![]() But it’s pretty much impossible to see everything, and Barnedo’s photos capture the electricity that drove tens of thousands of fans to Douglass Park. Some of my favorite artists are decidedly less famous, and they hit the stage within the first few hours-including DCG Brothers and Dreamer Isioma. Photographer Dylan Barnedo was on the grounds for the Reader on Friday and Saturday, and he caught some of the biggest, most magnetic acts at Summer Smash. Last year, a chaotic stampede led to festival bar staff walking out in the middle of the event. I waited two hours for food during the first Summer Smash, for instance-though to be fair, in year two, organizers did a decent job handling the safety and logistical nightmare wrought by the storms that put Sunday’s music on hold for a few hours. Summer Smash has also had a spotty track record when it comes to taking care of people inside the festival grounds. The final day of Summer Smash fell on Juneteenth, an obvious problem for North Lawndale residents who wanted to celebrate in Douglass Park. Summer Smash is the first of three major festivals to occupy Douglass Park this year: the EDM-inflected Heatwave debuts next month, and Riot Fest returns in September. I’ve had mixed feelings about all sorts of large-scale events since their mid-pandemic return, and I’m increasingly uncomfortable with how many for-profit fests are taking over public parks-whether the neighborhood folks who use them year-round want it or not. Lyrical Lemonades Summer Smash Festival happening on June 19th, 2022, at Douglas Park If you are an artist between 18 and 24 years old, this opportunity. The founding companies, Lyrical Lemonade and SPKRBX Presents, have both found ways to capture the eyes, ears, and hearts of millennial culture. I wasn’t in town for this year’s Summer Smash, and I’m not sure I would’ve gone anyway. In its fourth year, the 2022 event will continue to establish itself as the premier festival for hip-hop and young people as a whole AND expand to a three day event to keep up with the demand. The Douglas Park festival had barely started its second dayit. This holiday season, save a space for local journalism. In a strange way it was a blessing when Sunday afternoon’s severe thunderstorms put the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash on hold. Best of Chicago 2022: Sports & Recreation.Click here to join the Reader Membership Community today! Close
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