Latin alternative music festival abruptly canceled

crowd at concert
concert crowd file image Photo credit Getty Images

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Ruido Fest will not be taking place this summer.

News of the cancellation of the two-day Latin alt-music festival, scheduled to run Aug. 19-20 at the Chicagoland Fairgrounds, broke abruptly on Monday via the event’s social media.

The post read, in part: “We have made the painfully difficult decision to cancel this year’s Ruido Fest. … We explored every option we could think of to continue on with this year’s fest, and while cancellation is heartbreaking for us, it is what is necessary now for us to continue our mission.”

There was no explanation given for the cancellation. The Sun-Times reached out to festival organizers for further comment but were told via email there would be none at this time.

This year’s two-day fest was set for its new location at the fairgrounds (2801 S. Washtenaw Ave.) in Little Village. Last year’s fest was a three-day event in Union Park in the Near West Side.

Artists scheduled to perform this year included Juanes, Kali Uchis, Los Bunkers and more.

According to the online statement, ticketholders will be issued refunds at point of purchase; email instructions would be sent from SeeTickets for online purchases.

“When we started work on the first festival in late 2013, our main goal was to expand opportunities for Latin artists and fans of Spanish Language music in Chicago in the long-term,” the Ruido fest statement said. “… We are extremely grateful for the support that we have received from the thousands of fans who have been with us since the first festival in 2015.”

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire & Chicago Sun-Times 2023. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Getty Images