, STS9, Carnage, Ween, Primus, and Tipper. Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley will return to North Coast after headlining the inaugural festival. There will be three stages, two silent discos and one house DJ tent.

The festival will include local Chicago talent such as Autograf, Rich Jones, The Cool Kids, and Manic Focus. Other lineup highlights include Toronto’s jazz/hip-hop masters BadBadNotGood, tongue-in-cheek rapper Lil Dicky, Atlanta hip-hop icon Big Boi (one half of OutKast), and Ottawa’s native producer/DJ crew A Tribe Called Red.

Milwaukee’s own WebsterX will play the North Stage on Friday (September 1) at 3:45 p.m. Earlier this year, WebsterX helped bring Chicago house legends Teklife to the Jazz Gallery Center of the Arts in Milwaukee for the monthly hip-hop showcase/workshop Freespace. Teklife and others will bring the Chicago house sound to Union Park during North Coast.

North Coast is curated and run by local Chicago area promoters React Presents, Silver Wrapper, Cold Grums Productions and Metronome Chicago. The festival will include various local artists, vendors, and food from many Chicago restaurants. Single day passes start at $59, with the three-day pass at $149. There are also VIP ticket options that include premium viewing areas, private bars with exclusive drink options, air-conditioned bathrooms, free water bottles, and express entry. Purchase tickets here.

North Coast takes place at the same site as this year's Pitchfork Music Festival, which included a headlining set from legendary hip-hop act A Tribe Called Quest that I covered for WiG.