The Pitchfork Music Festival is an annual summer music festival organized by Pitchfork Media and held in Union Park in Chicago, Illinois. Starting in 2011, the festival announced a branch staged in Paris at Grande halle de la Villette.[1] The festival, which is normally held over three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) in July, focuses primarily on artists and bands from the alternative rock, hip hop, electronic and dance music genres, although it has also ranged into hardcore punk, experimental rock and jazz in its lineups. While it started as a showcase for just the "cutting edge"[definition needed], it later took on a broader depth and vision, keeping the cutting-edge focus but also including important artists and acts that have influenced newer performers and artists.[2] A branch planned for Berlin at Tempodrom in 2020 was cancelled.[3]
In addition to music, the Pitchfork Festival also includes food, beverages, art, and gig posters from local, regional, and national vendors. The Pitchfork Festival also hosts a record fair that is organized and managed by CHIRP Radio, a Chicago community radio station.
The artists and bands that were scheduled to perform at the 2020 festival are listed below. The headliners were scheduled to be the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Run the Jewels, and The National.
The 2015 Pitchfork Music Festival was held on July 17–19 at Union Park in Chicago. The event's headliners were Wilco, Sleater-Kinney, and Chance the Rapper.[12]
Italian record producer Giorgio Moroder at Pitchfork Music Festival
The 2014 Pitchfork Music Festival was held on July 18–20 at Union Park in Chicago.[13] The event's headliners were Beck, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Kendrick Lamar.[14] Three-day passes for the festival sold out by the beginning of April.[15]
The 2013 Pitchfork Music Festival was held on July 19–21 at Union Park in Chicago. The event's headliners were Björk, Belle & Sebastian, and R. Kelly.[16]
The 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival was held on July 13–15 at Union Park in Chicago. Three day passes went on sale March 9 and sold out by the end of the month.[17] The headliners were Feist, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Vampire Weekend.[18][19]
The fifth annual Pitchfork Music Festival was held on July 16–18 at Union Park. Three-day passes for the festival sold out in under a week.[25] 2010 marked the first and only year that the festival included a stand-up comedy stage.
The 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival was held July 17–19, 2009.[26] On Friday night all of the performing bands played sets consisting of songs voted for online by ticket-holders in an event Pitchfork called "Write the Night: Set Lists by Request."[27]
The 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival was held July 18–20, 2008. Three-day passes for the event sold out in May.[28] On Friday night the promotion company All Tomorrow's Parties again collaborated with Pitchfork to present a "Don't Look Back" stage, on which all of the evening's bands performed one of their classic albums in its entirety.
The 2006 Pitchfork Music Festival was the first festival organized and run entirely by Pitchfork Media. This was also the only year that the Pitchfork and Intonation Music Festivals were held in the same year. The 2006 Pitchfork festival drew more than 35,000 visitors to listen to 41 bands on July 29 and 30.[31]
2005 Intonation Music Festival
In 2005 Pitchfork Media was hired by a music promotion company called Skyline Chicago to curate the Intonation Festival at Union Park in Chicago. While this was not technically the "Pitchfork Music Festival," because of Pitchfork Media's prominent role in the event as well as its future success in staging similar festivals at the same location, many Chicagoans and music fans consider the 2005 event to be for all intents and purposes the first Pitchfork festival and refer to it by that name.
The 2022 Paris festival was held on 14 to 21 November 2022.[32] The festival was held over fourteen venues around Paris, including Badaboum, Carbone Club, La Boule Noire, La Place, Les Disquaires, Quartier de Bastille, Supersonic Records, Le Café de la Danse, Church of Saint-Eustache, La Gaîté Lyrique, Le Consulat, POPUP! and Supersonic.[33]
Le Café de la Danse: Elliott Armen, Faux Real, En Attendant Ana POPUP!: ML Buch, Kamal., Berwyn Badaboum: Kam-BU, L'Rain, ENNY Badaboum After Party: India Jordan, Josey Rebelle, Marina Trench Les Disquaires: Kathleen Frances, Fabiana Palladino Supersonic Records: H. Hawkline, Yard Act Supersonic: Lime Garden, Choses Sauvages, Katy J Pearson
The 2018 Paris festival was held on November 1–3. The headliners were Bon Iver, Kaytranada and Mac DeMarco.[38]Pitchfork also hosted Avant-Garde, a block party held on October 30 and 31.[39]
The 2017 Paris festival was held on November 2–4. The headliners were The National, Jungle and Run the Jewels.[40]Pitchfork also hosted Avant-Garde, a block party held on October 31 and November 1.[41]
Oval Space / Canvas / Pickle Factory: Tirzah, Koreless, Good Sad Happy Bad, Lucinda Chua, Nabihah Iqbal, Kareem Ali, L'Rain, Harvey Causon, Haich Ber Na, Tiberius B
The inaugural edition of Pitchfork Music Festival Berlin was to be held on 8–9 May 2020, but was cancelled. The headliners were going to be Lianne La Havas and Modeselektor.[51]
The first edition of Pitchfork Music Festival held in Mexico City was announced on October 16, 2023, with dates set for March 6–9, 2024. The lineup is yet to be announced.[52]
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