Forever Mine Music Festival

This festival has wrapped for 2026 — it typically returns May 2027.

Brand-new 2026 festival. Y2K-inspired, R&B and house-forward across three stages. Keyshia Cole, Kaytranada, Kelly Rowland, Monica.

  • Dates: May 23–24, 2026 (debut)
  • Where: Union Park
  • Neighborhood: West Loop
  • Cost: Ticketed

How it was

This year's edition is over — the lineup, schedule, and notes below are kept as the record of 2026.

What to expect

Inaugural two-day R&B-meets-house festival at Union Park, Memorial Day weekend (May 23–24, 2026), noon–10 p.m. The pitch is a Chicago house lineage (DJ Slugo, Lady D, John Simmons) wrapped around major R&B headliners — Keyshia Cole and Kaytranada anchor, with Kelly Rowland, Juvenile, Monica, Shaggy, Mario, Mya, Lloyd, JoJo, Baby Bash, Chingy on the bill. Same Union Park footprint Pitchfork uses, so expect tight festival-style sound and a single-day ticket model.

Transit

Green/Pink Line to Ashland is a 5-minute walk; Blue Line Medical District is a 10-minute walk. The 9 Ashland and 20 Madison buses both stop at the park's edge. Don't drive — there's no festival parking and the side streets get permit-enforced fast. Divvy stations on Ogden and at the Madison/Ashland corner are reliable.

Bag policy

Expect a Pitchfork-style policy at this venue: small bags/clear bags OK, no large backpacks, no outside food/drink. Specifics not yet posted on the official site as of April 30 — confirm at foreverminefest.com closer to the date.

Family-friendly

Kids 5 and under are free, but this is a full-on outdoor music festival running until 10 p.m. — late nights, big crowds, beer-garden setup. Daytime stroller use is workable on the park lawn but mid-afternoon crowds make sightlines hard. No diaper-changing facilities have been announced; plan for porta-johns only.

Local tips

  1. Sunday is the harder ticket because of Kaytranada — buy that day first if you're picking one.
  2. Union Park lawn gets muddy if it rains — wear shoes you can throw out.
  3. The house DJ lineup is the actual gem of this fest; show up by 1 p.m. for Lady D and Slugo before the R&B crowd packs in.
  4. VIP at $149/day buys air-conditioned bathrooms and shorter bar lines — worth it if Chicago's having a 90° weekend, skip otherwise.
  5. It's running same weekend as Belmont-Sheffield and Maxwell Street's opener — plan transit accordingly, the West Loop will be busy.
  6. First-year fest: assume schedule swaps and door-time shifts. Refresh socials the morning of.
  7. Dietary options at Union Park festivals are usually limited — eat in West Loop before you enter.