The Latin music market is on a major upswing, hitting $1.4 billion in revenue during 2023 and solidifying its status as the fastest growing genre in the U.S. with a 16% increase compared to 2022.

And for the third consecutive year at Grant Park’s Hutchinson Field, the Sueños Music Festival is set to celebrate reggaeton and Latin music artists during the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

“We saw that the Latino market was in need of a real Latino festival that could represent and celebrate Latin culture in Chicago,” said Aaron Ampudia, Sueños co-founder. “I feel honored to be in this position and to hear the feedback from Chicago Latinos, that it makes them feel so proud that there could be a Latino festival celebrating their culture in Grant Park.”

Sueños is billed as the first “all Latin” music festival held at Grant Park, and this year, some of the biggest names in the industry will be taking the stage on May 25 and 26, including Maluma, Peso Pluma, Jowell y Randy, Rauw Alejandro, Young Miko and more.

“To have it at Grant Park is so important to the genres that are being presented and platforms,” said Sandra Treviño, a music journalist and founder of the music site Enchúfate.com. “It’s bringing together different age groups as well. It highlights current Latin music trends and emerging talent as well. So I think as the years keep going and it keeps growing, it’s the perfect opportunity for us to see new artists and new talent that’s out there, as well as the classics.”

In addition to outdoor performances downtown, Sueños is also holding official after parties at multiple venues in the area that includes Sound-Bar, Park West, and Tabu, where Chicago native Miriam Paz, aka DJ Miriam, will be spinning after-hours Saturday night. Paz has been a Sueños resident DJ since the festival’s inception in 2022.

“It’s definitely been a journey,” Paz explained. “You go through obstacles, you go through ups and downs, but then you come across people who believe in you, and they see past whether you’re a male, female, however you want to identify … and I think it’s a really, really cool movement and I’m happy to be a representative of not only Chicago natives and Latinos, but a representative of women in the industry.”

Sueños also supplied millions to Chicago’s economy last year, along with $1.6 million in amusement tax revenue and more than $200,000 in donations to nonprofits in the city.

And Aside from two days of music, Sueños also offers local Latin cuisine from hand-selected food vendors.

“It’s basically a food festival as well,” Ampudia said. “It’s over 40 vendors. So it’s a whole cultural experience.”

Tickets to the Sueños Music Festival are sold out for 2024, but waitlist requests are available on the festival’s website at www.suenosmusicfestival.com.