Beyond Fest Expands to Chicago with Music Box Theatre for 2026 Midwest Launch

Beyond Fest teams up with Chicago’s Music Box Theatre for a four-day genre celebration this April 2026.

BEYOND FEST EXPANDS TO CHICAGO IN 2026 — GENRE GIANT TEAMS WITH MUSIC BOX THEATRE FOR MIDWEST TAKEOVER

It’s official — the country’s biggest genre festival is heading to the Midwest. Beyond Fest, long hailed as the wildest and most electric genre event in the United States, has announced its first-ever expansion outside Los Angeles. Partnering with Chicago’s legendary Music Box Theatre, Beyond Chicago will debut April 2–5, 2026, promising four days of mayhem, madness, and movie magic for one of the most passionate film communities in the country.

For us at Horror Movies Uncut, this is major news — not just because Beyond Fest is one of our favorite festivals to cover every year, but because it’s finally planting roots in the Midwest, a region that’s quickly becoming a powerhouse for independent horror and genre storytelling. Between Kansas City’s Panic Fest and now Beyond Chicago, April is about to become the most stacked month of the year for fans of all things blood-soaked and bizarre. (And yes, we’ll be watching closely to see if Panic Fest — currently projected for April 2–8 — shifts its dates or embraces the crossover chaos.)

Submissions for Beyond Chicago are now open on FilmFreeway, inviting filmmakers from the Great Lakes to global shores to unleash their most audacious, uncompromising work. Expect Beyond Fest’s signature blend of high-energy premieres, retro favorites, celebrity guests, and communal, edge-of-your-seat screenings — all hosted inside Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre, a venue practically made for late-night genre worship.

“Since inception, Beyond Fest has existed in service of film fans and filmmakers that are obsessively passionate about film,” said Beyond Fest founder Christian Parkes. “This passion isn’t something that resides exclusively in Los Angeles; for decades, Music Box Theatre has fostered and entertained some of the best audiences in the world. It’s going to be electric, having our worlds collide.”

Beyond Fest’s Chicago move feels like a natural evolution. Founded in 2013, the LA edition has drawn over 30,000 attendees, screening nearly a hundred features and hosting legends like Guillermo del Toro, James Cameron, S. S. Rajamouli, Bong Joon Ho, and Julia Ducournau. The Music Box, meanwhile, has been Chicago’s home for independent, foreign, and cult cinema since 1929, with its glowing marquee and devoted audiences making it a cornerstone of the city’s cultural identity.

“The Music Box has always been a home for bold, visionary cinema,” said Brody Sheldon, Music Box Theatre owner. “Partnering with Beyond Fest means bringing that energy to a new generation of filmmakers and fans — the ones who make this city’s film scene the loudest, smartest, and most passionate in the country.”

Beyond Chicago is poised to be a new must-attend event on the festival circuit — a bridge between LA’s cinematic anarchy and the Midwest’s blue-collar, all-heart horror fandom. Whether you’re a filmmaker or a fan, this is your call to show up, get loud, and celebrate the blood, sweat, and celluloid that make genre film the beating heart of modern cinema.

Filmmakers can submit their work now via FilmFreeway. The full lineup, guests, and special events will be announced in early 2026.

For more information, visit beyondfest.com and musicboxtheatre.com.