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ARC Chicago 2025 brought generational talent back to the home of house music
With its prized ARC After Dark programme and a spotlight on the biggest stars in the game, the annual house bonanza returned over Labor Day Weekend for its fifth edition. Here’s what went down
It’s hard to believe that it’s been just five years since the inaugural edition of Chicago’s ARC Music Festival took place. Now holding its position as the Second City’s most prodigious house music event, ARC set its sights on expansion in 2025, bringing its “most ambitious curation yet” to Chicago’s Union Park on Labor Day Weekend, where it goes ahead annually each summer.
Staying true to its promise, ARC brought a monster line-up to the midwest this year – its most “sonically diverse” to date, according to the festival. Coming complete with emerging tastemakers, never-before-seen back-to-back performances, and established names including Floorplan, KETTAMA, Green Velvet, HAAi, Jamie xx, DESIREE, Hiroko Yamamura, and plenty more, ARC 2025 marked a landmark edition.
On top of its regular three-day schedule at Union Park, ARC brought its revered After Dark programme back for another outing this year, this time presented by Mixmag. Over the course of four nights, we saw generational talent step up to a series of booths across the city as part of ARC’s official afterparty programme. Iconic Chicago venues including Radius, Serum, Concord Music Hall, Smartbar, and Cermak Hall all opened their doors, bringing label showcases and huge takeovers to each after-hours event. With multiple stacked bills featuring everyone from Carl Craig to KI/KI, Héctor Oaks to VTSS, ARC After Dark took the stamina of Union Park late into the night.
To recap this year’s monumental edition and another incredible ARC After Dark programme, we’re looking back at some of the best photos from this year's events. Check them out below.
Grab your tickets for ARC Music Festival 2026 here
