2018 CHOSEN FEW PICNIC & FESTIVAL Report – The Woodstock of House

Posted on by Jordan Ordonez
A view from the back of the festival

It is a nearly perfect day near the beaches of Lake Michigan, on the south side of Chicago. The sun is shining, and a lake-cooled breeze brings the faint sound of a 4-on-4 bass beat to your ears. It is a sound that only a large group of subwoofers is capable of producing from that distance. Your curiosity brings you closer to the sound, the soulful heartbeat that draws you in. The bass brings you to outer borders of Jackson Park, where the bass beat is now accompanied by a set of uplifting, booming vocals and horns.

You walk further towards the center of the park, your sight and smell are the next to be delighted. An army of tents, grills, and picnic tables accompany the scent of cooking barbeque and burgers. As the music becomes more clear, you see that the tents surround a large field of diverse people dancing and singing along to House Music coming from a stage in the middle of it all.

You have arrived at the 2018 Chosen Few Picnic & Festival!!

Since 1990, the Chosen Few Picnic & Festival has grown from a small “family-reunion-inspired” community event to “one of the world’s longest-running events dedicated to House Music, attracting more than 35,000 fans each year”. According to its website, this picnic and festival has been nicknamed the “Woodstock of House” and the “Love Fest” that provides 12 hours of music and entertainment from some of the pioneers and innovators of House Music and culture. Picture this Post interviewed a few long-time attendees of the Picnic, as well as a couple newcomers.

A man who calls himself Shimmy House, who has been coming to the Picnic back when it was free, proudly describes the event as inclusive and calls the performers and DJs “evil… and evil means good.” “It’s all about love, peace, and hair grease”, according to Shimmy House. Sitting under a tent with him, Sonja W. says it’s all about “feeling the music”. Both Shimmy and Sonja praise the festival for having no fights, no clowning, and being all for the community.

According to three friends sitting in the VIP section of the festival— Serge, Dalton Lind, and Julie Courtney (pictured)— all who have not been coming to the festival as long as Shimmy, comment that they came to the Picnic for the music, the people, and “the vibe”. 

2018 CHOSEN FEW PICNIC & FESTIVAL
A few of the food vendors, just in case you didn’t bring your own grill to the Picnic.
2018 CHOSEN FEW PICNIC & FESTIVAL
The energy and “the vibe” up-close and personal.
Serge, Dalton Lind, and Julie Courtney

They came just to enjoy the nice day with nice music. They describe the event as “positive”, “united as one”, and “family-friendly”  with no violence, a notable sentiment expressed by these Chicagoans. The “music brings people together.” They have come to enjoy it.

2018 CHOSEN FEW PICNIC & FESTIVAL
View from back stage.

To find out more about the festival, bookmark the Chosen Few Picnic and Festival web page.  Plan to bring your grills, tents, kids, and dancing shoes —everyone is welcome at the Chosen Few Picnic!

 

2018 CHOSEN FEW PICNIC & FESTIVAL
You can still dance to the House Music, and see and hear the stage from the back of the festival, by your tent.

Photos by Jordan Ordonez

About the Author: Jordan “J. Ro” Ordonez

Jordan “J. Ro” Ordonez is a Chicago-based performance & street dancer, a youth teaching artist, a dance administrator, and an aspiring community leader. He has been a dancer, performer, and leader within the Hip Hop ConnXion family since 2008; and a current member of the Jus.Be House Collective (2017), the Chicago Urban Dance Collective (2018), and the BraveSoul Movement Company (2018). Jordan’s dancing has been featured in the Kiss FM’s Fanatabuloso Tour, World of Dance Chicago, Dance Chicago, Carnival Chicago, The One, RAW Artist Chicago, Adero, Dreams The Movie, Marie Poppins, and much more. As a youth teaching artist, Jordan started with Everybody Dance Now! (EDN) in 2015. Jordan is the current Chapter Director for EDN’s Chicago chapter, whose mission is to empower youth and build community through dance. Jordan is an optimist and a young leader with passions for dancing, leading, learning, and impacting his community; he prides himself on his ambition and is excited to share his passions with the world.

For more information about Jordan Ordonez visit Instagram

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