Ravinia is gearing up for a serious summer crush. Tickets for the festival's 2026 season go on sale Thursday at 8 a.m. CT, opening the redesigned Hunter Pavilion and unleashing a packed roster of concerts in Highland Park. With major debuts on tap and the Chicago Symphony residency anchoring the calendar, organizers are blunt: demand will be high, and a lot of shows could vanish in minutes.
Public tickets hit the virtual box office at 8 a.m. CT on Thursday, according to NBC Chicago. The outlet reports that Ravinia is already coaching fans on social media to pick their shows and ticket types in advance and be ready for a virtual waiting room. The warning is not subtle: “High demand is expected. Some shows will sell out fast,” NBC notes.
How the On-Sale Will Work
Ravinia's ticketing guidance says buyers will first land in a digital waiting room, then be assigned a place in line once sales open, according to Ravinia's ticketing blog. After you add seats to your cart, you get a 20-minute clock to finish the purchase. The festival advises fans to save payment details ahead of time and make sure the billing address matches their bank statement exactly to avoid checkout drama. Let the cart timer run out, and you are tossed back into the queue, so organizers suggest locking in your must-see shows first before you start browsing for "nice to have" tickets.
Who's on the Schedule
This summer's bill brings some heavy hitters: Paul Simon, Brandi Carlile, Ricky Martin, Chance the Rapper and Bonnie Raitt are all on the slate, among others, as reported by NBC Chicago. The lineup stretches across pop, country and classical, with several artists making their Ravinia debuts.
For anyone who really does not want to roll the dice on a sellout, Ravinia is reminding fans that donors get early access. The festival is also urging buyers to skip third-party resellers, stressing that official tickets are sold only through Ravinia.org. The site lists more than 90 concerts this year and suggests using a desktop for the smoothest, fastest checkout. Expect serious competition when the clock hits 8 a.m. Thursday; plenty of Ravinia shows have been known to sell out in a flash.
