North Coast Music Festival Local Spotlight & Impact
In 2010 North Coast Music Festival arrived. Originally a multi-genre, multi-day party at Union Park. Now 15 years later, a host to hundreds, if not thousands of EDM artists, for a 3 day festival on a Stadium campus. Now gearing up for their 2025 anniversary date celebration, NCMF drops their schedule for the weekend; after first releasing their lineup earlier in the summer. Preparing audiences for their festival routine. Many excited to see big names like Kaskade, Excision, Seven Lions, Of The Trees, Zeds Dead, Sofi Tukker, Caspa, Taiki Nulight and More. Others come to support artist friends, discover new music, or even debut their first festival performance.
After 15 years, North Coast Music Festival Stands the test of time. Compared to other festivals that fell as quickly as they rose, in Chicago’s tough terrain of critics and audiences. Even through rebrands and location changes, in 2024 NCMF broke their own record attracting a massive 90K attendees. This consistency and these numbers do a whole lot for the city of Chicago’s tourism industry. Bringing in people from around the country, the world even; generating massive wealth for hotels, restaurants, bars, museums, theaters and more! More importantly than generating finance for the city, is its impact on the culture. In the nightlife industry, amongst artists, North Coast gives a lot more than just financial stimulus.
The impact a massively planned out annual music festival has on the local artistic culture goes beyond what money can provide. It provides inspiration, ambition, competition, validiation, opportunity, and connection to new experiences, memories, lovers, friends and networks! From the outside looking in, just a normie’s perspective, it may just be a big price tag, loud music, bright lights, people under the influence and just another reason there is traffic. But to the people immersed in the culture, deep in the crowds, this a world where stories are made and shared for lifetimes to come.
To really understand the impact that a massive 3-day event has on the local artistic culture, we have to dig deep. We have to go to the source! Find the very stories that create the myths and legends of any festival grounds! There is really no party without them, the guests and the DJ’s, which in all cases, the DJ’s are also the guests. So two birds one stone, we do not have to throw far to hear from some of the best of the local artists Chicago has to offer. All of whom are more than willing to share what North Coast means to them, and how it influenced them.
One thing in mind when reaching out to these artists was to get a perspective from both young and seasoned artists. To no surprise, there are a lot of similarities in between their responses. You would not be able to tell the difference between young vs the veteran artists by their points of view, unless they told. It is very apparent that artists David BLK, ABAE, Birthdayy Partyy, Mr. Bobby, AYOO, Silent Hype, Agvas and Camvcho, are all very talented, motivated and passionate about music. Each driven to pursue their career with intent and focus, maneuvering the more serious business side of the industry as adults, while maintaining the excitement and creativity of that inner child as artists.
One consistent take away from each of their festival experience is the validation an enormous platform like North Coast can bring to an artist. David BLK would say: “I felt that It was something I needed to prove, not only to myself, but to a lot of the people that have been following me. And just to prove that; Yea I can play a festival, I know how to perform, and carry the brand.” Similarly, Silent Hype may have said it best when stating: “I think it’s just a huge cosign. Not everyone gets to play North Coast. So I think it’s a really big show of your skills and effort, and just doing what you do, and being the talent that’s highlighted for the year. Or the up and coming, however you’d like you say that.”
“I’m Going To Go Off. It’s the Festival Grounds!” – ABAE
ABAE highlights that point with an eye opening experience in her set, right from the beginning. She recalls, “I did not hold back. I know I had a great time, and a great selection of music, because the room was insanely packed. I opened up the festival, first one at [Club Coast Stage] and it was empty when I came in. But within minutes it filled, just completely filled. What a beautiful moment!“.
Like-wise Birthdayy Partyy remembers their moment. “Being on top of the bus and looking over most of the festival, and seeing people flocking towards our stage thinking; ‘Damn, Chicago really has something sweet going on’“. It is in these moments that create a level of certainty in artists. To see that, among the many options that a festival can offer, people chose them for that moment. Trusting the DJ to provide a memorable experience.
To reiterate that Point, Camvcho shares his experience when playing B2B with Goonba at Club Coast stage. “When I saw the crowds going crazy to all the unreleased music I was dropping, it gave me confidence. It made me realize that the stuff I was making wasn’t actually bad. People loved it and to me, seeing people satisfied by my craft… is a win”. He continues to say, “Now, a lot of people know me for the DJ that walks in to play a bunch of brand new unheard music, and I love it“. Likewise, Mr. Bobby would say of his Silent Disco experience, “Playing there specifically showed me I was a pretty good DJ. Helped me gain a lot more confidence. I would notice how many people were choosing my color, or channel.“
Aside from the excitement of performing on such a major festival platform, there is also the very tangible results that benefit artists. Back to ABAE, she states perfectly that it is an “opportunity for a greater level of exposure… When you’re at festivals you can play in front of people that you wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to play in front of. Because so many people come from out of state.” She also points out, “If you’re someone who produces, that even means more shazams potentially. If you’re playing your music, more discovery of you as an artist.“
Agvas would note: “I found my bookings really shot up for a solid bit afterwards. For producers, it’s a great way to showcase all the projects you’ve [created]. I had several tracks that I was working on all year just to play at North Coast.” Similarly, Mr. Bobby would also say of his experience that it “has truly kept me in the eye of local scenes for years after still“. Mr. Bobby would also benefit as an event organizer himself, going on to say; “In a way I think it was a seedling to what ultimately ended up inspiring me to have a silent disco at Blacklight Blackout events“.
“Those Experiences Just Reinforced My Determination” – Agvas
Likewise AYOO would state, “It was our second major festival, next to Spring Awakening, and it’s been a home for us ever since. Not only did this help boost our reputation in the city, but it opened a lot of doors for us“. Interesting enough, the combination of the validation, with the rewards and opportunities that follow a festival performance, instills more motivation, determination. It invites a healthy competitiveness between the artists own potentional vs their last milestone. AYOO goes on to say, “We left the fest with more confidence, and the drive to push ourselves to be able to play on a bigger stage… We’re 100% certain that the crowd will double if we’re blessed with another opportunity to play“.
This same sentiment would echo throughout all the artists responses in their own ways. ABAE would simply state; “What I took away from the whole experience is to aim higher… I’m going to go off. It’s the festival grounds! This is meant for that. I went off, so now I aim higher”. For Camvcho it drove him to grind in the studio, saying “It pushed me more to be a better artist and really focus on my sounds and production.“
Mr. Bobby reflects by saying; “Being a part of such a big festival for so long was a giant honor that has inspired me to become a better DJ, and make my event’s more inclusive and diverse“. He continues with, “[North Coast] has truly helped me get to this point in life. It’s definitely one of the many things that have helped me grow as an artist and organizer.” Agvas responds with a humble statement. “Looking back, I think I did the best where I was at the moment. But looking forward, I think I’ve grown and have a lot more tricks up sleeves these days.“
All that being said, credit given where credit is due. North Coast Music Festival has done their part to be a successful platform to facilitate and contribute to the nightlife community in Chicago. Not just make a profit. Take it from the artists themselves. Bringing it back to David BLK, he credits NCMF saying, “I really, honestly think, that this festival helps put on so many Chicago locals. I mean from the past five years I’ve seen more locals, especially since there is ARC music festival and North Coast. North Noast definitely puts on a lot more locals”.
AYOO would put depth to that statement stating; “bringing in local groups such as EDM CHICAGO and Bass Station, to run their own Stage Takeover. Probably one of the dopest things around!”. To double down on that, Birthdayy Partyy mentions, “They partner with groups like WhatsGood Chicago and EDM Chicago. Who are super plugged-in, and always bring a good roster of DJs.”
So the efforts of North Coast Music Festival organizers do not go unnoticed when they reach out to local promoters and event organizers. Truly providing a platform for audiences to enjoy, and not only that, but making the effort to include the cities very own talent to contribute to a memorable experience. Providing opportunities that benefit artists residually.
Given that NCMF organizers do all that they have to support the locals; One often unnoticed detail to be highlighted is expressed between a couple artists, that may bare significance! Not to say any other festival or promoter does not do the same, but the combination of it all is something to raise a glass to. Just letting an artist be themselves on the stage unapolagetically, as vulnerable as anyone can be in front of thousands, potentially hundreds of thousands, dare I say millions?
Between word of mouth, video, pictures, shares of well connected fans or interested promoter, brand label, or just that one person you can connect with in the crowd. Silent Hype knows, and she gratefully highlights, “when we got to the van, they said we can play and hour or two hours. Just pretty much play what ever you want, open formant. Which I loved not having to be told to play a specific genre and just -have fun-.” To which ABAE, similarly, would express; “It was my first time being booked at a festival. And it was my first time playing hard groove openly at a major booking. Up until this point I had only publicly played the groovy house that ABAE is known for.”
When you are in the moment, it is easy to pass up these minor details. The festival grounds tends to take you out of your head and into the experience. But when its all said and done, when you take a step back and reflect upont the moments shared between friends and strangers, and your industry community, a bigger picture unravels. Revealing just how significant the adventure was! While there is always room for improvement, whether it be a recommendation for a house music stage, being that Chicago birthed the genre. Or even more interactive characters and areas. Maybe even better artist parking access, or a return to their multi-genre roots.
One thing for certain is that North Coast Music Festival, whether we know it or not, plays a tremendous role in Chicago’s nightlife that extends way beyond the annual 3 night extravaganza. Be it a veteran who was initiated from the start, or a driven, up-and-coming artist, breaking into a major festival booking for the first time. The seeds planted from the opportunities and exitement from a weekend at North Coast Music Festival can flower months, years, even a decade following. Inspiring generations of artists who will undoubtedly blow our minds with the next creation, born from experiences like these!
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