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WPF Arts & Culture

WPF 2026 Cultural Stage

Wicker Park Fest's South Stage takes time each day to highlight some of the unique cultures found in our community through engaging & entertaining performances.

A suggested $10 donation at the entrance helps compensate bands and festival staff, while also supporting local nonprofits, businesses, and community programs. #SOSF

Thrift Riot Fashion Show @ WPF

Thrift Riot Fashion Show at Wicker Park Fest is where fashion breaks the rules. Forget fast fashion, this runway is built on vintage gems, thrift-store scores, upcycled masterpieces, and one-of-a-kind finds!

Home to more than 20 vintage, resale, and thrift boutiques, Wicker Park Bucktown is Chicago's ultimate shopping mecca for collectors, designers, vintage lovers, and style hunters. It's a neighborhood where fashion gets a second life, individuality comes first, and the best finds are the ones with a story.

Expect fearless runway looks built from authentic vintage, secondhand, reworked, and sustainably sourced pieces. Every outfit has a history. Every look makes a statement. This is Chicago's creative underground on full display, raw, expressive, unapologetically original, and rewriting the rules of fashion one recycled piece at a time.

Join host Amber McCulloch aka @stylepluscurves and DJ Mishaal Jan as we celebrate on Sunday, July 26, 1PM at Wicker Park Fest, South Stage!

Ultimate Combat Gauntlet

Get ready for the most intense action of the weekend as Ultimate Combat Gauntlet brings hard-hitting, high-flying, no-holds-barred professional wrestling to Wicker Park Fest!

Expect bone-crushing slams, jaw-dropping aerial attacks, fierce rivalries, and nonstop excitement as Chicago's underground wrestling scene takes over the festival.

LIVE Pro Wrestling
Family-Friendly Entertainment
Unforgettable Action
Only at Wicker Park Fest!

Whether you're a lifelong wrestling fan or seeing it live for the first time, this is one event you don't want to miss.


Located at Milwaukee & Wolcott in the Walgreen's Parking Lot

 

The Arts

Wicker Park Fest is proud to be one of the only street festivals in Chicago, and it has a dedicated Arts Area to showcase unique artworks commissioned for enjoyment at the festival!

Analog Arcade: Powered by People
By Aaron Moring-D’Angier for T2D2 Toys
In an uncertain economy where jobs are being lost to AI, there is an artful resistance that comes with celebrating the low- and no-tech. We are seeing the comeback of oral exams in education, people carrying flip phones, and the aggressive pushback that celebrates art and film created without generative technology.
 
T2D2 Toys, an arts non-profit based in the Flatiron Arts Building, will create a low-tech arcade with a collection of game cabinets that are powered by players, requiring at least two people to play, in order to foster community and collaboration.
 
Part of the mission of T2D2 Toys is to promote play and divert materials from landfills. We can fulfill both of those goals by crafting these arcade games from theater set castoffs and rescued art supplies in the creation of an interactive art piece that invites the visitors of Wicker Park Fest to be a part of the action.
 
When your group walks up, you’ll see a game cabinet contraption and meet a staff member who will walk you through how to make the machine operate and how to play the game. You might turn a crank while your friend is maneuvering controls and then you’ll switch off so everyone has a turn. If it’s in the evening, your friends will also be pedaling to keep the lights going. Everyone is having fun, engaging their minds and bodies, and working together to create an experience.
The Cat Museum
By Robin Mordini
The Cat Camp! collective presents the Interactive Cat Museum, a 15’ x 15’ immersive installation. Housed in a monumental dome shaped like a calico cat head, the project functions as both a curated gallery and a community makerspace.
Within, you can DIY Cat Ears to take home for no cost in the spirit of the art forward fest and laugh and enjoy the witty cat museum pieces on display.

Visitors can look forward to experiencing:

  • A display of "historical" feline artifacts, such as bronze cat toys from 286 B.C., accompanied by humorous, scholarly narratives.
  • The use of pedestal displays, red velvet stanchions, and possible museum staff to elevate the attendee experience.
  • A complimentary, hands-on activity where visitors craft minimalist headbands from zip-ties.

A Special Thanks!

The arts are at the heart of Wicker Park Fest! Thank you to Wicker Park Bucktown SSA #33 for funding these creative experiences for our community.

Take a peek at how the SSA #33 supports the WPB community year round.

Wicker Park Bucktown

2026 Wicker Park Fest Community Booth

Situated next to the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce Festival Info Tent, the Community Booth offers a free opportunity to local non-profit organizations and political offices to share their mission and provide free resources to the community. This year, our Community Booth organizations include: