Jefferson Park Forward

Jefferson Park Open Mic Night!
2025-07-07 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago)
Jefferson Park Forward is excited to extend our monthly open mic night in our neighborhood with our friends at The Brig!

Singers, songwriters, instrumentalists – all are welcome at the monthly Jefferson Park Open Mic at The Brig. Casual, friendly, and a great chance to play your music on a local community stage. Free to play, free to attend!

Monthly, every second Tuesday of the month. All ages!

Back Porch Music Series
2025-07-13 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-07-27 14:00 - 15:00
FREE CONCERT SERIES! Join the Jefferson Park Forward, and local co-sponsors as we present the Back Porch Music Series. This event recurs on select Sundays in Jefferson Memorial Park, featuring talented local artists who will entertain us from the porch of the Esdohr House (just south of the JMP Fieldhouse). Grab your lawn chair, a snack, and your listening ears for some summer fun in the park. NOTE: these concerts occur on the same day as the Jefferson Park Sunday Market, so make a day of it!

Thanks to the Jefferson Park Memorial Advisory Council and the Chicago Park District for making this event possible! These events are also sponsored by the Jefferson Park Chamber of Commerce and the Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association.

JUNE 22: Buzz Hunter – Singer/Songwriter and Nashville recording artist, Buzz Hunter will be bringing his music to Jefferson Park. Buzz is a former high school principal, where a trip to his office could be a musical experience.

JULY 13: You Know Who – a neighborhood band of wise old owls playing decades of rock and pop favorites, and a cool deep cut or two. Flocking soon to the back porch of the Esdohr House.

JULY 27: +AXONS+ – Axons is the songwriting project of Jefferson Park community leader Adele Nicholas. Axons’ most recent album, I Object to Everything, is inspired by the true story of how two federal prisoners escaped from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago by rappelling 17 stories down the side of the building on ropes fashioned from braided bedsheets sewn together with dental floss in December of 2012.

JPF General Meeting
2025-07-17 19:00 - 20:00
Join us for our next JPF General Member Meeting on Thursday, July 17 from 7-8pm! We’ll be in the Gateway Lounge (Annex) at Copernicus Center.

Come meet your neighbors, grab a refreshment from the Gateway Lounge (bar will be open!) and join us for local updates including:

• Local Summer Events

• Legislative Update from Rep. Mike Quigley’s Office

• Update from Copernicus Center

• Preview of the Jeff Fest Community Stage – local musicians performing live!

Following the meeting, we’ll head to Rex Tavern for a social hour. Bring a friend and see you there!

JPF GENERAL MEETING

THURSDAY, JULY 17

7-8 PM

COPERNICUS CENTER GATEWAY LOUNGE (ANNEX), 5938 W LAWRENCE

SOCIAL HOUR AT REX TAVERN TO FOLLOW

RSVP HERE

JPF Community Stage at Jeff Fest
2025-08-01 18:00 - 22:00
Jefferson Park Forward is hosting the Community Stage at Jeff Fest for the 7th year! This year will feature 8 bands of all original songwriters and recording artists from Jefferson Park and the surrounding area. Come support live music, original music, and your neighbors at the JPF Community Stage!

FRIDAY 6-8pm: JPF Happy Hour at the Community Stage Beer Tent!

FRIDAY BAND LINE UP:6:00pm – Noiseland (https://www.instagram.com/noiseland_/ ?; https://noise-land.bandcamp.com )7:15pm – Miniskirt (https://www.instagram.com/miniskirt_chi/ ; https://miniskirtchi.bandcamp.com/album/miniskirt-s-t-ep )8:45pm – Josephine (https://linktr.ee/Josephineluhmusic )

JPF Community Stage at Jeff Fest
2025-08-02 13:00 - 22:00
Jefferson Park Forward is hosting the Community Stage at Jeff Fest for the 7th year! This year will feature 8 bands of all original songwriters and recording artists from Jefferson Park and the surrounding area. Come support live music, original music, and your neighbors at the JPF Community Stage!

SATURDAY LINE UP:1:00pm – Chicago Music and Acting Academy (https://www.chicagomaa.org)3:30pm – Jefferson Park Songwriters5:00pm – Michelles (https://michellesband.com )7:15pm – Surgery Cult (https://surgerycult.bandcamp.com )8:30pm – Baron Von Future (http://www.baronvonfuture.com )

Jefferson Park Open Mic Night!
2025-08-11 19:00 - 22:00
Jefferson Park Forward is excited to extend our monthly open mic night in our neighborhood with our friends at The Brig!

Singers, songwriters, instrumentalists – all are welcome at the monthly Jefferson Park Open Mic at The Brig. Casual, friendly, and a great chance to play your music on a local community stage. Free to play, free to attend!

Monthly, every second Monday of the month. All ages!

JPF Community Stage at Chicago Italian Beef Fest
2026-07-31 18:00 - 22:00, 2026-08-01 14:00 - 22:00, 2026-08-02 15:30 - 18:30
It’s that time again: Time for live, local bands at the JPF Community Stage in Jefferson Park! Grab a blanket, pull up a chair, or better yet, get on your feet and rock out to these original songwriters in a wide range of genre, all in the verdant cradle of Jefferson Memorial Park (on the Higgins Avenue side).

This year’s lineup is:

FRIDAY, JULY 31:6:00 PM • Ian McKinley – https://ianmckinleymusic.com/7:30 PM • Dexter – http://www.dexterchicago.com9:00 PM • Emily Jane Powers – https://emilyjanepowers.com/

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12:30 PM • DJ Sliam – https://open.spotify.com/artist/5k9hoBWDCQ3DUpgbgByZTV4:00 PM • 8-Bit Creeps – https://8bitcreeps.bandcamp.com/5:30 PM • The Prime – https://theprimechicago.com/7:00 PM • Salisman – https://salisman.bandcamp.com/8:30 PM • Little Church – https://littlechurch.bandcamp.com/

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23:00 PM • Chicago Music and Acting Academy – https://www.chicagomaa.org/5:30 PM • Jefferson Park Songwriters
