For Liana Lorenzo and her family, attending Sueños Music Festival in Grant Park has become an annual tradition.
With more than a dozen family members ranging in age from 21 to 45, Lorenzo’s is one of the many multigenerational families looking forward to the two-day festival over Memorial Day weekend. This year’s lineup includes J Balvin, Kali Uchis, Danny Ocean, Fuerza Regida, Yandel and Ryan Castro.
“Music really bonds us,” Lorenzo said. “We’re older now, and we are able to coordinate our schedules a little better. Sueños is something we look forward to as a group because we all know, regardless of all our crazy schedules, that we come together for this one.”
The festival comes in the wake of a difficult year for Chicago’s Latino community. Since Operation Midway Blitz last fall, the Trump administration’s deportation campaign has kept the community on edge, leading to the cancellation of this month’s Cinco de Mayo parade for the second year in a row.
But during Sueños weekend, attendees look forward to celebrating Latino food, language and culture with each other. Those moments feel “joyful,” said Franea Arceo, who owns El Taconazo Express with her father, Eduardo. Their restaurant has operated a booth at Sueños since 2023.
Arceo said the festival hasn’t communicated to food vendors how the festival might respond if ICE agents appear in or around Grant Park during the festival, but she and her employees generally feel safe during the two-day event.
“We go knowing we’re taking a risk,” Arceo said. “[But] we have to work as well, and we have to provide for our families.”
Lorenzo said Sueños is a weekend for families to reconnect amid all of the other things going on in the world.
She says her family always claims a spot in the grass near the main stage as a sort of “home base.” At peak hours, 15 to 20 people usually congregate in their area, Lorenzo said.
The cousins also coordinate on essential items such as sunscreen, electrolyte packets and blankets.
Though the weather is usually mild around Memorial Day in Chicago, hydrating at a major music festival is still important. Lorenzo recommended taking note of the water refill stations all around the grounds and bringing a reusable water bottle, too.
And being smart about your outfit is key, Lorenzo said. Dress in sheddable layers, bring a jacket or sweater for after sunset, and carry a small, foldable poncho in your bag in case it rains.
“We are a family that consistently hangs out together, so this is just another thing that we add to the list,” said Vanessa Valdes, one of Lorenzo’s cousins. Valdes wishes that this year’s musical lineup were stronger, but said the real highlight is spending the weekend together. “We always make it a good time.”
Another cousin, Evette Lorenzo, said Sueños takes her to a nostalgic place.
“It was almost like we were kids again. We were screaming, just acting a fool. I’m glad we can still do that,” Evette said.
Here are other tips for the weekend — from musical acts to food — according to festival regulars.
What not to miss
Headliner José Álvaro Osorio Balvín, known simply as J Balvin, is returning to Sueños on Saturday.
Balvín made history in Grant Park as the first Latino to ever headline Lollapalooza in 2019. A few years later, in 2022, he returned to Chicago with an electrifying headliner set featuring his classic songs “Mi Gente,” “Ginza” and “Loco contigo.”
Fuerza Regida is also returning to the music festival on Sunday. The regional Mexican band from San Bernardino, California, was the first artist revealed to be on this year’s lineup back in November. The band is among the next generation of musicians bringing Mexican genres like duranguense and norteño into the mainstream.
Yandel also performs on Sunday, bringing his iconic “Sinfónico” live album to the Grant Park stage. The reggaetonero, one half of the Puerto Rican duo Wisin & Yandel, will perform several of their classics with a twist: an orchestra will accompany the singer.
But don’t limit your musical exploration to the main stage, the cousins said.
“Definitely check out the DJs,” Evette said. Last year, she wandered the festival grounds with her sister until they came across a DJ set at one of the two smaller stages.
There, they discovered DJ Drip, who is also performing at the La Plaza stage on Sunday. Evette and her sister enjoyed his set as he mixed Chicago house music and freestyle with Spanish music, she said. The sisters watched the crowd grow from about 20 people to roughly 200.
“If it wasn’t for walking around and just venturing outside of the main stage, we would have completely missed it. It was just so much fun,” Evette said.
Local artists making appearances at Sueños include Grupo Vanguardia and Los de la Homan, two rising Mexican regional bands, plus DJs Miriam and Chava, LEMANZ, Las Bompleneras and many more.
There will also be a bachata class taking place on the La Plaza stage on Saturday afternoon, with a salsa class at the same time on Sunday.
The local flavor
It’s no secret that Chicago is one of the greatest food cities in the world. Much of that is thanks to the contributions of Latino immigrants operating the hundreds of restaurants, bars and food carts across the city — and there is no shortage of them at Sueños.
The La Plaza section of the festival will host about two dozen vendors. Try the different flavors of Argentine-style empanadas at 5411 Empanadas, Colombian classics from ArePA George, or tender pork shoulder from Carnitas Don Alfredo.
Belmont Cragin’s Ponce Restaurant is a family favorite for Lorenzo and her cousins.“Definitely get Ponce for the arroz con gandules, the pincho and the alcapurria,” Valdes said. All the items she listed are classic Puerto Rican staples and handheld frituras (fried foods).
Valdes also recommends hitting up Ponce’s neighbor Tacotlan at their festival booth for some of Chicago’s best Mexican food, including tacos, burritos and birria.
At the El Taconazo Express foodstand, Arceo and her staff expect to serve hundreds of tacos throughout the busy weekend.
On the menu? Carne asada, al pastor, lengua and barbacoa. They’ve even hopped on the quesabirria trend and are including it in their festival lineup.
But if you aren’t craving Latin food, there’s something for everyone. You can get a classic Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich from Frannie’s Beef, or chow down on some ribs from Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs.
Attendees with GA+ tickets can enjoy burgers and fries from Bust Outs, authentic Mexican food from Sabroso! Mexican Grill, Baja-style fish tacos from Don Pez, and Puerto Rican classics from La Bomba.
Assessing the five-year mark
Sueños Music Festival bills itself as the largest Latin music festival in the Midwest.
The festival was founded by the creators of Mexico’s Baja Beach Fest, Aaron Ampudia and Chris Den Ujil, under their company La Cultura Presenta LLC. They’ve produced and run Sueños each year in collaboration with Lollapalooza producers C3 Presents (acquired by Live Nation in 2014) and Reventon Promotions.
Though year one was advertised as a reggaeton music festival, Sueños has expanded to include more regional Mexican acts, such as the popular bands Grupo Frontera and Grupo Firme.
Organizers scored a five-year deal with the Chicago Park District in 2024, ensuring the festival will continue as a Grant Park staple through at least 2029. The agreement includes an option for a five-year extension and paid attendance capped at 75,000 people per day. It also specifies that organizers must repair and restore the park grounds when the event is over.
The Park District will receive a guaranteed payment of $1.5 million or $15 to $19 per ticket, depending on which is greater, for the two-day festival. The deal includes the possibility of expanding the festival to three days, which it has yet to do.
The inaugural festival generated $120.9 million for Chicago’s economy, with $1.4 million in revenue to the parks, according to a preliminary report by AngelouEconomics and C3 Presents.
Last year, headliners Shakira and Don Omar attracted more than 80,000 attendees over two days.
