Southside Summer Festival At Marist High School To Feature Big Head Todd And The Monsters

MOUNT GREENWOOD — Thousands are expected to spend Saturday evening at Marist High School’s football stadium — not for a sporting event but for a festive night of music. 

Marist High School, 4030 W. 115th St., will host the fifth annual Southside Summer Festival on Saturday, with musical performances from Eddie 9V, Back Country Boys and headliner Big Head Todd and the Monsters. 

Since the festival’s inception in 2022, the event has raised about $500,000 in support of scholarships and financial aid for students of Marist, said the Rev. Tom Hurley, Marist’s vice president of advancement and ministry.

Hurley, a 1985 graduate of Marist, is the former pastor of Old St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. He stepped down as pastor of the West Loop parish in 2021 after nearly two decades at the church.

After leaving the parish, Hurley returned to his alma mater, where he helped launch the summer festival inspired in part by Old St. Pat’s World’s Largest Block Party event.

While the event is held at Marist, Hurley told Block Club in April he hopes the entire South Side feels welcome at the festival.

“This is not just meant for Marist people. This is Marist hosting this event for anybody and everybody,” Hurley said. “It’s just meant to be a South Side event for anybody who wants to come.”

Tickets for the Southside Summer Festival are $45 through Friday and $50 at the door. Limited VIP tickets will be available for $165; they include beverages and light food. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.

All money raised from Southside Summer Festival is used to provide financial aid and scholarships to current and future students of Marist, Hurley said.

“When you’ve got 60 percent of your students that need some form of financial aid, we have to keep doing everything we can to keep raising money so that we can keep kids in school,” Hurley said.