Riot Fest has announced its lineup for 2026, with headliners and music acts, including Alanis Morrisette, Morrissey, Iggy Pop, Elvis Costello and The Imposters, Tool, Twenty One Pilots and Pierce the Veil.
The annual three-day festival of punk and alternative music will be Sept. 18-20 in Chicago’s Douglass Park. Tickets (3-day general admission, VIP and Deluxe) are now on sale at riotfest.org.
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The bill also includes:
- Pixies
- Rise Against
- Alkaline Trio
- The All-American Rejects
- NAS
- Patti Smith
- Sugar
- Social Distortion
- Bad Religion
- Sex Pistols
- Twin Peaks
- Bright Eyes
- The Format
- Taking Back Sunday
- Pennywise
- Descendents
- The Beths
- Santigold
- Gogol Bordello
- Public Image LTD
- Tricky
- Angine de Poitrine
- Insane Clown Posse
- Motion City Soundtrack
- Mom Jeans
- Joey Valence and Brae
- Bayside
- PUP
- 3OH!3
- Cartel
- Thrice
- Less Than Jake
- Bowling For Soup
- GWAR
- The Suicide Machines
- Brian Fallon and The Painkillers
- Mariachi El Bronx
- Bratmobile
- Pretty Girls Make Graves
- Good Riddance
- Guttermouth
- This Is Loreli
- Slick Rick
- Afroman
- The Chats
- Fleshwater
- Yard Act
- Sincere Engineer
- The Paradox
- Destroy Boys
- Arm’s Length
- Jejune
- Chat Pile
- Strike Anywhere
- JMSN
- Show Me The Body
- Haywire
- Dead To Me
- The Flatliners
- Violet Grohl
- Foxy Shazam
- Saturdays at Your Place
- Algernon Cadwalader
- Melt-Banana
- Daisy Grenada
- Vana
- DeathByRomy
- Panic Shack
- Frankie and the Witch Fingers
- Worry Club
- Division Minuscula
- Ben Quad
- Deadletter
- Teen Mortgage
- Holding Absence
- Whispers
- Soul Glo
- Gurriers
- Plosivs
- Stomach Book
- Burning Airlines
- Macseal
- Slothrust
- Glixen
- The Callous Daoboys
- Greet Death
- Remember Sports
- Nobro
- Kiwi Jr.
- Murphy’s Law
- Cardinals
- Iron RosesASAVA
- Aim High
- Almost There But Not Really
The schedule by day, as well as single-day tickets, will be available at a later date.
Riot Fest, now in its 21st year, is an independent music festival organized by Mike Petryshyn, with a contract with the city to stay in Douglass Park at least through 2027, with an option to extend through 2029. Daily capacity will be 50,000 people. The agreement, reached in April 2025 with the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners, includes investment in the surrounding North Lawndale neighborhood and plans to minimize the festival’s impact on the park.
The contract was reached after several years of controversy about the festival’s use of a city park and fencing off its footprint from the surrounding community.
Riot Fest’s Beyond the Fest community programs include the offer for area residents to receive free tickets; more information at riotfest.org.
Also in the announcement, following a remote weather cameo in 2025, retired meteorologist Tom Skilling will be on-site to deliver the weather forecasts.
This summer’s lineup includes some familiar names for the festival. Alkaline Trio and the Sex Pistols also appeared last year, Morrissey last played Riot Fest in 2021. Insane Clown Posse, Patti Smith, the Pixies, GWAR, Iggy Pop and Elvis Costello all are familiar names on the bill.
The Chicago band Twin Peaks recently reunited for a sold-out residency at Thalia Hall.
Riot Fest will be Sept. 18-20 in Douglass Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Drive, entrance at the corner of Ogden Avenue and Sacramento. Ticket tiers include general admission, VIP, Deluxe and Deluxe+ (3-Day GA is $339.98; 3-Day VIP is $449.98, and 3-Day Deluxe and Deluxe+ are $959.98 and $1,669.98). Tickets and more information at riotfest.org.
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