Amongst the grassy Jonquil Park, 40 vendors lined the space while eight bands drew crowds for their sets at the Grant Slam on May 10. What started as a graduation party in Grant Lendvay’s Lakeview apartment courtyard has since morphed into a small music and vendors festival.
Initially, the event was an annual private party, but since 2024, Grant Slam has been open to the public.
“I love meeting the smiling faces who have grown to love Grant Slam,” Lendvay said. “Meeting the families and neighbors near Jonquil Park who attended the fest and loved it warms my heart! It’s truly evolved from a college-centric event to a communal endeavor.”
Lendvay, the event organizer, has dubbed one his previous gathering Grantcella back in 2023, though he has always enjoyed hosting and organizing parties.
After attending Grantcella, Maddie Voelkel, the vendor chair and in charge of social media, decided to make zines for Grant Slam, which include features on some of the artists and vendors.
For Voelkel, seeing the festival continue to grow after last year has been special. She noted that after going public with the festival, they were unsure what to expect.
“I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, like, what if nobody shows up,’ and it’s not like, because nobody was talking about it or anything, we just, we had never done it before that way,” Voelkel explained.
Grant Slam took place from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., with the band Growing Boys going on at 4:15 p.m. Growing Boys consists of Syd, Kayla Weber and their boys who play accompanying background music. During their set, about 70 people flocked the stage, several dancing around or bobbing their heads to the music.
“It’s our first time playing like a festival sort of setup,” Syd said. “So, yeah, we’re excited to play outside.”
Luckily, the weather was temperate for the entire festival, with only a few clouds in the sky and a nice breeze blowing throughout the field filled with blankets and chairs.
“I think Kayla and I just love so many different sounds,” Syd said. “When we get obsessed with a certain kind of album or artist, we often will like to make songs that emulate that kind of sound that we’re loving.”
“We do deviate a little bit, but it’s definitely rooted in a kind of folk indie kind of sound,” Syd added.
Texas native and a freshman at DePaul University, Lily Smith, attended the show after having seen an ad for it on Instagram as it reminded her of music festivals back home in Austin.
DePaul freshmen Alyse Pittman attended with their friend who had told them about it.
“We stopped by so many cool vendors and artists with the music, such a good local event,” Pittman said.
For Leah Robin, a DePaul freshmen, her music education professor had mentioned the upcoming festival in class.
“I initially felt skeptical, like, how awesome could a festival at Jonquil Park possibly be?” Robin questioned. “But Lily asked me to come along and the energy is electrifying. The vendors are so nice, the music is amazing and the weather is beautiful! I’m going to keep coming back every year.”
Though going through all the logistics of the festival was challenging at times, Lendvay continued on with patience and dedication.
“Community and third places are what make my friends and I feel most alive, and we’ve been fortunate to be able to provide this space to our neighbors and loved ones,” Lendvay said.