Hammond’s Pavilion at Wolf Lake (PAV) has transformed into a dome of eclectic and exhilarating summer fun for the city’s annual and highly anticipated Festival of the Lakes (FOTL). With around 100,000 people making their way to the PAV during FOTL’s five day run, major things are in store this year, including carnival fun for the whole family along with top-notch performances meant to keep audiences dancing on their feet and having the time of their lives all weekend long.
“We've been doing this for 20 years, and over the years, we've built credibility with the Region, with Chicago, with the ticket brokers, and it allows us to have top notch entertainment, so I'm super excited about it,” said Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr.. “We’re going to have around 100,000 people visit this park over the next five days, which is a big part of what FOTL is all about.”
To kick it all off, ‘90s nostalgic group BLACKstreet performed Wednesday, July 17 to bring r&b classics like “No Diggity” to the PAV stage alongside opening act Genuine. The action continued Thursday night, July 18, when Shinedown took center stage and had the venue rockin’ and rollin’ all evening long.
DaBaby was next to pack the house at FOTL and took the stage on Friday, July 19. The rapper, who is known for popular hits such as “ROCKSTAR” and “Levitating” with Dua Lipa, gave Region hip-hop fans a night to remember as he performed some of his well loved favorites and more for the crowd to enjoy.
Saturday, July 20, saw FOTL’s first ever EDM artist, Marshmello, who had Hammond raving all night long with his electrifying hits accompanied with his iconic white head mask. Bringing a new musical style to the mix was definitely a venture well done, as Northwest Indiana was thrilled to see this new genre fill the FOTL airwaves this year.
FOTL has been uniting Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland music lovers for two decades - though planning it is no easy feat. McDermott noted preparing for the festival is a year-long event, but watching everyone come to the PAV for a weekend of good music and summer fun always makes that effort worth it each time. Safety is also a top priority for FOTL each year, with Hammond police present fourr all days as well as a large staff that’s well-prepped to handle anything and everything that crosses their path throughout the weekend.
“It's about 50 weeks of planning and preparation for five days' worth of work,” McDermott said. “It’s a lot of work - and we’re going to start working on next year’s in about two weeks – but I'm happy it's here and we have beautiful weather for these five days, which is great to see.”
A big part of what makes FOTL a Region staple are the musical acts that take the stage each year. McDermott and his team know Northwest Indiana is composed of music fans of all genres across the board, so the goal each year is to recruit a lineup that appeals to all listeners across the board - from rock to rap to EDM - FOTL has a little something in it for everyone to enjoy.
“We try to hit it so that just about everybody likes at least one night – that's usually what we're shooting for,” McDermott said. “We understand it’s not typical that everyone will want to go to all nights of the festival, but we try to get two or three nights that people want to hit,” McDermott said. “The goal every year is to make it a diverse lineup as a quality of life initiative for residents, and it makes you proud.”
McDermott and his team look at a variety of factors to find the perfect lineup each year. He likes to compare the process to one that’s used on dating apps, as location and common interests on both sides of the aisle typically are the main factors they look at to lock them in to performing.
“A lot of the music is routed, like Shinedown and Marshmello,” McDermott said. ‘I think they recently played a show in Wisconsin and then they're down in the Nashville area, so they were coming right through. We research where they are, if we can catch them at the right time we put an offer on notice. It's like dating - we like to find acts that we are both interested in and acts that are interested in performing here - it just has to match up.”
FOTL means a lot to the City of Hammond. It’s not every day a festival passes through the area with musical acts known across the globe, so it’s always an exciting time when FOTL rolls into town.
“It's a quality of life initiative that we've been doing for 20 years. A lot of Hammond residents are really proud of the fact that we bring the entertainment they listen to in their homes to the stage, and it's a diverse musical lineup just like our city is a diverse city,” McDermott said.
To learn more about Festival of the Lakes, please visit festivalofthelakes.com.
