Several hours of storms delayed music festivals, sporting events and other outdoor activities in the Chicago area Sunday as storms moved over the region throughout the day.
The threat of scattered thunderstorms developing over parts of Cook, Will, and Kankakee counties will persist until 10 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. The storms could produce lightning and heavy downpours. A few may become severe, with damaging winds, hail and a slight chance for tornadoes.
Sueños Music Festival in Grant Park was disrupted for the second time Sunday as the park was evacuated about 8 p.m. due to the threat of severe weather, cutting the day’s performances short.
In Chicago, there’s a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10 p.m., meteorologists said.
Several hours of intense morning storms delayed the start of Day 2 of the music festival.
Many of the afternoon sets were canceled but the festival got back on track in the afternoon as the first round of storms ended. But Maluma’s evening set was cut short, and headliner Peso Pluma’s performance was canceled due to the second round Sunday evening.
Earlier Sunday, festival organizers announced the delay over social media, advising attendees to wait until further notice before heading to Grant Park.
UPDATE: You spoke, we listened ✨
We’ve been working really hard behind the scenes to add back in as many artists to the lineup. Thank you to the artists teams for working with us!
Mil gracias por su paciencia familia, we’re ready to make Year 3 legendary ❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/ku6hVBj981
— Sueños Festival (@SuenosFestival) May 26, 2024
Fans line up at the festival gate waiting for an announcement about the fate of the rain-delayed Suenos Music Festival on Sunday morning. Some good news came around midday with word that the evening sets would go on as scheduled.
Alex Wroblewski/For The Sun-Times
That did not deter diehard fans of the two-day event from showing up despite the rain. A group of fans at the front of the line started chanting “open the door!” at security guards, followed minutes later by an a cappella rendition of “Ella Baila Sola” by Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma.
Lizeth Valle, 21, said she was going to Sueños rain or shine. She’d been getting ready for the festival since 5 a.m. with her friend Ashley Lopez, 21. The two lined up behind the crowd, using their Mexican flag as a shield from more rain.
“In night and in the day, we are still here today,” Lopez said. She had been waiting out in the rain since 9 a.m. to see the old-school reggaetón act of the day: Alexis y Fido. It was one of the acts that was originally slated to be cut by the delay but was later rescheduled.
Weather also affected the Maxwell Street Market across town, which closed hours earlier than expected.
The market, which opened for the first time this year at 9 a.m. Sunday along Maxwell Street between Halsted Street and Union Avenue, was shut down by 11 a.m. after an inconsistent drizzle turned into a heavy downpour.
In the evening, O’Hare and Midway airports also experienced some disruptions due to the weather. There were delays of 35 minutes at O’Hare and 22 minutes at Midway by 8:30 p.m. Twenty-five flights were canceled at O’hare.
Before Sunday’s daytime downpour, guitar music boomed from speakers on West Maxwell and South Union streets as a live band played for a handful of spectators.
Maxwell Street Market vendors were selling plants, bracelets, shoes and other items. Among the vendors was Jawi Opara, who sells vinyl records and self-crafted artwork, among other things.
The Maxwell Street Market “is Chicago, it’s the history of Chicago,” said Opara, 72. “It’s a great place to shop, see your friends and meet new people.”
The Randolph Street Market Festival at 1341 W. Randolph St., a weekend antique market ongoing since 2003, remained open Sunday despite the weather. Most vendors were indoors.
The White Sox game against the Baltimore Orioles scheduled for 1:10 p.m. was delayed until about 2:50.
More than 65,000 people from the Chicago area and across the country were expected this holiday weekend at Sueños, making it one of the largest Latin music festivals in the U.S.
Contributing: Violet Miller
“A cheer for the Latinos!” a high-pitched Jowell called to damp Sueños attendees who waited out the weather. Though the two set expectations high, the remainder of their set was at times hard to follow.
The set, scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Grant Park, was canceled due to issues on both sides, organizers said.
Yet the Sueños headliner filled Grant Park for the first night of Chicago’s biggest annual Latin music event.
Una multitud se dio cita en el Grant Park para disfrutar del mayor festival de música latina de la ciudad, que se espera que vuelva a congregar a un público alegre el domingo.
They were detached at times, but fans showed they knew all the words to “LISA” and “Riri.”
This 25-year-old producer and performer is behind some of the hottest, catchiest tracks today.
His set included “La Diabla,” which made him the first Mexican artist to top the global Spotify chart, and his latest hit, “Corazón de Piedra.”
Rels B, the 30-year-old rapper and record producer from Mallorca, Spain, opened his Saturday set with his 2019 hit single “A Mí.”
Laura Davis is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Broadway, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
