Since its debut in 2022, Sueños Music Festival has gathered Latinos across the globe to celebrate artistry fostered in and out of Chicago. For its fifth fete, attendees and performers gathered to honor culture, community and collaboration.
Known as “El Festival Latino,” Sueños takes place annually in Grant Park over Memorial Day weekend. Live performances are the core of Sueños — past performers include Shakira, Peso Pluma, Rauw Alejandro, Maluma and Ozuna.
This year, performances did not disappoint: headliners included Colombian singer J Balvin, Colombian American singer-songwriter Kali Uchis and Fuerza Regida, an American band that plays regional Mexican music.
Aaron Ampudia and Christopher Den Uijl, co-founders of La Familia Presenta and Sueños, said they started the festival to support youth initiatives and businesses while uplifting Latino culture. According to Ampudia, the festival is a place for Latinos to be proud of their culture while non-Latinos actively learn about it. Den Uijl said the response from the community has been “amazing.”
This year’s festival also featured prominent political figures alongside its star-studded lineup, with brief appearances from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker. In a cultural mashup, Pritzker was accompanied by the cultural icon Dr. Simi, the huggable and mustached mascot of Mexican budget pharmacy chain Farmacias Similares.
These festivities were important for Chicago’s Latinos to celebrate their diverse cultures and roots, especially considering this harrowing year for the area’s Latino community. With the arrival of Operation Midway Blitz in the fall and its arrest of thousands, Sueños was one of few Latino community events that had not been canceled or heavily monitored for fear of further immigration crackdowns.
Sueños welcomed tens of thousands of attendees to its grounds, equipped with a Ferris wheel and a community market, El Mercadito, selling international and local Latino brands. It also featured dozens of food vendors from all over the city selling antojitos and diverse Latin American cuisines.
This year’s festival hosted three stages: Sueños Main Stage for bigger artists, La Fuente for electronic-based and Latin dance acts and La Plaza for local talents.
Festivalgoers repped their cultures and artistry, wearing Latin American flags, national soccer jerseys, and “trajes típicos,” or cultural outfits, ranging from Mexican folclórico dresses to ranchero getups. Some boasted their Latino and hometown pride with baseball caps and T-shirts repping places from Chicago to the Mexican states of Michoacán and Jalisco.
The festival’s vibe of Latino joy also came from multiple costumed Dr. Simi mascots wandering the grounds, dancing and even hosting a dedicated DJ set at La Plaza stage. Sueños’ mascot, a big-bottomed flower by the name of Frikiflora, was also a hit among dancing festivalgoers.
This year’s lineup of artists was nothing short of previous years. From local talents such as DJ Miriam and Banda Peñasco de Zacatecas to popular artists like Los Tucanes De Tijuana and Chino Pacas, the energy each artist brought to their respective stage was mesmerizing.
On Main Stage, a core standout was Dominican rapper Tokischa, whose bass-heavy hits “Chulo pt.2” with Bad Gyal and Young Miko and “Delincuente” with Anuel AA and Ñengo Flow merited a later-night slot time for maximum perreo. Puerto Rican singer Yandel was also a force to be reckoned with, singing reggateon hits like “Noche de Sexo” with a live orchestra.
On Saturday evening, Uchis kicked off her “For The Girls” tour on Sueños Main Stage. The Grammy-award winning artist arrived in a white carriage, blowing kisses to her fans before taking to stage to perform tracks like “Muévelo” and “Loner.”
Balvin closed out the first day by showcasing his stellar discography. From his classic collaboration with Bad Bunny on “La Canción” to “Qué Calor” with Major Lazer and El Alfa, his high-energy set concluded with fireworks.
Before its Sunday night set, Fuerza Regida partnered with Amazon Music and Amazon Community Engagement to donate $100,000 to the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance and the National Museum of Mexican Art. Afterward, the band took the main stage to wrap up the festival.
Fuerza’s set, though a bit chaotic at times, was a celebration of Mexican identity and música regional, bringing up an Avengers-style lineup of guest artists, including Los Gemelos de Sinaloa and Clave Especial. “Marlboro Rojo,” “Pues Ya Ni Pedo” and “Qué Onda” with Pacas had the crowd singing in unison and dancing with significant others.
The band’s fierce Mexican pride and call and response with the audience — a classic characteristic of música regional — was the perfect cap to a weekend full of culture, perreo and unabashed Latino joy.
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Email: [email protected]
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