Spring Awakening was the perfect event to kick-off summer in Chicago! With incredible weather throughout the weekend and a glorious lineup, Addams/Medill Park was the place to be last weekend. We truly can’t stop thinking about the vibrant energy of the crowd and the unforgettable performances of the world’s leading electronic artists!

Although being held at Addams/Medill Park for its second year, the festival grounds were expanded which allowed for more dancing space at each stage, less sound bleeding across the park, and more carnival rides to enjoy (for those who have the stomach for those rides). We loved the new bright stage installations for the two main stages – Solstice stage and Equinox stage — with all the pyrotechnics, confetti/stringers, lights, and large screens. It truly felt like summer with sun and warm temperatures all weekend, but if you needed to cool down, you could find comfort at the Corona Beach dome or the cooling bus. The festival grounds itself has definitely grown and matured since the last year with the expansion, new stage layouts, and more bars and vendors.

The music throughout the weekend was the bread and butter of the event. With over 80 artists performing, 5 stages, and a Silent Disco, you were surrounded by tremendous talent and had an overwhelming number of options while attending the festival. We found ourselves, running between stage to stage trying to catch our favorites. Here are some of our highlights throughout the weekend.

Day 1 seemed like a perfect day to jumpstart the festival. Hometown heroes Louis the Child set the bar for the weekend getting their fellow Chicagoans hyped for the event with an impressive set featuring all their hits and crowd favorites. They even brought out Benny the Bull (the Chicago Bulls mascot) and Chicago rapper Towkio to really live up the Chicago pride. Living legend Benny Benassi was nothing short of incredible, to absolutely no surprise. With a nostalgic set with variances of everyone’s favorite “Satisfaction”, the man proves that he is a god in electronic music!

Even though one of the main headliners, Axwell^Ingrosso, dropped out of Day 2 for reasons beyond their control, the sold-out Day 2 continued unphased because the other artists’ sets exceeded any expectations. Rufus du Sol delivered a dreamy live set and continued to prove that they are one of the scene’s most intriguing artists right now. Diplo, as usual, was a definite crowd pleaser. It seems as though the man can read your mind as to which hits you want to hear, and then deliver a Diplo-flied mix of it!

The highlights of our last day made it especially difficult to end the weekend. Jauz and Alesso really rang it in at the Solstice stage with diverse sets, proving that they are unstoppable and versatile across various genres. It was amazing to see how the crowd went wild when Jauz played his chart-topping “Rock the Party” and Alesso played his classic “City of Dreams”. In true British fashion, Gorgon City led the Sunday School stage and brought the deep house, jungle feels during their set. Finally, closing out the weekend with one of Chicago’s favorites GRiZ was perfect. As usual, the enormous crowd brought their best vibes while jamming out to a super funky performance delivered by GRiZ and his sax and can’t forget, Muzzy Bear and his guitar!

Running between stage to stage and trying to check out the various installations this year, we definitely enjoyed all that Spring Awakening had to offer. With perfect weather, positive vibes, and an abundance of musical performances, Spring Awakening 2017 was one for the books. It’s great to witness the event grow and mature, and this year was proof that it can grow in the positive direction. We are already looking forward to what React Presents has planning for next year!