Chicago Announces House Music 40th Anniversary Celebration

40 years ago, a style of new music was emerging from Chicago. The sound was made for dance floors and was played in clubs across the city, including the Warehouse, a venue from which the nascent genre – house music – took its name.

Four decades later, house music is a global phenomenon heard in underground clubs, huge music festivals and — via Beyoncé's 2023 Renaissance tour — on stadium speakers.

This summer, the genre's birthplace, Chicago, celebrates house music's anniversary and global appeal with an official series of events, House Music 40. The new series of parties and parades kicks off on May 29 with a free day party at Chicago's Daley Plaza featuring sets from hometown heroes Derrick Carter and DJ Heather. The event will be hosted by Mother Diva, a mainstay of the Chicago scene and self-proclaimed “Madam Ambassador of House.”

Kicking off at 12pm, this lunchtime party is co-sponsored by ARC Music festival, which began in 2021 as a platform to celebrate Chicago house and all the varieties of the genre that followed.

“I grew up with house music here in Chicago. It's one of those rare global movements where we can still show our love and appreciation to many of the original pioneers and innovators,” said ARC co-founder John Curley. “House Music 40 understands that after everything these DJs have given us, it's important for us as fans to give back. It's impossible to fully thank anyone for the gift of house music, but in every action we take with ARC we aim to continue to let them know that ARC is a living monument to them and house music everywhere.”

House Music 40 is a non-profit organization that aims to raise awareness of the contributions of Chicago house artists to the global dance scene and to raise funds for members of the Chicago house scene who are experiencing health issues.

Additional anniversary events this summer include the Chicago House Music Conference on May 31, the Chicago House Music festival on June 2, the Inaugural House Music Parade and festival on August 31, and other celebrations throughout the city.

ARC Music festival returns to Chicago from August 30th to September 30th. 1 in the city's Union Park. The lineup includes Carter and DJ Heather, Marshall Jefferson, Dennis Ferrer, Armand Van Helden, Disclosure, Chicago-born star Honey Dijon, Carl Cox playing b2b with Green Velvet, German techno pioneer Sven Väth, a redux set from Kaskade, current phenom Dom Dolla, grime veteran Skepta and many more.