“You Can’t Stop the House”: Chosen Few Picnic Goes Virtual
World’s biggest dance party moves online with daylong livestream on 4th of July
CHICAGO (June 24, 2020) – Even as COVID-19 has forced the cancellation of most mass gatherings this summer, the party will still go on – online – for the annual Chosen Few Picnic & Festival, organizers announced today. The virtual festival, to be held on Saturday, July 4, 2020, will feature live DJ sets and performances from the Chosen Few DJs and guests, including comedian, actor and DJ Deon Cole, whose weekly Instagram Live DJ sessions have gone viral during shelter-in-place directives; House Music legend Byron Stingily, lead vocalist of the seminal House group Ten City; and singer-songwriter Carla Prather, noted for her work with Poi Dog Pondering and Mr. A.L.I., and the current smash hit, “Never Fall in Love with a DJ.”
The free virtual Chosen Few Festival is part of the City of Chicago’s official Fourth of July festivities, which also include at-home Salsa dance parties across Chicago – “SummerDance in Place” (chicagosummerdance.org) – presented by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events with the Chicago Park District, and a virtual “Independence Day Salute” concert presented by the Grant Park Music Festival (gpmf.org).
“While we certainly expected to celebrate our 30th anniversary with our fellow House Music fans in Jackson Park, we’re excited that we can still keep the party going, in a different way,” says Wayne Williams, founder and president, Chosen Few DJs. “Even though the format has changed, we hope our event will do what it’s always done: bring people together to celebrate life and music, especially in these extremely challenging times.”
The festival livestream runs from noon to 9 p.m. Central Daylight Time and can be viewed at chosenfewdjs.com. Event partners include the City of Chicago, Le Nocturne Chicago, V103 Chicago, Walgreen’s, Illinois Lottery, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois.
Ticketholders for the 2020 event may redeem them to attend the in-person festival scheduled for July 2021.
Started in 1990 as a small gathering of friends behind the Museum of Science & Industry, the Chosen Few Picnic & House Music Festival is the world’s longest-running event dedicated to House Music. Nicknamed the “Woodstock of House Music” for its family-reunion vibe, the Picnic & Festival attracts more than 40,000 fans to Chicago’s Jackson Park each year, and counts among its supporters former United States President Barack Obama.
Founded in 1977 by Wayne Williams, the Chosen Few DJs is a music collective that was among the first wave of DJs and producers in Chicago who created what became known as House Music. Since 1990, the Chosen Few DJs – Williams, Jesse Saunders, Tony Hatchett, Alan King, Andre Hatchett, Terry Hunter, and Mike Dunn – along with childhood friend Kim Parham – have organized the Chosen Few Picnic & House Music Festival, drawing more than 40,000 fans each year. The collective hosts events in cities across the United States and perform at festivals around the globe, including Amsterdam Dance Event, Winter Music Conference, Tribe Tambor Cruise, and Suncébeat. They also produce hit music, from Terry Hunter’s and Wayne Williams' GRAMMY-nominated “It’s Your World” by Jennifer Hudson and NAACP Image Award-winning production on “Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics” to Mike Dunn’s critically acclaimed, “My House from All Angles”, the smash "In The Beginning (There Was Jack)", an update of the classic House track featuring Chuck Roberts and Monique Bingham, and Jesse Saunder’s 2019 Billboard chart-topping “Higher”. More info: chosenfewdjs.com; Facebook; Twitter; Instagram.
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