This year’s celebration was the biggest The Q has seen yet, according to Peterson. Attendees have the option to bring their own tents, chairs, coolers and grills — much like the Chosen Few DJs House Picnic & Festival. Throughout the day, friends bounced from tent to tent, dancing and laughing in the field.
Although the celebration is based on the South Side, it’s clear that all of Chicago is welcome. SoGo founder Michael Cox waved a “God Bless The West Side” flag while walking through the dance floor, antagonizing the South Siders, who jokingly teased back.
Peterson likes to think of The Q as the millennial version of the House Picnic. At The Q, all genres that make up Chicago’s music identity are played. From Chief Keef’s drill classics, to BabyChiefDoIt’s new track “Ghetto Love Story,” and DJ Chip’s “Juke Slide,” all genres of Black Chicago’s music scene were enjoyed. Not only that, but the girls enjoyed when major artists like Sexxy Red or Glorilla blared from the DJ’s speakers.
“In this city, if you don’t play house music, then people automatically assume Black people can’t congregate together with their music because it leads to fighting,” he said. “Every year we show that we can.”
Around 7 p.m., Peterson is able to take off his event planner hat and take in the crowd.
“It’s just nothing but love,” he said. “Half the people don’t even know each other, but they’re just dapping up, giving each other hugs.”
Peterson doesn’t charge an entry fee for the event, and that’s intentional. He wants “The Q” to operate as a reunion. A way to ensure that his side of town can have a free function, without breaking the bank for those who desire to attend.
“We make no profit off of this,” he said. “It’s primarily the committee who funds this for the people.”
As The Q gets bigger, however, so do the costs. This year, organizers added more portable restrooms and hired a cleanup crew for the first time instead of cleaning the grounds themselves the next morning.
“The bigger we get, the more we have to look into, well, when do we charge and how do we charge?” Peterson said. Typically, festival organizers have grown from free events to ticketed ones to accommodate the behind-the-scenes costs that arise with growing crowds, such as fencing, venue costs and permits, and security.
“But, for now, we’re going to be the beacon of light on the South Side,” Peterson said. “It’s my love letter to Chicago.”