For the last four years, Mamby on the Beach has brought electronic, indie and hip-hop acts to Oakwood Beach during the last few weekends of June. This summer, the curiously named music festival is on the move, with a new location on the city's North Side (Montrose Beach) and a new weekend that's significantly later in the summer (August 23 and 24). Festival co-organizers React Presents (the same folks behind the relocated Spring Awakening Music Festival) are framing the change in venue as a way to offer additional space for the event's three stages, beach games and other activities.
Mamby on the Beach's 2019 lineup includes headlining acts like sprawling rap collective Brockhampton, deep house producer Zhu, synth-pop singer Troye Sivan, Porter Robinson's retro techno project Virtual Self, electro-pop duo Sylvan Esso and a 3D concert overseen by electronic musician Flying Lotus. Other highlights of the bill include genre-fusing singer-songwriter Santigold, Reggie Watts' and John Tejada's electro-pop combo Wajatta and dreamy rock duo Phantogram. There are also five unannounced performers on the lineup that will be revealed in the coming weeks.
While Montrose Beach has hosted festivals and concerts in the past, but it's been several years since an event similar in size to Mamby on the Beach has made use of the venue. The EDM-focused Wavefront Music Festival took place on Montrose Beach in 2012 and 2013, but traffic congestion around the venue and noise complaints from Uptown, Edgewater and Rogers Park residents put the kibosh on the event. A Mumford & Sons concert presented by JAM Productions (one of Mamby's co-organizers) on Montrose Beach in 2015 also drew noise complaints, according to the Chicago Tribune. Mamby on the Beach organizers will likely have to find a way to keep the volume of its performances reasonable so as not to draw the ire of surrounding residents and risk losing the ability to hold the event at Montrose Beach in the future.
Tickets to Mamby on the Beach are on sale now, with general admission two-day tickets starting at $99, general admission one-day tickets starting at $69 and VIP tickets (which include access to a Tiki Lounge and air-conditioned bathrooms) from $119 to $149. Check out the current Mamby on the Beach 2019 lineup below and stay tuned for additional artists announcements.
