Singers, dancers, bands, theatre groups, solo acts, and ensembles of all styles and experience levels are welcome to apply! Beyond performances, the festival offers workshops, an arts fair, open jams, visual art exhibitions, and opportunities for students across the city to come together to perform, create, and connect.
This year's festival will take place at the Chicago Cultural Center from May 5-8, 2026.
Partnering with The Chicago Cultural Center and the Design Museum of Chicago, RE•VER•BER•ATE serves as a testament to what happens when our students, teachers, and arts professionals of Chicago come together to create a truly unique event for our CPS artists.
RE•VER•BER•ATE Deadlines for School Year 25/26
- RE•VER•BER•ATE Application Opens
November 1, 2025 - RE•VER•BER•ATE Application Closes
February 1, 2026 - RE•VER•BER•ATE Notification of Acceptance
March 10, 2026 - RE•VER•BER•ATE Festival
May 5 - 8, 2026
Read the Submission Guidelines | Los Reglamentos de solicitud en español
What Does RE•VER•BER•ATE Offer?
RE·VER·BER·ATE brings together students, teachers and professional artists from across Chicago for a festival focused on celebrating student performance and artistic expression.
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Performances
RE•VER•BER•ATE features student performances including large and small instrumental, choral, theater and dance ensembles.
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Arts Fair
RE•VER•BER•ATE student participants learn about opportunities and programs throughout the city. Past participants of the arts fair include: Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Uniting Voices Chicago, Marwen, After School Matters, Chicago School of Musical Arts, Urban Gateways, Music Institute, Experimental Station, and Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art.
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Exhibitions
RE•VER•BER•ATE hosts the All-City Visual Arts (ACVA) Elementary, High School, and Senior Portfolio exhibitions.
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Workshops
RE•VER•BER•ATE features workshops for students led by professional artists. Workshops include: jewelry making, song writing, shadow puppets, improv, audition prep, painting, hip hop, video game music, and devising theatre.
How to Participate in RE•VER•BER•ATE
Selection Process for RE•VER•BER•ATE
RE•VER•BER•ATE seeks to offer a platform to as many student artists as possible over the course of the festival days. When curating the festival, the RE•VER•BER•ATE team works in collaboration with additional partners to purposefully ensure an acceptance list that fully represents the breadth and depth of the arts across Chicago Public Schools. This includes artistic discipline, experience level, geography, cultural diversity, and instrumentation. We strongly encourage submissions that represent the lived experiences of students and educators across Chicago.
The selection process involves the expertise of the Department of Arts Education, the Arts Teacher Leadership Team, and the Arts Student Voice Committee (ASVC).
