The North Coast Music Festival, a.k.a. the biggest Labor Day Weekend music festival in Chicagoland, held its 14th iteration of the annual cultural phenomenon at the Village of Bridgeview’s SeatGeek Stadium from Friday, August 30th through Sunday, September 1st. Drawing crowds averaging almost 30,000 each day, North Coast 2024 brought new and returning “Coasties” alike together to experience sets from some of the biggest names in electronic dance music (EDM), including Subtronics, Illenium, ISOKNOCK, and Two Friends. Top-tier music, combined with a myriad of big-name vendors, spellbinding stages, eye-catching art installations, and free giveaways, left no one wanting after three full days of pure festival joy.
Stepping into the festival grounds, attendees were immediately swimming in a sea of attractions to explore in a choose-your-own adventure style aided by the detailed North Coast Map. Music from a few of the six unique stages could be heard in the distance, and the only question was where to start your journey.
Tents featuring classic rave vendors, official North Coast and artist merch, delicious foods, and unique attractions lined the festival entrances and filled some of the sprawling turf fields. Toyota returned to its former Stadium home with a multicolored Toyota-North Coast car equipped with speakers and a DJ. The mini-rave attracted a dancing crowd next to the Elite Eyewear tent full of light-up masks, visors, goggles, and more. Kandies World’s easily spotted heart-shaped inflatables brought Coasties over for festival fans, beads, and free arm marbling that added a flair of mesmerizingly colorful body paint to rave looks and wowed all who caught a glimpse of the vibrant patterns. North Coast employees also ran free games to win North Coast merch, including shooting a tiny basketball into a similarly tiny hoop along with rolling a giant inflatable die. Whether you won or lost, you felt lucky just to be at the exciting festival.
When Coasties got tired of walking around, the expansive, air-conditioned -196 Chill Dome offered them sweet respite from the heat supplemented with the chillest vibes around. Entering the Dome, you were immediately enveloped in a comforting dimness illuminated purely by fog-enabled lasers and a handful of lights showcasing the exits. The Deep House Yoga led by Alissa Jo paired with relaxing lo-fi beats to provide Coasties the chance to get in touch with their bodies, minds, and spirits amid a quiet, mellow crowd throughout the early hours of each day. People could be lying on the floor, sitting on the pyramidal pillowy structure, or lounging under one of the spherical structures dotting the area. Coasties also took full advantage of the photo opportunities provided by the glowing portal and obelisk, colorful projection, and interactive movement-mirroring screen. And when the relaxing was done, DJs like Dr. Fresch came in to pump up the volume before festivalgoers hit the pavement to seek out their next experience.
Bridgeview’s Stadium served as the venue for the final acts of each night, holding tens of thousands of screaming fans. The headliners utilized the Stadium Stage to full effect, performing amid pillars of fire and smoke, cinema-like animations displayed on more gigantic LED screens, mystifying lasers, and the coup de grâce, fireworks. DJ Diesel, a.k.a. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, warmed up the early Friday night crowd with a performance drawing massive attention. The basketball superstar-turned DJ played a bass as deep as his voice and as powerful as his dunks while flames shot from the stage and the Coasties roared.
Saturday’s headliner, the infamous Illenium, drew the most enormous, most vocal, and most passionate crowd of all. Intense headbanging over the fences of both the general admission and VIP areas in front of the stage showcased the power the performer held over the Coasties. Between the LED animations, laser lightshow, fog, and of course, the eye-catching flames shooting from the Stage, the visual stimulation alone was enough to transport the audience to another dimension. Add the feeling of the base reverberating through your body, the heat of the thousands of fellow Coasties, their collective voice ringing in your ears, and the amazing music itself, and you truly felt the spirit of the Illenium phoenix coursing through your body.
The 2024 North Coast Music Festival proved to be another sensational experience, attracting tens of thousands of people to the cultural phenomenon. From the stunning Stadium stage, to the various stages, vendors, and attractions lining four artificial turf fields, to the giant -196 Chill Dome, attendees had plenty to explore across the expansive festival grounds of the SeatGeek Stadium Sports Complex. The music, artists, amenities, activities, and kind-hearted Coasties together showcased the profound impact that the North Coast Music Festival can have on the human spirit.
Coasties may have noticed a light-up drone show in the night sky during the festival teasing North Coast 2025 in a spectacular fashion. North Coast will be returning to the Village of Bridgeview’s SeatGeek Stadium from Friday, August 29th through Sunday, August 31st!
