Starlight Concerts & Movies
Spend your summer nights in the park with free concerts & movies!
Starlight Concerts
Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound will open the City of Evanston’s 2013 Starlight Concert Series with a free 7:30 p.m. performance on Thursday, June 13, at James Park, 300 Dodge Avenue in Evanston. Presented by the City of Evanston, the Starlight Concert Series features 17 free outdoor concerts at six park locations throughout Evanston.
Other performers on the Starlight Concert Series include Rockabilly Hall of Famer Sleepy LaBeef, the raw county blues of Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, and up-and-coming Chicago soul band The Congregation. The series will also feature a distinctly Evanston flavor, with local rock favorites South Boulevard Band, jazz by the Chris Greene Quartet, and New Orleans jazz and Americana by the Los Angeles band Dustbowl Revival, led by Evanston native Zach Lupetin. See below for the complete schedule.
A new addition to this year’s series is food trucks, which will be on site at many of the concerts, starting with Hummingbird Kitchen at the Paul Cebar concert on June 13.
All concerts will take place
from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
| Day/Date | Park | Performer | Music Style |
| Thurs., June 13 | James | Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound | Pan-ethnic party music |
| Tues., June 18 | Harbert | Lucy Smith | Jazz & blues singer |
| Thurs., June 20 | James | Gizzae | Reggae |
| Tues., June 25 | Bent | Charlie Baran y Grupo Gringo | Latin rhythms |
| Thurs., June 27 | James | The Blank Tapes, Song Preservation Society | Indie rock |
| Tues., July 2 | Bent Park | Sleepy LaBeef | Rockabilly Hall of Famer |
| Tues., July 9 | Twiggs | Expo '76 | 70s AM radio gold |
| Thurs., July 11 | James | Dustbowl Revival | Americana & New Orleans jazz |
| Tues., July 16 | Harbert | T.L. Williams, Yemi Marie, G-Twinz | MusicQuest Showcase |
| Thurs., July 18 | James | 4onthefloor | Stomping blues rock |
| Tues., July 23 | Dawes | Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band | Raw country blues |
| Thurs., July 25 | Brummel | The Congregation | Dynamic soul collective |
| Tues., July 30 | Dawes | Front of House | Contemporary dance hits |
| Tues., Aug. 6 | Dawes | Black Bear Combo | Balkan brass |
| Thurs., Aug. 8 | Twiggs | South Boulevard (w/Cecil Holden) | Blues rock covers |
| Tues., Aug. 13 | Dawes | Chris Greene Quartet | Jazz |
| Tues., Aug. 20 | Dawes | Ted Sirtota’s Heavyweight Dub | Dub reggae |
Park locations:
James Park: Dodge Ave. at Mulford (S. of Oakton St.)
Dawes Park: Sheridan Rd. at Church St. (lagoon)
Harbert Park: Dempster St. at McDaniel (E. of canal)
Twiggs Park: Dodge Ave. at Simpson St.
Bent Park: Central St. at Cowper Ave.
Brummel Park: Brummel St. at Elmwood Ave.
In the event of inclement weather for concerts, rain site information will be available after 4:30 p.m. on the show date by calling 847/448-8058, 847/448-8260 or 847/448-4311.
Concert rain sites: Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave., Evanston is the rain site for Dawes, James and Brummel Park concerts. Fleetwood-Jourdain Center, 1655 Foster St., Evanston is the rain site for Twiggs, Harbert and Bent Park concerts.
Starlight Movies in the Park
Movies in the Park will be held on select Wednesdays and Saturdays at dusk (tentative schedule below). Movies are cancelled in inclement weather.
| Date | Day | Time | Park | Movie |
| Aug 7 | Wed | 8:15 pm | Harbert | The Muppets |
| Aug 10 | Sat | 8:10 pm | Twiggs | Searching for Sugar Man |
| Aug 14 | Wed | 8:05 pm | Bent | Napoleon Dynamite |
| Aug 17 | Sat | 8:00 pm | Elks | Galaxy Quest |
| Aug 21 | Wed | 7:55 pm | James | The Avengers |
| Aug 24 | Sat | 7:50 pm | Brummel | Love & Basketball |
| Aug 28 | Wed | 7:45 pm | Dawes | Duel |
| Sept 7 | Sat | 7:25 pm | Dawes | Back to the Future |
Park sites
James Park, Dodge Ave. at Mulford St. (S. of Oakton)
Dawes Park, Sheridan Rd. at Church St. (at the lagoon)
Harbert Park, Dempster St. at McDaniel Ave. (east of North Shore Channel)
Twiggs Park, Dodge Ave. at Simpson St.
Bent Park, Central St. at Cowper Ave.
Brummel Park, Brummel St. at Elmwood Ave.
Interested in performing at a City of Evanston summer concert or festival?
Send your demo to:
Program Manager - Cultural Arts Division
927 Noyes St., Evanston, Il 60201
847.448.8260
culturalarts@cityofevanston.org
Concert Sponsors
Evanston Starlight Concerts are presented by the City of Evanston’s Cultural Arts Division and are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
Upcoming Events
-
Jun
19
Lighthouse Landing Complex
1:30 PM -
Jun
19
Site Plan Appearance and Review Committee
2:30 PM -
Jun
19
M/W/EBE Advisory Committee
6:00 PM -
Jun
19
Library Board
6:30 PM -
Jun
19
Zoning Committee of the Plan Commission - CANCELED
7:00 PM
Related News
- Celebrate 150 years of Evanston with "Its Thursday, Let's Dance! "
- Starlight Concert Series Kicks Off June 13
- Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre's "For Colored Girls..." Opens June 8
- "Evanston: 150 Years, 150 Places" Book Launch June 27
- "Evanston: A Tour Through the City's History" Book Launch June 26

