EDM-heavy ARC Music Fest brings ‘house home’ with international DJs, local up-and-comers like Virago
ARC Music Festival came booming to life this weekend with the sounds of DJs thundering across the 13 acres of Union Park. LED lights flickered across the park, welcoming fans like Pedro Antonio Navarro, 35, of Pilsen, who quickly made his way to DJ Virago’s stage when gates opened on Friday.
Virago, whose given name is Sarah Tigges, opened the festival on the main stage with the remixed sounds of William Kiss, Menta Sauce and more.
“I’m here for the Sarahs,” Navarro quipped, “Virago opens and [Sara] Landry closes.”
Virago is the type of DJ that ARC has become known for, bridging genres like house and techno with international electronic heavyhitters. For the past five years, Virago has been the musical influence behind the popular local monthly lesbian party “Strapped,” hosted by performers Irregular Girl and Siichele, as well as a monthly night at Splash Nightclub in the Northalsted neighborhood.
She’s also one half of BiPanic, with Valeria Fride, a DJ duo that just made their Lollapalooza premiere this past August.
Miss Toto, a local drag artist and musician, dances at Virago’s opening set at ARC Music Festival in Union Park, Friday, September 4, 2026.
Brittany Sowacke/for WBEZ
Sarah Tigges, aka Virago, holds a fan made sign that reads “THE STRAIGHTS COULD NEVER,” at ARC Music Festival in Union Park.
Brittany Sowacke/for WBEZ
Like many DJs at the ARC Music Festival, Sarah Tigges, aka Virago, stays festival long after her set ends to listen to other performers.
Brittany Sowacke/for WBEZ
Her gigs at clubs were long and unforgiving: “Five-hour-long gigs teach you how to work well on the fly,” said Tigges. At first she created complex outlines of her sets with planned transitions and song lists but with time grew confident in her abilities. Now the songs flow from her fingers to your ears, influenced only by how she’s feeling in the moment, nothing else.
For some, the four day fest is their goodbye to summer, or a welcome break from the slog of an office job. For Tigges, it’s the start of an epic weekend with friends, some of whom flew in just to support her.
Tigges attended DePaul University to study music business and marketing but quickly realized she was interested in production. She bought her first DJ deck to manipulate music, and after graduating, stayed in Chicago and began producing in earnest.
Her first gig was at Berlin, the renowned but shuttered nightclub, the site of which is now Decibel. As a young lesbian, she was happy to be immersed in queer spaces when the rest of nightlife is often predominantly male and straight. “I think we have our finger on the pulse in a different way than a lot of other people do,” she said.
Among the attendees at ARC Music Festival were Issac Pineda, 33, of Las Vegas but originally of Pilsen; Martha Macias, of Riverside, California; and Sabrina Manecke, 28, of Milwaukee.
Brittany Sowacke/for WBEZ
“I think she represents a new, younger, generation of DJs who don’t give a f— about appearances or a reel, I think her passion speaks really loudly,” said Tigges’ friend, Jenny Fox, a party promoter and DJ who accompanied Tigges onstage during the set.
“We obviously have great music in NYC, but there’s something special about music in Chicago,” said another friend, Max Palmer, who flew in for Tigges’ set.
ARC debuted Labor Day weekend in 2021 and was created by John Curley, Stuart Hackley and Nick Karounos, of Auris Presents, the latter formerly associated with the now discontinued fest Spring Awakening. ARC’s tagline is “Where house comes home,” and fittingly, Chicago had a strong influence on this year’s lineup, from stages like The Midway and the Grid to its talent.
Other ARC performers with local roots included Mike Dunn, an Englewood native and a pioneer of house music; South Side born Honey Dijon; and Lil Louis of “French Kiss” fame. DJ Hiroko Yamamura, who has performed at ARC every year since its creation, said she attends the festival outside of her set and enjoys spending as much time as possible seeing other performers.
Festival goers at ARC Music Festival 2026.
Brittany Sowacke/for WBEZ
Festival goers at ARC Music Festival in Union Park, Friday, September 4, 2026.
Brittany Sowacke/for WBEZ
Festival goers dress as the so-called sleepy boy meme at ARC Music Festival in Union Park, Friday, September 4, 2026.
Brittany Sowacke/for WBEZ
The weekend started off broiling, with temperatures in the 90s, and little shade. But that didn’t stop Tigges from exploring the festival with her friends after her set.
One of her favorite activities is watching local DJs, not producers, because they specifically have to search a bit harder for tracks not well known, their inspiration inspires her, and on and on. ‘When I go out and watch a DJ, I love the ones who teach me something new. . . the real crate diggers,” said Tigges.
Growing up, Tigges dreamed of being a singer. When asked if her younger self would believe where she is today, she said no. “I think about this all the time, actually, not even just being a DJ, but what I’ve done in my life, I would be so proud of myself. Nothing goes past me where I don’t feel grateful.”
Virago next performs Sept. 19 at Burlington Bar for the final installment of Eden, the foundational lesbian party in Chicago. ARC Music Festival continued Monday.