Empty Bottle Presents: Warm Love Cool Dreams Music and Arts Festival 

Chicago, IL , February 3, 2026 – Empty Bottle Presents’ own Warm Love Cool Dreams Music and Arts Festival returns for its highly anticipated second edition on May 23 - 24, 2026, taking over the Salt Shed in Chicago. Expanding programming across the venue’s indoor and outdoor stages, Three Top Lounge, and Elston Electric, Warm Love Cool Dreams Music and Arts Festival is growing to fill a much needed festival space in Chicago for emerging underground artists along with current legends. 

Beyond music, attendees can explore the fantastical Oddball Market, featuring a variety of local artists and vendors offering records, vintage clothing, jewelry, books, flash tattoos and more, alongside the Arts of Life Studio Sale, supporting over 80 artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Arts of Life is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to employment equality and inclusion in Chicago.

Festival organizer and Director of Music at 16" On Center Brent Heyl shares, “We wanted to build a festival for the types of bands and artists we love, knowing that there are people out there who love them too. It’s not complicated. These bands rip. These artists and vendors are singular. It’s housed in one of the greatest venues in the country and curated by freaks. Something for your heart and for your mind.”

The festival boasts an exciting, eclectic lineup that runs the gamut, including Australian indie royalty Courtney Bartnett, the genre-shapeshifting maestro Toro y Moi and legendary Scottish post-punk quartet The Jesus and Mary Chain. Alongside Chicago mainstays Tortoise, Whitney and Pixel Grip and sensations of the underground like Nourished By Time, Smerz and YHWH Nailgun, Warm Love Cool Dreams aims to amplify the next wave of boundary-pushing artists, connecting the city of Chicago to the worldwide avant-garde in one unified, forward-thinking celebration.

About Warm Love Cool Dreams

Warm Love Cool Dreams is an annual Chicago-based music and arts festival dedicated to showcasing singular artists, innovative programming, and community-driven experiences. Hosted at The Salt Shed, the festival brings together local and international talent in an environment designed for discovery, connection, and creative expression.

About Empty Bottle Presents 

Empty Bottle Presents is the curatorial and production arm of The Empty Bottle, handling all events not housed in the venue proper for over 20 years. Born out of a ceaseless creativity and desire to bring new and interesting experiences to artists we admire, EBP has since produced immersive shows at Garfield Park Conservatory (Plantasia), Bohemian National Cemetery (Beyond the Gate), as well as various block parties and street festivals including the beloved Music Frozen Dancing, outside Empty Bottle in the dead of Chicago winter.

About 16 on Center 

For over 30 years, the homegrown music and hospitality collective 16 On Center has been creating new neighborhood staples throughout Chicago. With over 15 independently operated locations, from Evanston to Hyde Park, with additional projects in New York City and beyond, their central mission remains the same: to treat every concept as community and every building as a link to living history. The name "16 On Center" comes from the construction term for a center mark that ensures the strongest build, reflecting their commitment to creating high-quality, enduring spaces.

For more information, contact team16oc@shorefire.com at Shore Fire Media, (718) 522-7171