YippieFest 2024
August 23-25
Chopin Theatre
1543 W Division St
Chicago
August's 3-day theater festival returns for our 6th in-person year. Our host will be Chopin Theatre in Chicago. There's a wide variety of back-to-back shows over three days starting Friday night at 7PM with the opening ceremony and concluding Sunday night with the closing ceremony. Day passes are $20 and allow you to come and go all day
All proceeds benefit local charities, last year we rasied $1,800. This year we can exceed that.
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$600 was donated to Howard Brown Health
Rooted in LGBTQ+ liberation, Howard Brown Health provides affirming healthcare and mobilizes for social justice. We are agents of change for individual wellbeing and community empowerment. -
$600 was donated to Brave Space Alliance
Brave Space Alliance is the first Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ+ Center located on the South Side of Chicago, dedicated to creating and providing affirming, culturally competent, for-us by-us resources, programming, and services for LGBTQ+ individuals on the South and West sides of the city. We strive to empower, embolden, and educate each other through mutual aid, knowledge-sharing, and the creation of community-sourced resources as we build toward the liberation of all oppressed peoples. -
$600 was donated to Ravenswood Community Services
Ravenswood Community Services (RCS) provides meals, groceries, basic health services, and life-skills education to neighbors in need in the Uptown and Ravenswood communities on the north side of Chicago.
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What is Yippiefest? A happening
More than 30 groups/artists come together to provide hours of back-to-back entertainment. There's a wide variety of shows including plays, improv, monologues, sketch comedy, stand-up, music, and more.
Day and weekend passes are sold which let you come and go all day or weekend. You can see as many shows as you want.
what is a yippie? "Yippies" were members of the Youth International Party, a counterculture movement mixing psychedelic hippies with political activists, that began in 1967. With a flair for theatrics and satirical pranks, the Yippies grabbed media attention in the U.S. protesting war and the criminalization of marijuana, and criticizing institutions of government and greed. Some of their most notable mischief included an attempt to levitate The Pentagon, nominating a Pig for President, throwing pies at politicians, and bringing Santa Claus to the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Pot, politics, music, performance and humor fueled the Yippies. Once referred to as "Groucho Marxists," they aimed to change the system and to provide a means of expression for everyone. According to one of the founders, Jerry Rubin, "We try to bring out the yippie in everybody."
Above all, Yippie! is shout of joy. As Abbie Hoffman, another founder of the Yippies, explained, "What does Yippie! mean? Energy -- fun -- fierceness -- exclamation point."
