Sueños Festival parties until the rain comes with a larger crowd in Grant Park

Sueños Festival returned to Chicagos own Grant Park this past Memorial Day weekend with an estimated 70,000 people in attendance for the Latin music festival.

Day one kicked off with the Red Bull Batalla, who through many sound issues, eventually got going with their brand of freestyle rap competition. Given the hard task of starting just as doors opening they did their best at hyping the crowd up as they entered. Next up though was Venezuelan singer Elena Rose who was the first artist of the day and got the crowd going. Speaking through what English she could to tell the crowd how grateful she was to be in Chicago she blasted through her 30 minute set getting the first dances of the day going.

Sadly though the sound issues continued on as the brothers in Latin Mafia took the stage with some apparent mic issues. They didn’t let that stop them as they got to the barricade for some close action with the fans waiting it out there.

On his tour though and with a large crowd behind him, Xavi hit the stage rocking a custom Chicago Bulls jersey. Given roses by a crowd member the crowd was clearly fans of his as he smiled around the stage going through his set. Sueños has a history of giving slots to newer acts and seeing them rise and its clear Xavi is one of those artists that will rise.

As a special guest for Saturday, Ivan Cornejo, took the stage to cheers. While he was happy to be there and some fans in attendance were hyped for him it was a very odd choice if I’m honest. Cornejo, while young and on the rise, took the energy down to a near complete hault from partying and dancing with his brand of sadder Mexican based music.

Making a major turn though from opening the fest last year to direct support this year was Young Miko. Starting perched a top a giant riser, the Puerto Rican rapper showed why she is one of the hottest new acts in the scene. Commanding the stage and crowd with her brand of catchy rap the 26 year old gave fans a taste of what is to come from her headlining tour this summer (which is selling out quick).

Closing out the night though and bringing a major production was Rauw Alejandro. With a squad of back up dancers the Puerto Rican singer, sometimes called “King of Modern Reggaeton”, put on a clinic of a show. While the crowd was tired after a long day in the sun, there was still groups of fans through singing and dancing their hearts out as Rauw busted through some of his biggest hits.

Sadly though Day 2 was full of issues. Due to weather I did not attend but the festival itself was pushed back to a later start with doors 4pm. Some acts missed their sets completely and while Sueños did try their hardest to get everyone in for at least a few songs, from what I’ve been told by festival goers, it just didn’t work out smoothly. Gates took too long to get through with some being a several hour wait and the festival was shut down completely before headliner Peso Pluma could perform due to anticipated storms. The festival though is offering 25% back as a refund for Sunday which is an act of good faith as festivals don’t have to refund for weather cancellations usually.

Overall there are some issues that need fixed with the festival as it continues to grow and lets just hope they happen as 2025 looks to bring the party back for more.