On Friday at 11am, Riot Fest will once again open its gates in Douglas Park, kicking off another three-day celebration that boasts performances by the Misfits, Morrissey, the Flaming Lips and a long list of punk, rock and hip-hop acts.
RECOMMENDED: Check out our complete guide to Riot Fest
The first major change you'll notice is the location of the festival's entrance. In 2015, the main entrance was located on 19th Street, with an auxiliary entrance on California Avenue. This year, there's only one way to get into Riot Fest, and it's at Ogden Avenue and Sacramento Drive. You'll also be able to hail an Uber (or your rideshare service of choice) from the rideshare stand, located just outside of the gate or walk toward California Avenue to hail a cab or catch a bus.
Upon entering the park, you'll be greeted by Riot Fest's Bitchin' Camero (safe and sound after its publicity stunt "theft" in December) and various merchandise stands (where you should snatch up those limited edition Riot Fest Garbage Pail Kids trading cards). The expansive VIP section (complete with its own arcade) takes up the northern end of the park, food can be found on the northeast side and carnival rides seem to be relegated to the peripheries of the grounds instead of the middle of the field.
This year, you'll notice all of the bars on the Riot Fest grounds are named after Chicago bars, so you can grab drinks from Liar's Club, Cobra Lounge or Reggie's without ever leaving the park. You might also observe that the Radical Stage has been replaced with the Storyheart Stage—named after the winner of a contest.
Start planning out your beer and porta-potty runs with the help of this map (pictured below) and look forward to exploring Douglas Park IRL when Riot Fest kicks off on Friday.
