NUNN ON THE RUN
Sun. May 28, 2023 12:00 AM
by Jerry Nunn
Grant Park was taken over during Memorial Day Weekend by Suenos Music Festival, a Latin music-focused initiative set in Chicago, Illinois. This was the second year for the organizers to create a memorable event and improve on the endeavor.
They accomplished this goal in many ways and plans are already being made for the festival to grow even more.
The new mayor Brandon Johnson made a commitment to Suenos being in existence as long as he is in office and announced that this past weekend.
On May 27 LGBTQ+ fan favorite Ivy Queen performed late Saturday afternoon with a spirited performance that acknowledged her loyal fanbase. Dominican rapper El Alfa and Colombia's Feid both represented each of their countries well with tight sets that led to Puerto Rican duo Wisin & Handel closing the place down. This brought a wide range of spectators into the carnival of Suenos because of careers that started in the '90s for some of the performers.
Sunday had warmer weather for the extremely popular Becky G to work in and Grupo Firme ended the fiesta with their regional banda music. Having an out member of the band with Jhonny Cazares has only made the young people from a new generation love the group more and appreciate longtime traditional music.
Across over 300 acres, Suenos captivated audiences with performances and had vendors selling their products. Liquor companies such as D'usse Cognac and Casa Bacardi offered promotional items onsite for some attendees. The Sorry Papi lounge was a new addition to the music extravaganza in 2023 and welcomed women, including trans women, to the secluded area for make-up assistance and hair braiding.
San Diego's DJ Dynamiq talked in the press lounge about opening for Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny on two previous tours, “I knew him for a few years before he became such a big star. They asked me to play a set before his San Diego show and that led to multiple dates. It is crazy to see his growth!”
This year was a welcome return to Suenos for this Mexican DJ and he was visibly excited to see Feid and Grupo Firme perform.
He stated, “At the end of the day I am a fan of what we are doing here. I perform at Tao Sunday night for the official after-party with Chencho Corleone. Many of the performers came there after the festival like J Balvin and El Alfa last year, so I can only imagine what it will be like this year!”
Dynamiq is set to appear at Mexico's Baja Beach Fest, which was also founded by the same creators of Suenos. Aaron Ampudia and Chris Den Uijl's plan for the Windy City seems like a dream that's coming true!
For future festivities planned for 2024 please visit SuenosMusicFestival.com.