North America’s oldest outdoor music festival, Ravinia Festival is back for 2022 with a stellar mix of performers, special events and performances kicking off May 20 through September 18.
The festival offers something for everyone ranging from global music, jazz, country, and hip-hop, to indie rock, pop and family shows.
The full season lineup was released today by Ravinia President and CEO Jeffrey P. Haydon. The programming features 50 artist debuts and more than 100 concerts, including the annual summer residency of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) with Chief Conductor Marin Alsop.
Highlights
Debuts by 50 Artists, Including Pitbull, Erykah Badu, Grace Potter,
Dispatch, The Black Crowes, Ziggy Marley, and Others
Six-Week Chicago Symphony Orchestra Residency, including First Annual Breaking Barriers Festival celebrating Women Conductors, Curated by Chief Conductor Marin Alsop.
Returning Stars such as Sting, Emmylou Harris, Béla Fleck, Common, Jackson Browne, Gipsy Kings, Sheryl Crow, John Fogerty, Stevie Nicks, Esperanza Spalding, and many more.
Performances will be presented in all of Ravinia’s venues in 2022, including the main-stage Pavilion, the indoor Martin Theatre and Bennett Gordon Hall, and, after a successful inaugural year in 2021, the outdoor Carousel stage, which will have expanded offerings of casual concerts and opening acts—to be announced later this spring—on the North Lawn.
Dining
Bring a picnics or choose from a selection of in-park dining options.
- The Ravinia Market will be open with an expanded walk-up market and for mobile ordering.
- Mobile carts throughout the park provide a variety of seasonal options, including beverage carts with a selection of premium ready-to-drink cocktails, spiked seltzers, wine, and craft beers, as well as snack carts featuring many guest-favorite items, including Ravinia’s signature ice cream.
- Indoor and outdoor dining options will be available at the Park View, Tree Top, and Lawn Bar restaurants in the Dining Pavilion, as well as at the Freehling Room for eligible Ravinia donors. Each restaurant has a covered outdoor patio for open-air service, and reservations are strongly recommended.
Seating
All seats in the Pavilion are reserved–requiring a Pavilion ticket. Premium Lawn Blocks will be available to reserve on the South Lawn in configurations of two, four, or six people, and feature a dedicated screen showing the stage. The North Lawn will have general admission access with first-come, first-served seating and slightly reduced capacity to maintain guests’ comfort.
Getting There
Public Transportation (Travel for free)
Metra is your best bet. The Metra Union Pacific North Line stops right at the park – – just check in advance that the train stops at the Ravinia Park stop. Otherwise you can get off at Braeside (just south of the park) which is walking distance to the park along the Green Bay Trail. Show your concert ticket for a same-day event and you ride FREE.
By Car
The festival is located about 20 miles north of Chicago at Green Bay and Lake Cook Roads in Highland Park.
Parking
Onsite parking is limited and street parking in the area is prohibited. But drivers will find EZ remote parking at Metra train station lots and other sites both north and south of the park.
Remote parking will be consolidated in downtown Highland Park. The free park-and-ride shuttle buses will take you directly to the park and pick you up afterwards and return you to your car.
Tickets
Tickets go on sale to the public on Wednesday, May 4 with donors getting early access.
A Little History
Ravinia opened on August 15, 1904, as a high end amusement park—complete with music pavilion, baseball stadium, and dance hall—as a reason to get people to ride the uncompleted train line connecting Chicago and Milwaukee.
When the railway went bust a few years later, local businessmen purchased Ravinia to run it as a music festival. In 1936, the not-for-profit Ravinia Festival Association took over ownership of the festival’s 36-acre park, and the festival’s long relationship as the summer residence of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra began.
Through the years the festival has made headlines with events like Benny Goodman performing with an integrated band, Janis Joplin giving one of her final concerts, and Princess Magogo, the first Zulu opera.
Filed under: Chicago Festivals, Ravina Festival
