North Coast Music Festival marked its 15th anniversary last weekend with a celebration that lived up to the milestone. From Friday, August 29 through Sunday, August 31, 2025, SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL transformed into a playground for dance music fans, featuring powerhouse acts like Excision, Seven Lions, Kaskade, Chris Lake, Zedd, Rezz, and Zeds Dead. The energy spread across three massive stages—Stadium: Evolved, Shipyard 360, and Mega Vega—along with the immersive 360° Chill Dome experience. Add in a stacked roster of official Night Light afterparties, and it’s clear this anniversary edition was one for the books. Read on for a full recap of the unforgettable weekend.
Day One
It was a beautiful weekend in Chicago, with sunshine and highs in the 70s. The buzz of Day One was undeniable, as three full days of music stretched before us.
The Chill Dome lineup kicked off with SVDDEN DEATH today, before his SVDDEN DEATH PRESENTS VOYD set later that night at the Mega Vega stage. This highly anticipated Chill Dome set was made possible with underground Chicago promoters Redline for ‘Redline presents: The Core.’ The set showcased this heavy riddim icon’s rare ‘DEADROOM’ experience–where fans could experience a deep dive into SVDDEN DEATH’s dark house sound. This day-long takeover transformed The Chill Dome into a radiation-soaked, glowing reactor – pushing the space’s production capabilities to their full potential.
It was a tough act to follow, but North Coast knew what they were doing stacking the rest of the night with top-tier talent. The Mega Vega stage saw a massive bass takeover with Yookie, Infekt, Ray Volpe, Kai Wachi, and of course SVDDEN DEATH taking the stage. Wax Motif, Tinlicker, Louis The Child, and Chris Lake transformed Stadium: Evolved into a house head’s haven, while Benny Benassi, Galantis, and Kaskade kept energy high at Shipyard 360.
Festival-goers had a plethora of official Night Light afterparties to choose from; today’s selections included Chris Lake at TAO, Kaskade at House Of Blues, SVDDEN DEATH at 115 Bourbon Street, Galantis at Sound-Bar, Louis The Child at POLEKATZ, Lil Texas at The Pavilion at Branding Iron, Kai Wachi at Joe’s On Weed St, Ray Volpe at Magoos, and Ian Asher at Electric Hotel.
Day Two
Kicking off Day Two right, the festival started with a roster of local talent, as well as an ATLiens – OG Trap Set at The Chill Dome. I did not have a chance to experience the Trap Set set myself, but I learned through conversations from various festival attendees that it was a full throwback to early 2010’s trap–think Keys N Crates, Flosstradamus, and Party Favor.
The energy only kept climbing as the night unfolded. Mega Vega brought a diverse mix of bass-heavy madness and melodic journeys, with standout sets from Distinct Motive, Detox Unit, Peekaboo b2b Caspa, a rare drum & bass performance from Deadmau5, Of The Trees, and Seven Lions. Over at Shipyard 360, house grooves and infectious rhythms took over with Joshwa, Westend, LP Giobbi, and Sofi Tukker keeping the dance floor alive. Meanwhile, Stadium: Evolved leaned all the way into heavy-hitting intensity, with Jon Casey, Zingara, NGHTMRE b2b Dimension, ATLiens, and Excision closing out the night in earth-shattering fashion.
If you needed some respite away from the crowds, the air-conditioned soccer-field-sized Chill Dome provided the perfect place to do so. The space offered a variety of cushioned seating options, lighting and art installations, mesmerizing laser light shows, and a rotating cast of DJs spinning genres like drum & bass, chillhop, deep house, and more. It’s 360° layout provides a true immersive–but chill–experience, wrapping around you with soothing visuals and sound.
Other standout amenities at North Coast included Incendia’s Fire Pit Stage; the NCMF Yacht Club looking over the Shipyard Stage; Club Coast, a secret location speakeasy; Frick Frack Blackjack, and the ferris wheel. Not to mention the bevy of food and beverage vendors–including my personal favorite–Coastie Cafe, headed up by Chicago’s own Michelin Star Chef Brian Fisher. I’m still dreaming about those Japanese fried Wub Nugs.
To cap this impeccable night off, Saturday’s roster of afterparty talent featured Excision at House Of Blues, SOFI TUKKER at Ramova Theatre, Of The Trees (Odds & Ends Set) at Garcia’s, ATLiens at Joe on Weed St, NGHTMRE at TAO, LP Giobbi at Electric Hotel, Dimension at The Pavilion at Branding Iron, Zingara at Magoos, Detox Unit at Sound-Bar, and Westend & Joshwa at POLEKATZ.
Day Three
At last, the bittersweet final day of the festival arrived—but North Coast wasn’t about to let things wind down quietly. To kick things off, that surprise Liquid Stranger b2b ??? set in The Chill Dome? The special guest was none other than NGHTMRE. The unexpected pairing tore the place apart, guiding fans through a mind-bending, psychedelic ride that showcased the best of both artists’ styles in perfect harmony.
The Mega Vega stage kept the crowd moving with standout sets from MC4D, Bonnie X Clyde, KREAM, Timmy Trumpet, and ZEDD. Over at Shipyard 360, fans were treated to a dynamic mix of sounds from Taiki Nulight, Juelz, Apashe, and RL Grime. Meanwhile, Stadium: Evolved brought pure intensity all day long, with powerhouse performances by Heyz, Daily Bread, Liquid Stranger, Rezz, and Zeds Dead.
North Coast even surprised attendees with a drone show before Zeds Dead’s headlining set to celebrate the last night of this milestone installment. Countless synchronized lights lit up the Chicago sky to pay homage to the festival’s 15-year legacy. The display even finished with a ‘put your Z’s up’ to kick off the boys’ closing performance.
Sunday night’s after party billing saw Zeds Dead B2B Liquid Stranger at Ramova Theatre, Daily Bread at House of Blues, ARMNHMR at TAO, Apashe at Magoos, Bonnie X Clyde at Electric Hotel, Stooges + VKTM at The Pavillion at Branding Iron, and Brownies & Lemonade w/ Surprise Guests at POLEKATZ.
This was my first North Coast Music Festival—but definitely not my last. Experiencing the 15th anniversary was unforgettable, but it’s clear North Coast brings the magic every year. From start to finish, the weekend delivered nothing but incredible vibes and standout moments. I’m looking forward to seeing what Year 16 has in store!