ARC After Dark 2025 brought world-class DJs and unforgettable late-night sets to Chicago, proving the city's electronic music scene thrives long after Union Park closes.
This Labor Day Weekend, ARC Music Festival once again transformed Union Park into a haven for house and techno, but the music didn't stop when the gates closed. ARC After Dark 2025, presented by Mixmag, extended the celebration across Chicago with five nights of programming that highlighted the city's rich nightlife and global influence. From August 28 - September 1, festivalgoers filled venues like Radius, Cermak Hall, PRYSM, Spybar, Concord, and Masada, experiencing everything from exclusive back-to-back sets and underground label showcases to yacht parties on Lake Michigan. By weaving together international heavyweights and local favorites, ARC After Dark proved that Chicago's after-hours scene remains as vital as the mainstage, offering fans countless ways to keep the weekend alive.
ARC After Dark 2025 began on Thursday night at Radius, an expansive warehouse-style venue with soaring ceilings, LED walls that stretched across the entire dance floor, and a sound system powerful enough to fill every corner without ever overwhelming the crowd. Add in a blast of air conditioning and a layout that never felt too crowded, and Radius delivered an ideal setting for the weekend's kickoff.
Frank Bono opened the night with melodic undertones and steady rhythms that gave the early crowd plenty of room to warm up.
Cristoph followed with his signature progressive grooves, steadily raising the energy while hinting at the euphoric highs to come. By the time Eric Prydz stepped on stage under his Pryda alias, the crowd was ready for a masterclass. What made the moment special wasn't just Pryda's precision but the way he shaped Radius into a multisensory experience. Each progression stretched the anticipation a little longer, every release hit with full force, and the room erupted as if everyone had been waiting all year for this exact moment. More than just a night of music, it served as the perfect prologue to the festival, igniting excitement, uniting the crowd, and setting the stage for everything that was still to come over the weekend.
Friday night saw Radius come alive once again, its sweeping LED visuals and thunderous sound system creating the perfect backdrop for a night of unrelenting techno. The crowd packed in early, buzzing with anticipation, and the energy only grew stronger as each artist took their turn behind the decks. Dunes of Dawn opened with deep, atmospheric selections that eased the room into motion, giving the early arrivals space to dance while filling the cavernous venue with a steady pulse. Supergloss then turned up the intensity, layering in grooves that had the crowd leaning closer to the booth and moving in sync with the rising tempo.
By the time Nicole Moudaber appeared, the room had fully surrendered to the night. Her dark, pulsating beats shook the warehouse walls and sent waves of cheers rippling across the dance floor as lasers and strobes added to the intensity. Amelie Lens closed with a ferocity that left no one standing still as she played her high intensity track such as 'One Mind' and her remix of Anyma's 'Voices In My Head.' Her high-octane set pushed the energy to its peak, each drop met with hands in the air and a roar from the crowd that carried well into the early morning. For many, it was the defining moment of the weekend, a reminder of why Radius is unmatched as a Chicago nightlife arena and why Amelie Lens remains one of the most commanding figures in global techno.
Saturday shifted the spotlight to PRYSM, a smaller and more intimate venue renowned for its intimate setting and impeccable sound. The packed room created a different kind of energy: sweatier, tighter, and more personal. It proved to be the perfect backdrop for a Drumcode takeover. Eve Lauren opened with steady, hypnotic grooves, drawing the early crowd into the rhythm as heads nodded and bodies swayed closer to the booth. Natalia Roth followed with sharper, more dynamic selections that pushed the energy higher, sparking cheers with each transition as the floor filled wall to wall.
By the time Adam Beyer appeared, the anticipation inside PRYSM was electric. The Drumcode bossman set rattled through the intimate space with pounding precision, each drop sending a jolt of energy across the crowd. Fans shouted, fists pumped, and the walls seemed to shake with every kick drum featured in his records, such as 'PATT,' 'Techno Trance' with Armin van Buuren, and 'Taking Back Control.' Layton Giordani then took the decks and wasted no time in igniting the room with his signature driving techno and house grooves featured in tracks such as 'Let's Go Dancing,' 'When It Kicks,' and 'Act of God,' prompting a surge of hands in the air that rarely came down. It was a techno night at its purest; raw, powerful, and unfiltered, cementing Saturday as one of the most intense nights of the weekend.
Sunday brought the action back to Radius for what became a hometown celebration. The massive warehouse was buzzing before doors even opened, and once inside, fans packed the floor early, eager to close out the weekend with Chicago's own John Summit. AYYBO got the party moving right away with playful basslines and funky house grooves, his energy sparking smiles and shouts from the early crowd. Max Styler followed with a polished set that balanced melody and drive, gradually lifting the room into peak-time territory. By this point, Radius felt electric; flood lights cut across the massive room, while the air conditioning kept the crowd comfortable even as the energy soared.
When John Summit finally took the stage, the eruption was deafening, the kind of welcome reserved only for a hometown hero. The Experts Only bossman's set felt like a true homecoming, packed with high-energy house cuts and crowd favorites like 'In Chicago,' 'Focus,' 'Light Years,' 'Where You Are,' and even a remix of his unreleased track 'Crystalized' with Inéz, all while creating a darker groove fit for an afters at Radius. Each track was met with a chorus of voices, fans singing at the top of their lungs, arms draped around friends, and bodies moving shoulder to shoulder beneath the sweeping LED walls. Every drop sent a roar through the warehouse, every build rippled with anticipation, as if the entire venue was moving in unison. John Summit's performance was a testament to Chicago's enduring legacy in house music and its bright future, carried by a new generation. For many, it was the perfect ending, an exclamation point on a weekend that once again proved why the city's heartbeat is, and always will be, house.