Auditions are June 14th, June 28th & July 12th; Finalists perform at T.I.P. Fest at Oakwood 39th St. Beach on August 30th
The Chicago Park District, in partnership with the John Walt Foundation, is proud to host the 10th annual Teens In the Park (T.I.P.) Festival on August 30th, 2025. Ahead of the festival, artists must register for one of three auditions to be eligible to participate in the culminating event.
The first audition takes place at Revere Park, 2509 W. Irving Park Rd., on Saturday, June 14, 2025 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Followed by the second audition at Washington Park, 5531 S. Martin Luther King Dr., on Saturday, June 28, 2025 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and the third and final audition at Austin Town Hall Park, 5610 W. Lake St., from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Online pre-registration is highly encouraged and available until July 12th. Visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/tip-fest to view the full schedule and register to perform at one of the auditions. Please be advised that by pre-registration allows for organizers to review and prepare musical tracks prior to the day-of event.
“We are excited to be celebrating a decade of uplifting our young, local talent,” said Chicago Park District Superintendent and CEO Carlos Ramirez Rosa. “T.I.P. Fest launched with a very successful showcase of Chicago’s very best singer, rappers, spoken word artists and dancers that acquired meaningful production and performance experience before stepping on the main stage they shared with world-renowned artist, Chance the Rapper.”
The Park District continues to partner with the John Walt Foundation, a local nonprofit empowering and enabling youth across multiple artistic platforms to help mentor as well as build their artistic futures.
The T.I.P. Fest stage gives young artists, including singers, dancers, poets, spoken word artists, and musicians the platform to showcase their art and interact with other creators. From groups to solo performing artists, works from all genres, ethnicities, and languages are highly encouraged to demonstrate their talents.
Audition Information
Each audition will feature a panel of judges made up of representatives from the Chicago Park District, the John Walt Foundation, and T.I.P. Fest Alumni. Artists’ presentations must be up to 3 minutes.
The top performances from each audition will be chosen by the judges to advance to the final performance at Oakwood Beach, 4100 S. DuSable LakeShore Drive, on August 30th from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
At the conclusion of T.I.P. Fest, the first-place performance will receive $1,000, second place will be awarded $650, and the third-place artist will win $350.