FULL MOON JAM 2025 SUMMER SEASON SCHEDULE

Devin Bean
2 days ago
6 min read

Updated: 18 hours ago

We are thrilled to announce our entire line-up for the 2025 Summer Season Schedule! This will be our 21st Anniversary, and we have so many exciting things planned this year!

HOW THE JAMS HAPPEN

We want to take a moment to remind everyone that the Full Moon Jams are a 100% volunteer-run non-profit organization, and coordinating the Jams takes a lot of work. It takes us hundreds of hours every year to pull permits, contact aldermen for approval, plan logistics, create site plans, order supplies, hire security, design flyers, draft newsletters & social media posts, update our website, purchase insurance, coordinate trainings, sign contracts, schedule volunteer meetings, organize inventory, order supplies, service fire extinguishers, apply for grants, compile budgets, and much, much more. The Jams are also not cheap, and the expenses of each Jam, on average, cost thousands of dollars.

All of this work is done behind the scenes by dedicated volunteers, so that the Jams can be enjoyed for free by thousands of attendees each year. We ask that everyone keep this in mind as our schedule and locations adjust, and that everyone extend patience and understanding as we work diligently to keep this incredible tradition alive. We also want to thank our organizers for all of their incredible support in this unique and magical endeavor. It is because of their love of community that we are able to continue to gather each year.

We have many events happening around the city this year, so for easy reference, we have created a map of all the events taking place between June - September.

NIGHT OUT IN THE PARKS FOSTER BEACH JAMS

First up in our season is the return to our home fields of Foster Beach (near Margate Park). This year, we will be hosting two events at Foster Beach scheduled on June 11th & July 10th from 6pm - 10pm! We are grateful to once again be sponsored by the Chicago Park District and part of their Night Out In The Parks programming.

We want to remind everyone of the Full Moon Jam policies that we have in place in order to maintain the safety and comfort of all our attendees and to help ensure that our events can continue to happen for years to come. We want to thank everyone in advance for helping us to share these policies with others.

Full Moon Jams & Chicago Park District Policies:

• Family-Friendly

• Leave No Trace (help us clean up)

• Be Respectful and Inclusive

• No alcohol or illegal substances

• No flash photography

• No open flames, tiki torches, floating lanterns, or fireworks

• No weapons

• No lasers

• No drones

• No glass

• No bright lights (must face away from the fire circle and the crowd)

• No amplified sound over 90 decibels

• Protect The Community

• Protect The Jams

If you see anyone not adhering to these policies or creating a disturbance, please find an event organizer (by the south end of the Jam) and let us know so we can help out.

EVANSTON SUMMER SOLSTICE JAM

Thanks to the generous support of Climate Action Evanston and the City of Evanston, the Chicago Full Moon Jam is thrilled to announce that we will return to host a Summer Solstice Jam at the Arrington Lagoon in Dawes Park, Evanston, IL on Friday, June 21st between 6:00pm - 9:30pm!

Fire performances will take place on the lagoon terrace, and folks are encouraged to sit around the lagoon to enjoy the show. As always, there will be no alcohol, illegal substances, open flames, fireworks, flash photography, lasers, or drones permitted per Park District laws.

The Arrington Lagoon is located near the Evanston lakefront, about 5 blocks east of both the Davis Purple Line stop and the Metra UP-N Evanston Davis St. station. A small amount of paid street parking is located near the lagoon. There is a public parking garage about two blocks away at the Church Street Self Park with entrances from Church St. or Clark St. east of Chicago Avenue.

Drummers and Dancers - we request that you gather in the grassy area Northeast of the Lagoon!

Fire Performers - Any fire performers who have already taken FMJ Fire Safety Training since 2021 are welcome to participate (no sign-up necessary). There will be NO fire safety training prior to this event.

As always, this will be a free-to-attend, family-friendly, leave-no-trace, and sober event. We thank everyone in advance for aiding us in cleaning up the parks after the Jam and for helping us leave the world better than when we arrived. We appreciate your support as we continue to improve the accessibility of our event to more communities, and to better share our love of Dancing, Drumming, Fire, and the Moon with all!

Climate Action Evanston (CGE) is a 501 (c)(3) organization working to make Evanston a more environmentally just, sustainable, and resilient community. CGE’s programs focus on critical areas that will help the City achieve its climate goals: renewable energy, transportation, natural habitat, food, environmental justice, water, climate change, and waste. For more information, visit www.climateactionevanston.org

WINNEMAC FOURTH FOR ALL

We are excited to announce that we will once again be hosting a Jam on the Fourth of July in Winnemac Park from 7pm - 10pm! This event is sponsored by the Winnemac Park Advisory Council, and it is our hope to bring a sense of peace and calm to an otherwise chaotic day of celebration.

We must ask that NO ONE BRING FIREWORKS to this event, and encourage our community to discourage the use of them during our performances, as these can be a hazard to the performers and audience, and pose a risk to our ability to pull permits in the future. If you see anyone attempting to light fireworks in the vicinity of our event, we ask that you find an event organizer and notify them immediately.

There will be food trucks and daytime activities throughout the day, including a Flow Art Workshop, so be sure to come out early and enjoy a stroll through the park!

RAINBOW BEACH PARK JAM

We will be partnering with the Rainbow Beach Park Advisory Council to host a Jam at Rainbow Beach Park (3111 E 77th St) on Friday, August 8th, alongside their Venetian Kayak Night in South Shore. This event is also sponsored by the Chicago Park District's Night Out In The Park. The Park District has requested that we continue our efforts to bring our events to new areas of the city in the interest of inclusivity, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Details are still being worked out, so we will be providing more details on this Jam as they develop.

PALMISANO PARK FINALE JAM

The final Jam of the season will once again take place on Monday, September 8th, in Palmisano Park. This event is also sponsored by the Chicago Park District's Night Out In The Park and is located in Bridgeport (the closest address to the entrance is 919 W 29th St). This will be our third year at Palmisano Park, and it has always been a wonderful experience. We hope to see you all there!

RESERVE JAM FIRE SAFETY + GUARDIAN TRAINING SIGN-UP

Just a reminder, anyone interested in performing at the Jams must take a Fire Safety Training and sign up in advance by filling out the form below.

IMPORTANT: If you HAVE NEVER performed at the Jams before, or if you plan to perform with large/unique props, fire breath, or volunteer, you must first attend a fire safety training at one of the "Reserve Jams" on June 8th, July 6th, August 3rd, or September 7th from 6pm - 10pm.

Our Level 2 Training (held at 8pm), also provides valuable information on permitting, insurance, and guidance on organizing your own jams and performing professionally.

If you HAVE performed at a Jam before, but have not taken the training since 2022, you can sign up to attend a Refresher Course held at 6pm at any Jam held at Foster Beach to renew your status on our Approved Performer List through the end of 2027. Email us at info@fullmoonjam.org if you don't remember when you last took the training.

Please follow the link below for more information, and feel free to share this link with anyone you know who may be interested in performing with fire! Our community relies on everyone using best safety practices to grow and thrive, and we would love to share our knowledge and experience with everyone!

GUARDIAN TRAINING

We will also be hosting Guardian Trainings at each Reserve Jam at 8pm (after the Level 1 Safety Training).

Guardians are extremely important to the Jams as they are the eyes, ears, and helping hands of the organizers. Guardian training covers how the Full Moon Jams are organized, various bystander intervention techniques, how to use a radio, and much, much more. It's a great way to provide meaningful support to the Jams and a fantastic way to make new friends!

If you or anyone you know is interested in learning how to help out more at the Full Moon Jams, please sign up! We are always looking for more folks to take this training, not just in hopes of finding more volunteers for the jams, but so that more people are empowered to help others and be a voice of calm reason wherever they go.

All Jam volunteers also get Full Moon Jam stickers!

RESERVE JAM FIRE SAFETY + GUARDIAN TRAINING SIGN-UP FORM:

https://forms.gle/Nknyz1GdyFspVrRr5