The inaugural Sacred Rose kicks off late this summer, bringing a much-needed cross-genre fest with a strong hippie presence to Chicago. The three-day festival will run from Friday, Aug. 26 through Sunday, Aug. 28 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.
Sacred Rose is billed as “a blooming love letter to the sweet sounds of Americana, psych-rock, jam, indie, soul, funk, and bluegrass” inspired by “the halcyon days of the 60s counterculture concerts and playful hippie spirit.”
Looking at the lineup provides the comfort of slipping into a cozy Baja hoodie. We’ve got our jam band veterans, giants like Phil Lesh & Friends and Umphrey’s McGee. There’s an eclectic mix of bluegrass and soul, with bands like the Black Pumas bringing the funk. It even sates our appetite for indie with Animal Collective and City and Colour. I am personally looking forward to seeing Khruangbin and Gone Gone Beyond for the first time.
The Chicago area has needed a classic hippie fest à la Peach and All Good for a long time. It’ll be interesting to see how this atmosphere is achieved without camping, but seeing as this fest is put on by the same organizers as North Coast, I’m confident it’s in capable hands.
Roses may be free, but Sacred Rose is not. Three-day tickets are still available for GA ($221 for Tier 2 to $271 for TIer 4) through VIP ($453). Single-day passes are also available at four price points that range from $99 to $123.
I don’t know, maybe it’s all the roses. All I know is I can’t pass this fest up.
This festival preview was written by Valerie Nikolas.