"I'm not sure if there's been a bigger single-day festival of music in the history of Wheaton," Chairman Lewis Achenbach told Patch.
WHEATON, IL — Seventy artists will perform live when Make Music Wheaton returns to dozens of restaurants, parks and churches throughout the city on June 21. This year, the festival will kick off with an opening ceremony on June 20 at Memorial Park featuring three bands.
Lewis Achenbach, who chairs the city's Fine and Cultural Arts Commission, brought the festival back to Wheaton in 2024 after years doing live painting for Make Music Chicago and seeing the impact of that festival. Achenbach said Wheaton is one of just three locations in Illinois to take part in Make Music Day, which was founded more than four decades ago in France.
“Right out the gate, there were like 50 musicians who wanted to play for free" in the 2024 Make Music Wheaton event, Achenbach told Patch.
He said, "last year was a hit," and residents kept asking whether the free event would happen again in 2025.
“It's good to see the music community respond” and venues “opening their doors and wanting to support the arts at the same time," Achenbach said.
Since Make Music Wheaton 2025 was first announced, 70 artists have volunteered to perform.
“I'm not sure if there’s been a bigger single-day festival of music in the history of Wheaton," Achenbach said.
“We’re not a big city, but we have big aspirations," Achenbach said. "We’ve got big shoulders of our own."
He told Patch Make Music Wheaton has helped highlight the rich creative talents of some of the city's residents.
“This is DuPage County," he said, "where there are people who are very, very talented and that’s what they walk around with in their back pocket."
“People just need a reason," Achenbach said.
For many, Make Music Wheaton has been that reason. Achenbach shared the story of a local guitar player who had never performed live.
Last year, the musician saw an ad for Make Music Wheaton, Achenbach said, and decided to “make that creative leap" of performing for the public. He is now a working musician.
Demand to participate in this year's iteration of Make Music Wheaton has been so high that, at first, there were more musicians taking part than venues. Achenbach said
He told Patch Downtown Wheaton Executive Director Allison Orr quickly helped him find five more venues, including Extract Juicery and the newly opened Tequila Limon.
Performances will also take place at Wheaton Public Library, Adams Park, Wheaton Town Square and the Wheaton French Market, where Achenbach himself will be painting live to the music.
Interested musicians and venues can use the event site as a sort of "matchmaking" service to pair up for performances for the event. He said the site is easy to use and updates in real time.
Attendees are encouraged to check out the Make Music Wheaton schedule to pick which performances they want to see on Saturday and to learn more about the other musicians who are performing.
People who are interested in volunteering to help run the festival can email Achenbach at [email protected].
Achenbach said the support Make Music Wheaton has been overwhelming from the park district, the mayor, the Downtown Wheaton Association, businesses and residents.
“This could be an arts weekend that could continue on, if the City of Wheaton wants it to be," he said.
He said Wheaton has a “rich creative community that’s bubbling beneath the surface that you might not even know about, really."
“People just need a reason.”
What: Make Music Wheaton 2025
When: June 21 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Where: Venues throughout Wheaton
The opening ceremony will be held June 20 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Memorial Park.