Featured Photo Credit: Mamby On The Beach
After months of anticipation, Chicago’s favorite beach festival has officially announced that the festival is on for 2019! Mamby On The Beach has had fans on their toes ever since they pushed back this year’s event. The absence of an announcement with the new dates induced a growing worry that the festival wasn’t actually going to happen this year. Tweets by React Presents and Mamby On The Beach over the last few months insisted that the show will go on, and they’ve finally released the new dates, new location, and the lineup! This year, Mamby On The Beach will take place at Montrose Beach, August 23rd and 24th. Given Montrose Beach is an extremely popular summer spot for events of all kinds, it comes as no surprise that the festival has been moved to a more central location in the city.
The festival has been held at Oakwood Beach for the last four years. Although it’s a beautiful location on the south side of Chicago, it was quite far from downtown. With zero parking and less than incredible accessibility at the old location, I have faith that, logistically, moving the festival could make the experience much more convenient for attendees. If parking is not abundant, transportation from anywhere in the city, public or private, is way more accessible. Not to mention, Montrose Beach offers much more space for the event to take advantage of. Which means more room to jam out with your feet in the sand! Let’s just say, considering how much time we waited for this announcement, my expectations are pretty high for this year.
Even with these new changes, I have no doubt that the festival will go off without a hitch. I have been so in love with this festival ever since its inaugural year back in 2014. No feeling compares to getting there, whipping your sandals off, and dancing on the beach all night to great music accompanied by unbeatable views. The chill atmosphere and consistently incredible lineups are what keep me coming back. The lineup typically features artists from a variety of genres and backgrounds. From house to electro to synth-pop to hip-hop, this festival caters to a wide audience. Despite that, though, everyone seems to be on the same super relaxed, humbled vibe at the fest.
And finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for – the lineup. I am impressed to say at the very least. Friday features one of my absolute favorite artists, ZHU. I am so happy to see him back in Chicago, especially since the first time I saw ZHU was at the first year of Mamby in 2014! I haven’t had a chance to see Flying Lotus’s 3D stage design, and can’t wait to feast my eyes on it! Justin Martin is another must-see set on Friday.
Saturday’s lineup is absolutely stacked, though! I’ve been dying to see Phantoms, an electro-pop duo that have collaborated with the likes of Giorgio Moroder and Vanessa Hudgens. As a huge Porter Robinson fan, I deeply regret missing Virtual Self’s debut Chicago show after his set at Spring Awakening was cancelled. Especially after seeing those insane visuals. However, I’m so excited to finally experience Virtual Self in all his glory! A couple more awesome additions on Saturday include Sylvan Esso, Robotaki, and Sam Gellaitry.
Ticket sales are up on their website now! Be sure to check out all the latest updates regarding the festival on their website here.