Last weekend, Miche Fest returned to the South Side, putting international stars side by side with local vendors, DJs, and artists. More than 10,000 people attended the festival each day, setting a festival record, according to a spokesperson. For its sixth year, the festival—named in homage to micheladas, the spicy Mexican drink—moved from Pilsen’s Harrison Park to Oakwood Beach in Kenwood, where it delivered a weekend with headliners Kali Uchis, Chino Pacas, Luis R. Conriquez and Junior H. Despite its exponential growth, at its core, Miche Fest continued to uplift local vendors, DJs, and artists alike.
“Local talent is very meaningful to us,” said Fernando Nieto, Miche Fest’s founder and co-owner. “Miche Fest began with featuring local talent only. There is so much talent in our neighborhoods and it’s important for us to create a platform for those who are doing big things and help support one another in our journey to success.”
The festival consisted of two stages, one of which was solely dedicated to beloved local DJs like Mista Ricksta, Mo Mami, MAMICANA, Pablo Serrano, Nanoos, Chava, M-Dok and more.
“It’s a homegrown festival, and I’m from Chicago. I no longer live in Chicago, and so coming home for this just felt really special,” said MAMICANA, who flew in from New York City to perform at the festival. She closed out the Playa stage the first night of the festival, delivering a set filled with sounds running from Afrobeats to juke to reggaeton: a little bit of something for everyone.
“We love house music, and so I think that helped me build my foundation of who I am as an artist and what genres I want to push while also honoring where I’m from,” MAMICANA said, describing what sets a Chicago crowd apart and how that’s shaped her career.
It was also special for these DJs to be in a lineup filled with familiar faces and colleagues.
“She killed that shit last night,” DJ Nanoos said, referencing MAMICANA. The Palestinian American DJ co-hosts dance parties with MAMICANA in Chicago and New York under Go Baba! Worldwide and GYRATE. This time, she tailored her set for the Latinx crowd.
“It was really cool to be able to just focus on finding songs and things that feel like it’s still me, but also caters to the environment that I’m in,” Nanoos said.
Miche Fest also invited Chicago DJ Mista Ricksta. It was his festival debut, which he described as an honor. “Back in the day, when [Miche Fest was] at Harrison Park, I would just stay pulling up to them,” he said.
Like Mista Ricksta, many of the DJs on the Playa stage had been to the festival as attendees in the past, and now got the opportunity to show out.
“As a once eighteen-year-old DJ that was trying to make a name for himself I know what it feels like to wish for an opportunity to be showcased,” Nieto said. “The big names we book are the driving force behind the lineup but the local DJ’s and artists that we bring are the ones that keep Chicago’s nightlife scene alive. They give our event character and make us unique.”
Mista Ricksta, who has only been DJing for a little over a year, got behind the decks for an early set on the first day, setting the tone for the rest of the weekend.
“I came with anything from reggaeton edits, remixes, some huarachas to some house edits,” he said. “Let me show you how we get down!”
Kombi Chicago, a Latinx event production collective, pulled up and stationed their namesake party bus, a Volkswagen Kombi, at the entrance of the festival, and hosted a DJ lineup of their own. DJ Flores Negras was throwing down on Saturday, welcoming festival attendees with her distinctive blend of dark wave and cumbia.
“You always need representation in every city when there’s a big festival; it’s good to highlight people,” Flores Negras said. Flores Negras hosts several parties throughout the city, including Cumbia y Los Goths and FILTH, which cater toward underground ravers.
Next to the Kombi bus, was an artist village curated by Pilsen artist Sentrock, with canvases stationed for live murals. Some of the muralists who joined Sentrock included Fedz, Kozmo, PabsPrints, Birdmilk, and more.
Vendors were lined up in a corridor down the middle of the festival, serving up a myriad of Latinx food and (of course, micheladas). Copa America games played on a large screen. And on Saturday, Kali Uchis closed out the night with a melodic, dreamy performance.
Poor weather caused some delays on the first day, and the chance of storms bled into the second day. Local Mexican regional groups El Malo and Los KBros were dropped from the lineup, and the festival was forced to start at a later time.
But the rest of the day continued as planned. Chino Pacas even brought out his daughter during his performance, reminding us all that Miche is still a family affair and an all-ages festival.
MAMICANA closed out the Playa stage to an enthused crowd. 
Kali Uchis wrapped up the first day of the festival with a sweet and angelic set on the main stage. Photo by Jordan Esparza-Kelley 
Chino Pacas brings his daughter out to the Chicago crowd at the start of his performance. Photo by Jesus J. Montero 
Flores Negras never fails to mix crowd favorites with dark new wave sounds for a unique set. Photo by Jordan Esparza-Kelley
Junior H closed out the event with a stellar performance, complete with a fireworks display that rivaled any in the city. He ended the night with “Disfruto lo Malo”—a fan favorite from him and Natanael Cano’s 2019 album Corridos Tumbados, and the anthem for those passionate about corridos verdes (ballads about cannabis).
By the end of the weekend, Miche Fest was able to keep its identity despite larger programming and a new venue. It still felt like a community festival at heart.
Jocelyn Martinez-Rosales is a Mexican-American independent journalist from Belmont Cragin who is passionate about covering communities of color with a social justice lens. She’s also the music editor at the Weekly.