For the 7th year in a row, Pilsen Fest will celebrate the work of local artists and cultural creators in an outdoor festival this weekend.
Originally named ‘Unísono,’ to signify “one village, one sound”, the music festival is now known as Pilsen Fest to reflect the community spirit and the overall creative talent of the neighborhood, said volunteer-turned-director Esmirna Garcia.
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The festival carries a social justice theme every year. This year the goal is to promote “solidarity” in the current political climate, the organizers said.
“Pilsen Fest is incredibly diverse and very accepting and open. Whether Czech or Latino, solidarity for us is empathy, meeting each other in the spaces that we exist, and being able to stick with one another,” Garcia said. “Communion basically.”
Art is a central focus of the festival in a neighborhood that is a leader in Chicago’s art scene but doesn’t always receive the recognition it deserves. The art pavilion will be one of the main attractions, featuring the artwork of Chicago’s most prominent artists of color, and the artists themselves, Garcia said.
“Everyone who helps to curate Pilsen Fest are known members of the community,” she continued. “Participating artists have exposed Pilsen to the world, and the world to the community.”
The Revueltas Award is given out every year to those artists who have contributed to the cultural richness of the neighborhood. Past recipients have included painters Marcos Raya and Diana Solis. This year’s recognition will honor the muralist Hector Duarte, whose political art adorns the posters and publicity of the festival.
53 musical acts will represent local, national, and international music. The two-day festival will kick off with an indoor classical music concert at the National Museum of Mexican Art on Friday, and it will conclude Sunday evening. The official afterparty is Saturday night at Thalia Hall.
Pilsen Fest will be held at Plaza Tenochtitlan, 1800 S. Blue Island Ave. with three music stages, rows of taqueros and food stands, merchants, a petting zoo, and a children’s art-and-crafts section.