After two decades as one of the most acclaimed music festivals in North America, the Pitchfork Music Festival will not return to Chicago in 2025, organizers revealed.

The news was shared both on the festival website and social media accounts, explaining that “as the music festival landscape continues to rapidly evolve, we have made the difficult decision not to host Fork Chicago Music Festival in 2025.

“This decision was not taken lightly,” the statement continued. “For 19 years, the Pitchfork Music Festival has been a celebration of music, art and community: a space where memories are made, voices are amplified, and the shared love of music brings us all together . The Festival, while consistent with the tastes of Pitchfork’s editorial team, has always been a collaborative effort, taking on a life of its own as a vital pillar of Chicago’s arts scene.

“We are deeply grateful to the city of Chicago that has hosted our festival for nearly two decades, to the artists who have graced our stages with unforgettable performances, and to the fans who have brought unparalleled energy year after year. Thanks to At Pluto and the rest of the hardworking Festival team whose dedication and creativity have been the backbone of every event, as well as to the wider community whose spirit and support has made the Festival a truly unique experience. And thank you to Mike Reed for founding the Festival and for your inspiring vision.

“Pitchfork will continue to produce events in 2025 and beyond,” they concluded. “We look forward to continuing to create spaces where music, culture and community intersect in uplifting ways – and we hope to see you there.” »

The Pitchfork Music Festival traces its roots to the 2005 Intonation Music Festival, which saw local promoters Skyline Chicago recruit Pitchfork Media to host their inaugural event in Chicago’s Union Park. Although Intonation returned in 2006, Pitchfork Media split off to create its own event under the name Pitchfork Music Festival.

Over the years, the festival has featured many famous headliners, including Animal Collective, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Slint, Björk, Wilco, A Tribe Called Quest, the Isley Brothers and more. Although their 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it returned for good in 2021, with this year’s event taking place in July and featuring Jamie xx, Alanis Morissette and Black Pumas as headliners.

The festival has also expanded outside of its Union Park headquarters, hosting international events in Paris between 2011 and 2022; in London from 2021 to 2023; Berlin in 2020 and 2022; and a unique event in Mexico this year.

News of Pitchfork Music Festival’s demise comes months later Conde Nast announced in January that staff layoffs take place the site being absorbed by another Condé title, the men’s magazine GQ.