Emerge Winnetka Music Festival Scheduled For Saturday

WINNETKA, IL —This past weekend, thousands streamed into Glencoe for two nights of live music. A week later, thousands more may head to Winnetka for the same reason.

“Emerge Winnetka”, a revamped version of the Winnetka Music Festival, will feature seven diverse bands at the Skokie Playfields on Saturday, Sep. 11 from 2 to 11 p.m.

Before the pandemic, the Winnetka Music Festival was a popular, weekend-long festival in June in downtown Winnetka featuring an eclectic array of popular and emerging artists. After the pandemic struck, the festival was canceled, and the Village no longer allowed large events in the downtown space.

Val Haller, a Winnetka native and the CEO and founder of festival organizer Valslist Music, decided she wanted to try to move ahead with an altered event. She changed the name of the festival to Emerge Winnetka, which represents the community emerging from the pandemic, and the emerging artists who are playing in it, according to an interview with the Record North Shore. She also moved the festival up to September, and changed the location to Skokie Playfields because it could offer more space to socially distance.

“It’s a gorgeous, renovated outdoor space with the infrastructure already in place,” Haller told the Record.

Organizers are also requiring any guests over 12 to provide either proof of full COVID-19 vaccination, or proof of a negative result from a test taken within 72 hours of the event. Haller also told the Record that organizers are following all CDC guidance.

A full food court will provide many options for food and drinks, including wine and beer.

Tickets can either be bought online until 8 am Friday, or in-person at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Adult admission is $60, youth from 12 to 20 is $25, and children under 12 is $5.

The festival will feature an eclectic mix of fan favorites and emerging artists. The lineup is as follows:

2:30-3:30: Brothers on a Mission
3:15-4: The Vindys
4:30-5:15: Argonaut & Wasp
5:45-6:30: Walker County
6:45: Moment of remembrance for 9/11
7-8:15: Allen Stone
8:45-10: Spence Ludwig
10-10:45: DJ Swuaropolis

For more information, visit emergewinnetka.com.