Southside Summerfest is once again back at Marist. The tradition began last year when Marist was looking for another opportunity to bring the community together.

“Block parties and summer parties are something that people enjoy in the Chicagoland area,” said Fr. Tom Hurley, Vice President of Mission and Advancement at Marist.

His work with the Old Saint Pat’s World’s Largest Block Party inspired him to bring a festival to the suburbs. “I had experience down in Old St. Patrick’s where I was the pastor, we had the world’s largest block party that ran for over 30 years. And it was just a really simple formula: bands, people, nice weather, and some adult beverages.”

Last summer was the first year of Southside Summerfest, and its success is hoped to be replicated once again. Hurley feels that this year will be even better than the previous year. “I’m feeling really good about this year’s event because of the fact that we got through the first year, so at least now we have a template from which to organize this year’s event.” He would like a good day of weather and people to come back to have a good time.

This year, Southside Summerfest will be headlined by “Freddy Jones Band,” “Mr. Blotto,” and “American Pie” will also perform.

Tickets are $30 presale and $40 at the door; the event is open to anybody over the age of 21, not just the Marist community.

“We want to be a hospitable place that opens our doors to everybody so that they can have a good time on the south side of Chicago…A lot of people don’t like going downtown much anymore…sometimes going downtown for some of those events is kind of a headache. This is right here in the neighborhood,” Fr. Hurley stated.

They are also looking for volunteers to help run the event, which will be taking place on the football field.