Riot Fest Postponed Until 2021, My Chemical Romance Headlines

A summer replete with festival postponements and cancellations has now stretched into fall, as Chicago’s Riot Fest announced that its 2020 September dates will take place in 2021.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fest is now scheduled for Douglas Park on September 17th to 19th, 2021. The first wave of performers includes 2020 headliners My Chemical Romance, as well as Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies, Run the Jewels, Coheed and Cambria, Taking Back Sunday, New Found Glory, the Circle Jerks, and others. Tickets purchased for the 2020 fest will be transferred to 2021, and those who already purchased them will have access to a preview party before the fest. Refunds are also available.

Since COVID-19 began spreading across the world in March, most festivals and events have been canceled or postponed — from Austin’s SXSW to fellow Chicago fest Lollapalooza.

“The first-wave lineup offers a taste of what’s to come — and while it might be difficult to imagine a September in Chicago without Riot Fest, it’ll surely be worth the wait,” the organizers said in a release.

“We are working on new health and safety protocols, which will continue to evolve as new guidelines are issued by public-health authorities, to ensure the festival is safe and comfortable for everyone to attend,” the website reads.