Common, Fruko y sus Tesos to headline Millennium Park 20th anniversary festival
An aerial view of Millennium Park on opening day in 2004.
Terry Evans
Common will be among the headliners for the Millennium Park 20th Anniversary Celebration festival in July, it was announced Thursday by the city's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).
The Oscar-, Emmy- and Grammy-winning Chicago singer-actor will perform in concert on day three of the free fest scheduled for July 18-21 at the park.
The four-day celebration kicks off with a ¡Súbelo! festival featuring headliner Fruko y Sus Tesos, the popular Colombian musicmakers presenting “Fruko: 60 Years Of Making The World Dance" at the Pritzker Pavilion.
On July 19, the Grant Park Orchestra, featuring guest conductor Anthony Parnther will celebrate the music of legendary film score composer John Williams in "Star Wars and More: the Music of John Williams."
The festivities continue on July 20 starting at 11 a.m. with arts programming throughout the park and an evening concert featuring Common and the Grant Park Orchestra conducted by Parnther at 7:30 p.m. at the Pritzker Pavilion. Free tickets are required for this show via online reservations (available this spring).
The S&S Chicago Experience featuring a celebration of house music marks the final day of the festival, from 4-7 p.m. at the Pritzker Pavilion, curated by Steve “Silk” Hurley and Shannon “Skip” Says.
The anniversary celebration also boasts the return of the Millennium Park Residency Program featuring cultural organizations presenting free programming at the Pritzker Pavilion:
- Collaboraction Theatre with Teatro Vista's presentation of Sandra Delgado’s "La Havana Madrid" (Aug. 23)
- The Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project presenting "Divination: The Dancing Souls of Black Folk" (Aug. 24)
- Sun-Times sister company Vocalo 91.5 FM's "Summer Finale with Pivot Gang, Marquis Hill, KAINA and more" (Sept. 20)
- Old Town School of Folk Music's "Global Carnival" featuring Afro-Brazilian carnival block Ilê Aiyê and New Orleans Black Masking Indian artists Flagboy Giz & the Wild Tchoupitoulas and more (Sept. 22)
- Experimental Sound Studio's "the urban+nature sonic pavilion" (July 13 and Aug. 15 on the Great Lawn)
The 24.5-acre park at Randolph and Michigan opened on July 16, 2024, and includes the "Cloud Gate" sculpture (aka "The Bean"), the Crown Fountain, the Lurie Garden and the Pritzker Pavilion, the latter being the official home for the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and the annual summerlong Grant Park Music Festival.
“Since its opening ... Millennium Park has been home to the Grant Park Music Festival (GPMF) and bolstered our 90-year legacy of presenting free concerts for all Chicagoans. We are honored to expand our partnership with the City of Chicago as we celebrate the Park’s 20th anniversary and the visionary leaders who created this magnificent space in the heart of the city,” said Paul Winberg, president and CEO of GPMF, said in Thursday's announcement.
Additional celebration programming will be announced in the coming weeks. Visit MillenniumPark.org for updates.