Dillo Day is an annual all-day music festival at Northwestern University that takes place at the end of spring quarter on the Lakefill. Started in the 1972/73 school year, it is organized by Mayfest Productions, a Northwestern student group, and is the largest student-run music festival in the country. Northwestern lists Dillo Day as one of its most notable traditions."Northwestern Traditions" , Northwestern University Office of Undergraduate Admissions
History The festival has its roots in May Day, or Mayfete. Mayfete was a time when students would celebrate the "renunciation of the May Queen of the temporal world for a spiritual one," according to a 1951 history of the event. Although little is known about the early days, May Day was originally a celebration of the women of Northwestern. The crowning of the May Queen was the central event, and the pomp included a Maypole dance and cotillion. May Day expanded to May Week in 1946 to accommodate a women's sing, men's sing, and an honors ceremony.
Armadillo Productions was created in 1972 by two students from Austin, Texas, to honor the official animal of their home state and a concert venue there. They held a “I Don’t Think We’re in Kansas Anymore” festival and fair that had costumes, games, a treasure hunt, and special events. It was held every year until 1976 when it was cancelled due to weather and financial difficulties; but returned the following year as Armadillo Day. That same year, a 10-day assortment of campus programming called Mayfest began, which included Armadillo Day, Greek Week and A&O's Spring Festival. The first outdoor Mayfest concerts were produced by A&O featuring Robert Gordon 5.22.81 and Muddy Waters 5.23.81, staged on one lakefront stage and offered at no cost to students. Mayfest Productions eventually formed from A&O Productions (which historically had booked, promoted and produced all concerts, speakers and events for students throughout the year), producing the Saturday concert event on the shores of Lake Michigan that is known today as Dillo Day. Mayfest Productions, like A&O previously, has earned a reputation for booking major industry artists, and is annually one of the largest and most competitive clubs at Northwestern.
Organization The festival features a main stage, second stage, food trucks, beer garden, and Dillo Village that hosts art from students and Chicago-area artists, as well as various other games and activities. Dillo Day is open to all Northwestern University students, faculty, and staff. Students are each permitted to bring one additional guest, and a limited number of tickets are reserved for purchase by Evanston residents and Northwestern alumni. The second stage is curated in partnership with an additional campus organization-- currently Northwestern's Black student alliance, For Members Only, who has provided Dillo Day with a historic all-Black lineup on the stage for the past 3 years. In addition to Dillo Day, beginning in 2016, Mayfest Productions hosted annual Battle of the Bands and eventually Battle of the DJs competitions in the weeks leading up to the festival. The winners of these respective events perform on the main stage of Dillo Day that year.
On May 30, 2020, Mayfest Productions hosted Digital Dillo, a virtual replacement for the annual music festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those within the Northwestern community received a link to a livestream where they could watch live artist performances and participate in Q&A sessions with them. The following year, Dillo Day was held as a hybrid festival. This once again featured virtual artist performances and live Q&A's, but also had in-person components across campus the entire week of the festival similar to the original Mayfest. This included Mayfeast, a collection of food trucks outside Deering Library; Mayfit, a thrift shopping event at Norris University Center; Dildo Day, a variety of sex/body positivity events; student art installations on the Lakefill where the festival is traditionally held; a silent disco outside Norris featuring Chicago area DJ's; and screenings of artist performances on and off-campus.
Past lineups
1981 Robert Gordon Muddy Waters
1983 The Ramones
1988 Webb Wilder Koko Taylor
1993 Poi Dog Pondering
1997 Pavement
2001
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Black-Eyed Peas Nymb Dismemberment Plan All Mighty Senators
2002
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones Mystic The Slackers Jephreee The Pages Local Age
2003
Robert Randolph and the Family Band The Crystal Method Blackalicious Steel Train Idlewild Troubled Hubble
2004
The Wailers Gavin Degraw The Pharcyde The Ms Michael Tolcher
2005
George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelics The Black Keys Matt Nathanson Acceptance
2006
Ben Folds Robert Randolph and the Family Band Mae High End Trio
2007
Cake The Roots Lupe Fiasco Pete Francis Office
2008 Liz Coffin-Karlin, "Third Eye Blind will headline Dillo Day lineup", North by Northwestern, 25 May 2008 Common Broken Social Scene Ted Leo and the Pharmacists Third Eye Blind The Cool Kids A DJ set by Northwestern University alumnus William Butler, member of Arcade Fire A DJ set by Flosstradamus Clash Gordon DJ Sicarii 2009 N.E.R.D Estelle Tally Hall Mike Posner The Decemberists
2010 "Full Dillo Day lineup posted" , The Daily Northwestern, 25 May 2010 Regina Spektor Guster Practical Tactical Rhymefest Super Mash Bros Nelly
2011 Matt Connolly, "Week in Review May 26: Dillo Day, lacrosse and coupon apps" , North by Northwestern, 26 May 2011 B.o.B Chiddy Bang New Pornographers N.A.S.A. Kill the Noise Guns & Sons Peter Bjorn and John
2012 Cold War Kids Kendrick Lamar Reel Big Fish Big Boi Steve Aoki
2013 Walk the Moon Danny Brown Smash Mouth Lunice Wiz Khalifa
2014
Main Stage Chance The Rapper 2 Chainz Ryan Hemsworth OK Go Cults
WNUR x IndieU Stage Tink The GTW Sirr Tmo Teen Witch Fan Club RUNNING
2015 (Note: Dillo Day was canceled in 2015 due to weather)
Main Stage
Charli XCX Odesza Miguel A$AP Ferg Saint Motel
WNUR Stage
Sicko Mobb Cakes da Killa Ben Aqua Archie Powell & The Exports K Rizz
2016
Main Stage
Schoolboy Q Cashmere Cat Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals The Mowgli's Hayden James
WNUR Stage
Derrick Carter Smino Mister Wallace Colleen Green Akenya
Battle of the Bands Winner
DIAL UP
2017
Main Stage
MGMT Gramatik Little Simz DRAM Porches
WNUR x Nongshim Stage
Marie Davidson MikeQ Downtown Boys Chynna Rogers Bunny
Band & DJ winner (respectively)
Prez Harris & Friends Onnij x Ouyang
2018
Main Stage Young the Giant TOKiMONSTA Whitney Joey Bada$$ Daniel Caesar
WNUR x Nongshim Stage Cupcakke Dos Santos Violence Jasmine Infiniti Guerilla Toss
Band & DJ winner (respectively) Wop St. Bass Ritual EJ3
2019
Main Stage Hippo Campus Teyana Taylor Anna Lunoe Daya A$AP Ferg
FMO Stage Monique Heart Kota the Friend DFree Da Vinci Caleborate Amindi
Band & DJ winner (respectively) FIZZ Luminosity
2020 (Virtual Due to COVID-19) Note: due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no student acts during the 2020 livestream.
Main Stage The Regrettes Rico Nasty Jai Wolf
FMO Stage Azjah Yung Kaygo Mir Fontane
2021 (Virtual Due to COVID-19)
Main Stage Playboi Carti Ken Car$on KAYTRANADA beabadoobee Omar Apollo
FMO Stage Blxst Brittney Carter Brandon Banks
Band & DJ winner (respectively) Wes Park and the Blueberry Boo Boo Babies Sydco (won in 2020)
2022
Main Stage Dominic Fike Tinashe Sean Kingston Remi Wolf Cochise Vicetone
FMO Stage Taylor Bennett Kari Faux Scorey Jordan Hawkins
Band, DJ, and Rapper winners (respectively) Poor Man's Yacht Club Moondog Ciel 2023
Main Stage Offset TiaCorine Briston Maroney RINI J.Worra
FMO Stage Lil Kayla BIGBABYGUCCI Zeph France Blvck Svm
Battle of the Artists Winners DJ Lu Muse etc. Tavern
2024
Main Stage
Maude Latour LF System Lupe Fiasco Amaarae Bakar Swae Lee
FMO Stage
Nada! Adanna Duru Maiya The Don YungManny
FMO Student Artists
Ciel McDaniels TiggyBouf KenDu!
Band & DJ winner (respectively)
Mee-ow Band Vitamin K
2025
Main Stage
nimino Slow Pulp Iann Dior Ravyn Lenae Natasha Bedingfield
FMO Stage
Giift Skaiwater
FMO Student Artists
Murichu
Band & DJ winner (respectively)
Inertia Perl
2026
Main Stage
Jae Stephens Glaive (musician) Daya Bossman DLOW Malcolm Todd
FMO Stage
Nali DJ Faaji 310Babii Cochise BabyChiefDoIt
The Burrow (WNUR x KASA x CSA x MENA)
Lana Lubany Friko Tiffany Day
Band & DJ winner (respectively)
The Beckfast Club The Mee-Ow Band
References
External links
groups.northwestern.edu newmedia.medill.northwestern.edu