More than 75 musical acts will grace Normal’s outdoor stages this summer, with live performances running May through September in Uptown Circle and at Connie Link Amphitheatre.
The lineup, announced by the town on Thursday, includes sets from singer/songwriters like Bruce Moon, TyJon Charlie, Marcos Mendez and Kate Herald, plus a hefty dose of Americana, jazz and soul bands, including Chicago Farmer & the Fieldnotes, Harlem Hayfield, Hannah Rose & the Sweet Nothings and Inktrail.
On the theatrical front, Illinois Shakespeare Festival’s Theatre for Young Audiences and Prairie Fire Theatre will visit Connie Link Amphitheatre, plus a full-scale production of SpongeBob the Musical from the town’s storied High School Theatre Program.
Normal LIVE’s flagship festival, Make Music Normal, marks its 10th anniversary June 28-29, taking over Uptown with an all-ages fest featuring an array of musical styles on multiple stages. And the Sweet Corn Circus marks summer’s end, acrobats, jugglers and corn on the cob dominating Uptown Aug. 24-25.
For a full schedule of events, visit normalil.gov/LIVE.
The full slate of live, outdoor performances complements the City of Bloomington’s offerings, which includes Saturdays on the Square, plus a new First Friday concert series on the Bloomington Center for Performing Arts lawn.
In collaboration with the Castle Theatre and Pantagraph Media, Saturdays on the Square kicks off May 4 with Matthew Curry, followed by Hairbangers Ball [June 8] and tribute bands, featuring music by Sublime [June 22] and Tom Petty [July 20].
Bloomington's free downtown lunchtime concerts kick off May 29 in Withers Park.
