Vocalo’s Late-Summer Nights Out in the Parks

Written by Vocalo Radio on October 4, 2022

From summer skating to soul to ’90s hip-hop, we had such a blast at Vocalo’s Night Out in the Parks events this year!

Thanks so much for joining us at our three late-summer, early-fall events in collaboration with the Chicago Park District! Vocalo’s Summer Skate Party proved to be fun for the whole family, Reclaimed Soul: Live with Meagan McNeal brought endless applause, and we honored the formative sounds of Chicago at From the Vault: A ’90s Chicago Hip-Hop Celebration. Check out our visual event recap below…

Summer Skate Party

August 26 marked the triumphant return of Vocalo’s Summer Skate Party after a three-year hiatus! With RSVPs filled in advance, we danced and roller skated the night away once again at McKinley Park’s ice-rink-turned-roller-rink of our dreams, accompanied by grooving DJ sets from Ayana Contreras, DJ Dreea and All The Way Kay.

^{Summer Skate Party, Aug. 26, 2022. Photos by Makenzie Creden / Vocalo Radio, Chicago Public Media.}

Reclaimed Soul: Live!

Reclaimed Soul: Live! returned to Promontory Point’s historic Field House this September 8, bringing out park-goers and fans of Reclaimed Soul for a warm late-summer soul celebration (which again filled up the RSVP limit). We threw open the doors of the Field House, a space usually reserved for formal events, to present a live version of Ayana Contreras’ on-air show Reclaimed Soul, complete with an all-vinyl DJ set, performance from Chicago artist Meagan McNeal and a conversation between Meagan and Ayana.

^{Reclaimed Soul: Live, Sept. 8, 2022. Photos by Joe Nolasco / WBEZ, Chicago Public Media.}

From the Vault: A ’90s Chicago Hip-Hop Celebration

Our third and final NOITP event of the summer, From the Vault: A ’90s Chicago Hip-Hop Celebration, is a new Vocalo event highlighting the importance of Chicago’s hip-hop scene and its lasting influence on the music scene today. Listeners and park-goers danced through the crisp October 1 afternoon to sets from DJs Jeff Da Illest and SP1, and enjoyed a panel discussion featuring Jeff Da Illest and co-hosts Dirty MF and Jesse De La Peña, moderated by Artistic.