Organizers have announced today that, after 19 years, Pitchfork Music Festival's flagship Chicago event will not return in 2025.
A statement was posted to the Pitchfork website, addressing members of the publication's "Chicago festival community." It reads, "As the music festival landscape continues to evolve rapidly, we have made the difficult decision not to host Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago in 2025."
"This decision was not made lightly. For 19 years, Pitchfork Music Festival has been a celebration of music, art, and community — a space where memories were made, voices were amplified, and the shared love of music brought us all together," the statement continues.
"The festival, while aligned with the taste of the Pitchfork editorial team, has always been a collaborative effort, taking on a life of its own as a vital pillar of the Chicago arts scene. We are deeply grateful to the City of Chicago for being our festival's home for nearly two decades, to the artists who graced our stages with unforgettable performances, and to the fans who brought unmatched energy year after year," adding that Pitchfork will "continue to produce events in 2025 and beyond."
Pitchfork Music Festival was founded by Mike Reed in 2006, and has taken place almost annually (2020 being the lone exception) at Chicago's Union Park. An iteration of the fest in Paris, France, was later founded in 2011.
Read the full statement below. Although Condé Nast sought to "juice ticket sales" for this year's Chicago festival by reuniting Oasis (too little, too late — er, too soon, really), the actual headliners included Alanis Morissette, Jamie xx and Black Pumas. At the beginning of this year, Condé Nast announced that it was restructuring the editorial operations of Pitchfork by folding it into GQ.
To our Chicago festival community:
As the music festival landscape continues to evolve rapidly, we have made the difficult decision not to host Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago in 2025.
This decision was not made lightly. For 19 years, Pitchfork Music Festival has been a celebration of music, art, and community — a space where memories were made, voices were amplified, and the shared love of music brought us all together. The Festival, while aligned with the taste of the Pitchfork editorial team, has always been a collaborative effort, taking on a life of its own as a vital pillar of the Chicago arts scene. We are deeply grateful to the City of Chicago for being our Festival's home for nearly two decades, to the artists who graced our stages with unforgettable performances, and to the fans who brought unmatched energy year after year. Thank you to At Pluto and the rest of the hardworking Festival team whose dedication and creativity were the backbone of every event, and to the broader community whose spirit and support made the Festival a truly unique experience. And thank you to Mike Reed for founding the Festival and for your inspiring vision.
Pitchfork will continue to produce events in 2025 and beyond. We look forward to continuing to create spaces where music, culture, and community intersect in uplifting ways — and we hope to see you there.