Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events are thrilled to announce the daylong YAS! Fest lineup for the Year of Creative Youth presented by Allstate Insurance Company on Saturday, September 22 from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Free and open to the public, YAS! Fest will be the largest celebration of young artists in Chicago history, with the creative works of thousands of young artists showcased throughout the Millennium Park Campus (201 E. Randolph Street), and a finale that features hip-hop star Desiigner (“Panda”) as the headliner. Opening for Desiigner’s mainstage performance is 19-year-old breakout artist Ravyn Lenae, a graduate of Chicago High School for the Arts.
“The Year of Creative Youth provides an incredible opportunity to support the creativity and growth of artistic children across Chicago,” said Mayor Emanuel. “This festival is our city’s largest showcase of youth artists, featuring the creative works of thousands of young people from arts organizations in neighborhoods across the city. We celebrate their talents and the mentors who inspire them.”
“When young people believe in themselves and are encouraged to bring their ideas forward, we know they’ll create the kind of society that uplifts us all,” said Vicky Dinges, Senior Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at Allstate. “That’s why Allstate is focused on empowering our next generation of leaders by investing in programs like the arts that help young people build critical social and emotional skills. We care about the future of Chicago and our youth and are proud to recognize them as problem solvers, change agents and artists.”
For more information and the most up-to-date festival schedule, visit cityofchicago.org/YOCY
YAS! FEST SCHEDULE – click here to download map
- 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. YAS! Stage at Wrigley Square
- 11:00 a.m. YOUmedia performances by Lats, Lil Cheekbone and NLBMARVO
- 11:30 a.m. Guitars Over Guns
- 12:00 p.m. The Second City
- 12:30 p.m. Beverly Arts Center Dance Program
- 1:00 p.m. Dancing With Class
- 1:30 p.m. Merit School of Music
- 2:00 p.m. The People’s Music School
- 2:30 p.m. Mariachi Arts and Culture Academy
- 3:00 p.m. After School Matters Les Enfants Dance
- 3:30 p.m. Bandwith Chicago
- 4:00 p.m. Storycatchers Theatre
- Plus Interactive Activities with
- About Face Youth Theatre
- Barrel of Monkeys
- Chicago Cultural Alliance
- Global Explorers Kids
- Mayor Emanuel’s Chicago Early Learning
- Merit School of Music
- SkyART
- The Simple Good
- Urban Gateways
- 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.YAS! Lounge at Chase Promenade North
- 11:00 a.m. DJ TEZ and DJ 1 Solo of Free Write Sound &Vision
- 12:00 p.m. CineYouth Film Screenings
- 1:00 p.m. YAS! Chat: 2018 National YoungArts Foundation Winner Freedom Martin
- 2:00 p.m. YAS! Chat: 2018 National Youth Poet Laureate Patricia Frazier
- 2:30 p.m. CineYouth Film Screenings
- 3:00 p.m. YAS! Panel with the cast of Comedy Central’s “South Side”
- Plus DJs, Youth Radio, Performances, Workshops, and interactive arts from youth organizations across the city, including:
- Chicago Architecture Center
- Chicago City of Learning
- Chicago Public Library YOUmedia
- Chicago Public Schools
- CPS Lives
- Pocket Con
- 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Performances and Activations at Cloud Gate Plaza featuring
- Ballet Chicago
- ChiArts
- Intonation Music
- Jazz Institute of Chicago
- MCA Chicago
- Red Clay Dance
- 11:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. Mural Painting and Art Activations on the Great Lawn
- 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Sun Print workshop with Kioto Aoki & Jan Tichy for CPS Lives at Lurie Garden
- 1:00-4:00 pm TIP Fest at Chase Promenade South
- 1:00 p.m. Marie Tha DJ and DJ Bman
- 2:00 p.m. Dance Performances
- 3:00 p.m. TIP Fest Year of Creative Youth Audition Winners
- 3:30 p.m. Frsh Waters of PIVOT, Joseph Chilliams of PIVOT, MFN Melo of PIVOT,
- Pop-Up Performances
- 1:00-3:00 p.m. Chicago Children’s Theatre
- 2:00-4:00 p.m. Chicago Poetry Center at Michigan Avenue Balcony
- 2:30 p.m. PROjectUS fashion show on Nichols Bridgeway
- 4:00 p.m. South Shore Drill Team to lead procession to Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
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- 11:00 a.m. WFMT live broadcast with Chicago Children’s Choir and Chicago Youth
Symphony Orchestras
- YAS! Fest Finale at Jay Pritzker Pavilion
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- 4:00 p.m. DJ Mike P
- 4:30 p.m. Little Kids Rock
- 4:50 p.m. Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater
- 5:10 p.m. Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center
- 5:50 p.m. Ravyn Lenae
- 6:40 p.m. Desiigner
- Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington Street),
Open 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m | Highlights:
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- Keith Haring: The Chicago Mural
- 12:00-4:00 p.m.Year of Creative Youth Exhibitions Meet and Greet
- 1:00-3:00 p.m. Meet an Artist: Indira Johnson, creating Rangoli art
- Maggie Daley Park (337 E. Randolph Street)
Open 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | Highlights:
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- Activities at OUT OF SIGHT public art installation and roving creatures by Eda Yorulmazoglu
- 3:00 p.m. CircEsteem performance
- Art Institute of Chicago* (111 S. Michigan Avenue)
` Open 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. | Highlights:
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- Teen artmaking and exhibits in the Modern Wing featuring a Street Level live podcast, Young Chicago Authors performance + open mic, and more!
- *Museum Admission is FREE for all teens during YAS! Fest. Admission to the museum is always free to children under 14 and Chicago teens 17 and under.
- Wabash Avenue Between Randolph St. and Washington St.
- Visit Chicago’s “Flying Creatures,” kinetic sculptures by area youth
Follow YAS! Fest and DCASE on Facebook (Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events), Twitter and Instagram (@ChicagoDCASE) and Snapchat (ChicagoDCASE) #YASfest #2018isYOCY
About the Year of Creative Youth
Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) have designated 2018 as the Year of Creative Youth—a citywide celebration of Chicago’s young artists and the mentors who inspire them. Presented by Allstate Insurance Company, the Year of Creative Youth will feature young artists and their work at City of Chicago festivals, exhibitions and events throughout the year including the new YAS! Fest youth arts showcase. The year will also include cultural grants and convenings for youth arts organizations, a marketing campaign and more—representing an over $2 million investment by the City of Chicago.
Additional grant support for the Year of Creative Youth is provided by The Chicago Community Trust, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, and support from the Chicago Transit Authority.
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is dedicated to enriching Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago’s non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City’s future cultural and economic growth, via the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City’s cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors.
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