Foxy Shazam performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Riot Fest 2026 is here!!!!!!!!! The three-day festival taking place in Chicago’s Douglass Park Sept. 18-20 kicked-off with an incredible day of music spanning a wide range of genres. Soul Glo, Violet Grohl, The Paradox and many more artists wowed fans during the day and things only got more exciting after the sun went down with Alkaline Trio, Pixies, and Twenty One Pilots performing blistering sets.
Hip-hop fans had a lot of love on Friday as Tricky, Joey Valence & Brae, and Def Jam legend Slick Rick all shared some of the best sets of Day One.
Slick Rick performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
No one tells a story like Slick Rick and almost 40 years after the release of his debut album, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, he’s only gotten more charismatic. Iconic tracks like “The Show,” “La Di Da Di,” and “Children’s Story” had everyone vibing during his early evening set on the Rise Stage.
Another highlight of the day was a performance that was a year in the making, the Sex Pistols fronted by Frank Carter. The group – featuring Steve Jones, Paul Cook, and Glen Matlock – was initially supposed to play in 2025, but Jones broke his wrist causing that set to be canceled. The show was worth the wait as Carter’s intensity drove the packed crowd into nothing short of anarchy (in the U.S. rather than the UK).
Sex Pistols Feat. Frank Carter perform at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Perhaps a bit of professional rivalry helped to fuel the intensity as Sex Pistols’s original vocalist John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) is also performing at Riot Fest with Public Image Ltd the following day. The always-outspoken Lydon is sure to share his option of his former bandmates during PiL’s afternoon set.
DeathbyRomy performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
The L.A.-based singer-songwriter DeathbyRomy also put on one of the most electric shows of the day, dazzling with her incredible stage presence and intoxicating music. “XXXHIBITIONIST” had everyone crossing their arms overhead to make giant Xs while singing at the top of their lungs.
Foxy Shazam, Rise Against, Bratmobile, 3OH!3, and Motion City Soundtrack were further Friday night highlights as, of course, were the evening’s headliners Twenty One Pilots. Check out photos from all the Friday fun at Riot Fest below. More information can be found at RiotFest.org.
(Photos by Laurie Fanelli)
Motion City Soundtrack performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Fans enjoy Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Motion City Soundtrack performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Sex Pistols Feat. Frank Carter perform at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Sex Pistols Feat. Frank Carter perform at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Sex Pistols feat. Frank Carter perform at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Sex Pistols Feat. Frank Carter perform at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Fans enjoy Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Sex Pistols Feat. Frank Carter perform at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Fans enjoy Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Slick Rick performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Slick Rick performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Stephen Egerton performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Bayside performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Fans enjoy Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Bayside performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Bratmobile performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Fans enjoy Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Bratmobile performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Tricky performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Tricky performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
3OH!3 performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Fans enjoy Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
3OH!3 performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
3OH!3 performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Mariachi El Bronx performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Fans enjoy Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Soul Glow performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Soul Glow performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Soul Glow performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Panic Shack performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Glixen performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Foxy Shazam performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Foxy Shazam performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Fans enjoy Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
DeathbyRomy performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
DeathbyRomy performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
DeathbyRomy performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Fans enjoy Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
DeathbyRomy performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Guttermouth performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Guttermouth performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Stephen Egerton performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Fans enjoy Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Slothrust performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Fans enjoy Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Slothrust performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Clocking Out, with William Varanda and Michael Quiroz, perform at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Division Minuscula performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Panic Shack performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Foxy Shazam performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Slick Rick performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Sex Pistols Feat. Frank Carter perform at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
DeathbyRomy performs at Riot Fest in Douglass Park in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
