June 19, 2025
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Merchant Street MusicFest set to return; lineup announced

Tickets to go on sale Monday

By Stephanie Markham
Attendees surround the fountain at the Harold & Jean Miner Festival Square during the 2023 Merchant Street MusicFest in downtown Kankakee.

Attendees surround the fountain at the Harold & Jean Miner Festival Square during the 2023 Merchant Street MusicFest in downtown Kankakee. (Daily Journal/Tiffany Blanchette)

KANKAKEE – More than two dozen music acts have been announced for this summer’s Merchant Street MusicFest, with headliners to include Warren G, Bright Light Social Hour and the All American Throwbacks.

The annual two-day festival is spearheaded by the Kankakee Public Library and brings thousands of music fans to the Harold & Jean Miner Festival Square in downtown Kankakee, where three stages are jam-packed with musical performers.

Ticket sales are set to begin Monday for this year’s festival, which is scheduled for July 25 and 26.

Tickets cost $10 for Friday admission and $15 for Saturday admission at the gate. Kids 12 and younger are free both days.

Advance tickets will be available online and on the third floor of the Kankakee Public Library; two-day passes will be available during the pre-sale for $20.

Fans fill the lawn at the Hill Stage as Local H's Scott Lucas plays a guitar solo at the 2024 Merchant Street MusicFest in downtown Kankakee.

Fans fill the lawn at the Hill Stage as Local H's Scott Lucas plays a guitar solo at the 2024 Merchant Street MusicFest in downtown Kankakee. (Daily Journal/Tiffany Blanchette)

The 2024 event attracted more than 8,000 people between both days, an increase from 2023’s attendance of about 6,300 between both days.

Allison Beasley, director of the Kankakee Public Library, said she expects attendance will climb again this year, especially with the wide appeal of rapper Warren G.

Set to headline the Merchant Street Stage on Saturday of the fest, Warren G is known for helping to popularize West Coast hip-hop during the 1990s.

Not only does Warren G bring a sense of nostalgia for the Generation X and older millennial crowd, but he also remains a relevant performer, Beasley said. He recently helped honor his close friend Snoop Dogg at the 2025 BET Awards.

But fans of other music genres shouldn’t be disappointed, either.

Headlining the Merchant Street Stage on Friday of the fest will be the All American Throwbacks, a Chicago-area emo and pop punk cover band known for energetic performances of hit songs from bands such as My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and Blink 182.

“We’re trying to do a little bit of everything, so Merchant Street MusicFest will have something that appeals to everyone,” Beasley said.

Everything from punk, indie, rock, R&B, gospel, bluegrass and jazz to country will be represented.

Another headliner, slated for a Saturday performance on the Hill Stage, is the Bright Light Social Hour, a psychedelic rock band from Austin, Texas, known for its high-energy performances and innovative sound blending elements of different genres.

Spectators gather at the Hill Stage during Merchant Street MusicFest in July 2023 in downtown Kankakee.

Spectators gather at the Hill Stage during the Merchant Street MusicFest in July 2023 in downtown Kankakee. (Daily Journal/Tiffany Blanchette)

Beasley said the number of local musicians set to play this year’s fest has increased.

The fest typically features about one-third local acts.

In response to feedback from previous years, more than half of this year’s performers will be from the Kankakee region, with at least 20 of the estimated 33 to 34 acts meeting that criteria.

“I love feedback. The good, the bad, the ugly – I’ll take it all,” Beasley said. “We try not to let the fest get stale. Every year, we try to look fresh.”

Another change is that the age for free child admission will be 12 instead of 5, making it less costly for families to attend with their kids.

The fest also will feature art vendors on both days.

Beasley said this will be the library’s 15th festival it has planned as the Kankakee Events Partnership.

The library took over the event in 2010 and skipped the year 2020 due to the pandemic.

For more information and set times, visit merchantstreetmusicfest.com or see the Merchant Street MusicFest’s Facebook page. An MSMF 2025 playlist also is available on Spotify for a taste of the music that will be coming to Kankakee.

Announced artists

Merchant Street Stage - Friday

  • All American Throwbacks
  • Lowdown Brass Band
  • Three’s A Crowd
  • Katzpa Jammas
  • DJ Jason Neuman

Merchant Street Stage - Saturday

  • Warren G
  • N Deep
  • 10 Grand Band
  • Winslow, Arizona: A Tribute to The Eagles
  • King Chameleon
  • DJ Broke Dusty

Hill Stage - Friday

  • The People Brothers Band
  • Reilly Downes & The Acid Cowboys
  • Ur Mom
  • Deconstructing Jim
  • Chicos

Hill Stage - Saturday

  • The Bright Light Social Hour
  • Smut
  • Nevernever
  • wht.rbbt.obj
  • Carrying Torches
  • Slap Bunt
  • Junebug

Platform Stage - Friday

  • Kara Grainger
  • Ivan Singh Trio
  • Master James and the Show Stoppahs
  • Phones and Bones

Platform Stage - Saturday

  • Dottie Kelly
  • JR Clark Band
  • Los Tamales Jazz