Arts & Entertainment

New ‘Forever Mine’ R&B and House Music Festival to Be Headlined by Keyshia Cole, Kaytranada, Kelly Rowland

A new Chicago festival celebrating early 2000s R&B and house music will be held at Union Park on Memorial Day weekend.

The Forever Mine Music Festival will be held May 23-24. The festival will be headlined by Keyshia Cole, Kaytranada and Kelly Rowland, organizers announced Tuesday.

“Chicago gave the world house music, and this city has always been where house and R&B intersect,” festival co-owners Fernando Nieto and Miguel Torres said in a news release. “That’s why we’re bringing them together at Forever Mine.”

The festival will feature music across three stages.

• The Main Stage showcases top-charting artists behind generation-defining anthems:
  • Saturday, May 23: Keyshia Cole, Kelly Rowland, Juvenile and The 400 Degreez Band, JoJo, Lloyd, Bobby V, Baby Bash, Freddy Phatz and Ca$h Era
  • Sunday, May 24: Kaytranada, Monica, Shaggy, Mario, Mýa, Chingy, Nina Sky, M-Dok and Sean Mac
• The Warehouse Stage honors iconic pioneers of dance and club culture:
  • Saturday May, 23: Terry Hunter, Lady D, DJ Slugo, John Simmons, Celeste Alexander, Rika B. and Twan
  • Sunday, May 24: Joe Kay, Lou Phelps, Kitty Ca$h, Hillery Banks, Syko, King Inesse and ALL2GTHR
• At the Silent Disco Stage, attendees can check out wireless headphones and tune into multiple channels featuring live performances from Francesca Eva, Kid Clay, Evie The Cool, Jukie Tha Kidd and more. 

The festival will also feature live art installations from local artists, Y2K-inspired photobooths, merch vendors, bars and local food vendors, according to organizers.

“We want to see a crowd of all ages singing the anthems that defined the early 2000s and are now finding new life with the next generation,” Nieto and Torres said in a news release.

DJ Pharris of WPWX Power 92 will be the official host of the festival.

The Forever Mine Music Festival will take place in Union Park in the West Loop on May 23-24 from noon to 10 p.m. The event is open to all ages with free entry for children 5 and under. Tickets go on general sale at noon Friday. The festival is being held the same weekend at the reggaeton and Latin music festival Sueños in Grant Park.

This week, Chicago officials also announced the city’s summer festival schedule, including dates for Taste of Chicago, the Gospel Festival, the Air and Water Show, the Chicago House Music Festival & Conference, the Chicago Jazz Festival and the World Music Festival.

Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]

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