Chicago’s Special Events Management Announces Two Virtual Festivals with Headliners Tom Green and Dennis DeYoung in June

THE MIDWEST’S LARGEST FULL-SERVICE EVENT PRODUCER – SPECIAL EVENTS MANAGEMENT – ANNOUNCES TWO VIRTUAL FESTIVALS WITH HEADLINERS TOM GREEN AND DENNIS DEYOUNG IN JUNE

Looking to provide entertainment to people sheltering in place, Special Events Management offers the nation’s first cross-country virtual beer and comedy fest and a summer benefit supporting Greater Chicago Food Depository

CHICAGO (May 2020) – In an effort to bring festival fun to the homes of people across the country, Special Events Management, known for producing top street festivals and run/walks, today announced two virtual summer festivals to be hosted in June. The two new festivals include FEED Chicago Virtual Summer Fest, a free benefit for the Greater Chicago Food Depository featuring Dennis DeYoung of Styx and Jim Peterik of Survivor, which will be held on Thursday, June 4 and Drafts & Laughs Virtual Beer & Comedy Festival, a beer and comedy festival headlined by Comedian Tom Green, on Friday, June 12. The schedule for each event is as follows.

FEED Chicago Virtual Summer Fest

As an unofficial kickoff to festival season and summertime in the Chi, Special Events Management will host an exclusive hour-long benefit, FEED Chicago Virtual Summer Fest, on Thursday, June 4 beginning at 7 p.m. Patrons will be taken through special live performances from Dennis DeYoung, best known as a founding member and front man of Styx, Jim Peterik, the founding member of Survivor, along with Sixteen Candles, Michael McDermott, Wedding Banned, and Boy Band Review, while also having the opportunity to watch a live ticker throughout the stream as donations to benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository are made across the nation.

All guests will be encouraged to make a monetary donation before and/or during the benefit, beginning at $5 in advance, followed by any additional contribution participants are willing and able during the stream. For every $1 donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, three meals will be provided to someone in need.

Patrons interested in participating must first register in advance at feedchicagofest.eventbrite.com in order to receive the streaming link. To learn more about the benefit or about the Greater Chicago Food Depository, please visit www.chicagoevents.com.

Drafts & Laughs Virtual Beer & Comedy Festival

Set to entertain guests around the country, Drafts & Laughs Virtual Beer & Comedy Festival will be broadcast on Friday, June 12 from 8 – 10 p.m. CST. Benefitting comedian relief efforts and Restaurant Strong, the first cross-country festival of its kind will feature headlining comedian Tom Green and other noteworthy comedians, including SNL’s Jeff Richards, Ben Gleib, Ian Edwards, and Comedy Central’s Stephen Kramer Glickman as the Master of Ceremonies. Guests are invited to enjoy a case of a variety of 8 – 10 beers provided by Boston Beer Company to pair with the laughs from the comfort of their home. The tasting will be guided by a virtual cicerone and attendees will have the opportunity to interact with comedians during the event.

Beer delivery for Drafts & Laughs Virtual Beer & Comedy Festival is available in areas of Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles. Beer pickup is available from local distributors at Old Crow Smokehouse – Wrigleyville and Moe’s Cantina – River North in Chicago, Molly’s Spirits – Denver and Molly’s Spirits – Greenwood Village in Denver, and Old Crow Smokehouse – Huntington Beach and Old Crow Smokehouse – Orange California in Los Angeles. Tickets are $10, $30 or $45, for performance only, performance plus beer for pickup and performance plus beer for delivery, respectively. Virtual attendees must be 21 years of age to order beer for the festival.

Tickets are available for purchase on Eventbrite. For more information on Drafts & Laughs Virtual Beer & Comedy Festival, please visit www.draftsandlaughs.com.

“Our world has been hit tremendously during this pandemic, and we hope these two unique events give hope to people around the country,” said Hank Zemola, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Special Events Management. “We wanted to bring these “mini street fests” of sorts that everyone across the country can enjoy from the safety of their homes and remind everyone that things will get better. With the help of incredible, well-known musical and comedic talent, we are excited to share our first two fully virtual festivals that will set the standard for future such events.”

As the largest full-service producer of events in the Midwest, Special Events Management produces events for nearly two million people each year. Many of the events are popular and acclaimed street fairs and festivals held in Chicagoland throughout the year, including Lincoln Park Wine Festival, Chicago Taco & Tequila Fest, Festival de la Villita, Roscoe Village Burger Fest, Rosehill Cemetery ‘Crypt’ 5K Run/Walk and many more.

For more information, please visit www.chicagoevents.com or follow Special Events Management on Facebook and Instagram.

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About Special Events Management

Founded in 1988, Special Events Management (SEM) is the largest full-service producer of events in the Midwest. Each year nearly 500,000 individuals participate in SEM-produced runs/walks while another 1.5 million visit our art and street fests, which raise millions of dollars for scores of non-profits, charitable organizations, neighborhood groups and chambers of commerce. Known for marquee events including the Wells Street Art Festival, Belmont-Sheffield Music Fest, Northalsted Market Days, Taste of Lincoln Avenue, AIDS Run/Walk Chicago, Chicago Craft Beer Fest, Lakeview Taco Fest and more, SEM also offers a wide-range of one-stop services needed to pull off large-scale events and run/walks. For more information, visit www.chicagoevents.com.