Find New Music, bands, and Solo Performers Right Here!
Discover your next favorite band at Bitter Jester.
The Bitter Jester Music Festival (BJMF) is the nation’s oldest professional multi-state music competition for emerging bands and solo artists. If you’re in Illinois, come to a live show.
If you’re somewhere else in the world, check out our various compilation albums featuring the best bands from our recent festivals!
And if you’re in a band and interested in applying, click here!
And the best part? We’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity based in Illinois, so all proceeds from records and donations directly support our educational programs and nonprofit music festival.
You can pick up copies of our vinyl records at any of our summer concerts. Or, if you’re out of state, contact us today to order a copy that we will ship to you!
You’ll be sure to discover your next favorite band at Bitter Jester!
“Live at Bitter Jester Music Festival, vol. 01” recorded at Billy Corgan’s (Smashing Pumpkins) Madame Zuzu’s Tea House. The second volume, produced last year, was recorded at various venues in Highland Park, IL, and at Navy Pier in Chicago, IL
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“Live at Bitter Jester, vol. 01” is now on Spotify!
Proud to be celebrating quality musical performances and educational feedback for up-and-coming bands and solo artists since 2006!
The Bitter Jester Music Festival is a competition and concert series built on a strong foundation of community and emboldening and empowering young performers at a critical time in their social and artistic development. BJMF gives participating young adults an opportunity to receive professional feedback from working musicians and, most importantly, meet and connect with dozens of other musicians their own age. Additionally, performers get to work hand-in-hand with Bitter Jester Studio’s nine-time Emmy award winning production team, providing them with a level of media exposure, professional mentorship, and networking that is unmatched by other similar competitions.
The event has four preliminary competitions on consecutive weekends in June at Port Clinton Square in downtown Highland Park, IL. A winner is selected by qualified judges each night to compete in the Grand Finale Concert. After all four preliminary competitions, Bitter Jester Producers decide on four "Wild Cards" - bands/solo artists who will also compete for the title at a big Grand Finale concert. Showcase bands are also selected to perform on the Bitter Jester Mobile Stage prior to the Grand Finale battle. -- An annual "Best Of" takes places each Labor Day at the Beer Garden on Navy Pier.
“It has become a summer tradition to attend Bitter Jester concerts...”
The Bitter Jester Music Festival is made possible, in part, by tremendous support from the City of Highland Park, IL, support from First Bank of Highland Park, and a grant from the Highland Park Community Foundation.
Click here to read what Mayor Rotering has to say about the festival.
The Bitter Jester Music Festival is supported, in part, by financial contributions from the City of Highland Park, First Bank of Highland Park, Judy’s Pizza, the Highland Park Community Foundation, Elmore Pedals, and many individual donors just like you.
The Festival has exciting ongoing partnerships with Ravinia Festival, Navy Pier, and the Chicago Botanic Garden to showcase exceptional musicians each year. Past partnerships include The Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards and Harry Caray’s Restaurant Group.
Ravinia hosts one Finalist band as an opening act before a national headliner on their beautiful Carousel Stage. Navy Pier hosts a day-long “Best Of” showcase concert on Labor Day each year to close out their “Live on the Lake” summer series.
This Bitter Jester Foundation for the Arts and its Music Festival are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
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