With summer approaching and students being released from their classes, entering into that period of summer break freedom, this season sets itself up as a stage for exciting festivals and music, impressive new television series, and highly anticipated film releases to be the buzz from the younger generations throughout these sweaty solstitial months.
Throughout the summer, although there are numerous music festivals in Chicago, three main festivals outshine the rest, with Lollapalooza taking center stage. Lollapalooza is a four-day festival held in Grant Park. The big artists at Lollapalooza this year will be Tyler the Creator, SZA, Future, and Metro Boomin. This group of artists has a wide range of listeners making Lollapalooza an attractive festival for people of many ages and demographics. This variety of listeners allows Lollapalooza to pull massive crowds from all over the Chicago land. The festival is from August 1st-4th and will be one to look out for.
The next large music festival this summer is the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash. It is a hip-hop-focused festival but will draw lots of attention with popular names like Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, and Chief Keef. The festival will last three days from June 14th through June 16th. Summer Smash will be hosted at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois. With some of the biggest names in the industry, this festival is going to pull large crowds of hip-hop enjoyers.
The final festival of the summer is Smokeout. It is a country music festival held at the United Center, both inside and outside the stadium. Some of the top country artists will be performing at Smokeout this year. The lineup features artists such as Thomas Rhett, Parker Mccollum, and Carrie Underwood. Smokeout will be held from July 11th through July 14th, and is the perfect festival for any country enthusiast.
As popular TV shows such as Bridgerton or The Umbrella Academy renew themselves this summer, expanding their popularity season by season, a variety of new and highly anticipated series poised to captivate audiences breach the screens.
One of the most anticipated series coming out of BBC productions in the UK is book-adaptation series, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, which retells the events of the first book in Holly Jacksons’ trifecta series. Released in 2019, the book follows a teenage girl, Pip, as through her school project, she unveils the mysterious murder of Andie Bell, events that took place in her small town five years prior. With themes of crime, adolescence, and small-town mystery, this series debut from book pages to the screens is a release to look out for.
Another series debut, The Acolyte, emerges as a beacon for sci-fi aficionados, set in the expansive Star Wars universe. Developed by visionary creators, the show teases a deep dive into the darker corners of the galaxy far, far away. Through a Jedi master and Padawan pupil, Star War fanatics will be met with a tantalizing blend of mystery and intrigue when the show releases on Disney+ on June 4th.
Transitioning to a more mature series, Presumed Innocent, a gripping legal drama that promises to keep viewers on the edge of their seats, will release June 12 on Apple TV+ . With its stellar cast featuring Jake Gyllenahl and its convoluted, nail-biting plot twists, the series offers a compelling exploration of justice, morality, and the complexities of the human condition. As audiences eagerly await the debut of these exciting new shows, one thing is certain; these new summer releases promise to be an electrifying, refreshing journey into the realms of comedy, sci-fi, and drama on TV.
Not only are there TV shows coming out this year, but also multiple new highly anticipated films are releasing this year. Movies such as Inside Out 2, Bad Boys Ride of Die, Despicable Me 4, Deadpool and Wolverine are highly anticipated globally.
Inside Out 2 follows Riley as she becomes a teenager The first prequel of the movie – Inside Out (2015) – immediately became one of the most coveted films of the Pixar studio series. The interaction between the different characters inside of Riley’s head, and her family connections brought joy to every viewer After the successful release of Inside Out, fans of the movie were constantly asking the same questions over and over again: When is there a sequel? Most fans of Inside Out were the same age or even younger than the main character Riley. Young audiences greatly resonated with Riley and her the experiences of moving to a new city, adjusting to a new school, and the challenges in maintaining one’s hobbies, friendships, and joy. After nine years, the bridge between us and Riley was once again opened through Inside Out 2 as fans of the prequel became teenagers and adolescents.
Despicable Me 4 is arguably the most anticipated movie of the year. The story follows Gru and his family as they welcome a new member, Gru Jr, who delights in tormenting his dad. When Gru encounters a new villain, Maxime Le Mal, and his girlfriend Valentina, the entire family goes on the run. The minions, as always, play a crucial role in the movie by adding to the excitement and humor. No matter what you are, the adventures of Gru and the minions are sure to bring a smile to your face as you delight in the irony of the self-proclaimed “villain” doing the hero’s work to battle a greater evil.
Deadpool and Wolverine bring together the undead heroes in a bid to save the world. Wolverine recovers from his injuries from his battle with his clone in the previous Wolverine series. After his recovery, he joins forces with Deadpool (Wade Wilson), his former colleague from the old X-Men universe, to defeat a common enemy. Hugh Jackman previously announced that he will depart from his role as Wolverine after the release of Logan (2017). Yet Jackman’s surprising return as Wolverine will surely make a riveting cut as Renolds’ thrilling play of Deadpool smashes the fourth wall and the 2024 Box Office.
Finally, Bad Boys Ride or Die follows detectives Mike and Marcus as they take on new criminals in the Magic City of Miami. Full of car chases, aerial stunts, and outrageous humor, the movie continues not only their exciting adventures, but the brotherhood and camaraderie that forged along the way. Summer is almost here, and after a whole month of AP tests and final exams, it’s finally time for you to go on a marvelous summer journey. With festivals, new TV shows, and movies like Inside Out 2, Despicable Me 4, and Deadpool and Wolverine, there’s a lot to enjoy with friends and family in the theater. TV shows like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and The Acolyte are shows that you don’t wanna miss, make sure to sit in front of your TV on time! Grab a comfy pillow, hop on your couch, take out those refreshing icy sodas from your fridge, fill your bowl with popcorn and chips and get ready for your 2024 summer adventure!
