The second day of Sueños Music Festival was greeted with sunny skies yet crisp temperatures in Grant Park.
Sunday headliners include Puerto Rican producer and reggaeton star Don Omar and Texas-based regional Mexican band Grupo Frontera. The members of Grupo Frontera have faced criticism in the months leading up to and since the 2024 presidential election for their alleged support of Donald Trump. In February, fans put together a petition asking Sueños Fest organizers to remove them from the bill. As of Sunday, more than 10,000 people added their names to the petition.
This weekend’s festival has served up plenty of great music, but there’s fantastic food onsite as well. There’s plenty of options, from quesabirria tacos, empandas and jibaritos to Chicago-style pizza, ribs, hot dogs and Italian beef.
There are more than a dozen bar kiosks offering Modelos, Pacificos and mixed drinks, a Casa Barcadí, Tito’s and Hennessey tents and more. Prices range from $17-$23 (not including tax)es.
This year’s festival features a brand new food truck alley, with mobile bites from Carnitas Don Alfredo, Taco Madre, La Michoacana Premium and more. There is also a handful of restaurants in the Sabores de DoorDash section, including Antique Tacos, Smoke Daddy BBQ, Tuco and Blondie and Big Star.
Munchies and Miches has returned, too. The dedicated food area is filled with different takes on micheladas from Big Mich, M!XHE, Pinches Miches, Moycheladas and beyond. Beware: micheladas are sold separately from liquor and beer.
The “munchies” section includes selections from La Frida Gummies, Xurro, Eiffel Waffle, El Snack Cart, Bella’s Helado De Coco & Italian Ice and more.
Late-day/nighttime sets include Tito Double P, Wisin and Don Omar, who will close out the festival.
JHAYCO
Jhayco’s second time performing at Sueños Music Festival was was a big hit with fans on Sunday.
He performed at the first-ever Sueños back in 2022, which culminated the 2021 tour for his album “Timelezz.” While his 2022 performance might have fallen on some deaf ears at the time, this time around, the singer made sure to give the audience exactly what they were hoping for.
Jhayco started off the night with “Holanda,” a single off his 2023 album “Le Clique: Vida Rockstar (X).” A crowd favorite, the singer-songwriter used the energy to seamlessly transition into “Tarot” and “Mami Chula.” By this time, the crowd was dancing and singing along to all of his songs.
Born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, Jhayco, formerly known as Jhay Cortez, started selling tracks to his peers back when he was 16. He knew he wanted to be a rock star long before then. At 11 years old, he remembers getting a start in making his own music, he told the Sun-Times in 2022.
Now, at 32, he’s one of the most popular Latino music artists in the world. The first time he met up with the Sun-Times at Sueños, he said he was happy to celebrate the culture and represent all Latinos.
Music is his passion, and one of his greatest influences of all time, Don Omar, headlines tonight. Another one of his first concerts he ever attended was Wisin Y Yandel. One half of the duo, Wisin, performs on Sunday night’s bill, too.
“Dakiti,” another one of Jhayco’s most popular songs, was a highlight of the night, which found the singer wrapped by a Puerto Rican flag. He performed “Medusa,” accompanied heavily by his band, whose guitarist offered up an outstanding rock vibe.
Jhayco hurried off the stage before returngint to play one more song. He chose “No Me Conoce,” off his 2019 album “Famouz” to close the show.
There’s something very exciting about reggaeton and Latin trap — genres that have become super mainstream in recent years — being played in downtown Chicago, and being the focus of a festival. Jhayco embodies the culture and genre with everything he has.
This story will be updating throughout the evening.