CHICAGO (WGN) — Over 40 years after it emerged from underground clubs on the South and West Sides, house music continues to be celebrated as one of Chicago’s greatest cultural contributions. This Labor Day weekend, ARC Music Festival returned to Union Park, honoring the genre just blocks from where it was created.

”There’s something in this city that makes people play differently than anywhere else,” Chicago-native DJ Heather said.

The music that grew from the ashes of disco in the late 1970s went on to shape global electronic dance culture. At the center of it all was The Warehouse, a West Loop nightclub where Frankie Knuckles pioneered the sound that became known as house. The Chicago City Council granted landmark status to the building in 2023, preserving its role as the birthplace of

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