Faces of Fitness workout festival born from pandemic isolation
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Attendees during a workout at the Faces of Fitness festival. Photo: Moyo Adeolu/Axios
The Faces of Fitness festival continues to grow as a place to bring together health and wellness enthusiasts.
Why it matters: After the pandemic closed gyms and community workout classes, Faces of Fitness founders David and Lindsay Grass created the festival to unite and serve the fitness community.
Driving the news: This year's festival, held Saturday and Sunday at Durso Park in River North, drew about 4,000 people.
State of play: Workouts included Zumba, boxing, strength training and yoga, featuring four stages with instructors leading workouts. Rumble, Solidcore, Peloton, RSTR, The Green House and Smoothie Rx were among the many fitness brands, boutiques and restaurants on hand this year.
The intrigue: The festival donates a portion of its proceeds to Urban Initiatives, a local organization that works to bring fitness, health and wellness to 50,000 underserved Chicago children.
- David and Lindsay Grass say these kids are the "future faces of fitness."
What they're saying: "Chicago is the Mecca for festivals. We've got Lolla, we've got Pitchfork and Blues Fest, but we felt like this was the one event that was missing," Lindsay Grass told Axios.
- "Whether it's a music festival or fitness festival, they are all rooted in human emotion, and this is so special because the emotion is fitness, health and wellness," David Grass said.
Zoom in: Watch a recap of this year's event here.
What we're watching: More health and wellness festivals coming up, including Strength in the City Festival on Sept. 15.