Original Chosen Few DJ reflects on three decades of Chicago’s most enduring house music celebration

Alan King, one of the original members of the legendary Chosen Few DJs, has been instrumental in creating one of Chicago’s most enduring cultural celebrations. What began as a small reunion in 1990 has evolved into a massive annual festival that draws tens of thousands to Chicago’s South Side. The Chosen Few Picnic stands as a testament to house music’s power to unite communities and challenge negative stereotypes about Chicago’s Black neighborhoods.

King and his fellow DJs never planned to create a music festival—they simply wanted to reconnect with friends from the original house music scene. Three decades later, their picnic has become a cornerstone of Chicago’s cultural landscape, proving that authentic community gatherings can grow organically into something truly special.

You’ve been a foundational piece to the Chosen Few Picnic since the beginning. What were those early days like, and did you ever imagine it would become this?

No, we absolutely never imagined what it would become. We had no plans to create any kind of large music festival. We just decided around 1990 to have a little picnic in the park to get the folks back together from the original house music days. We literally went out in the park and put chairs—maybe 30 people. It went pretty well. Let’s do this again next year. Next year was 60 people, then 100, then 500, then 1,000, then 10,000, and it still counts. We never imagined it. We never planned it.

How do you think the spirit of house music and Chicago’s role in it has evolved over the years?

Well, house music originated in Chicago. I don’t care who else wants to tell a different story. But one of the many things we’re really proud about with this event—is we know, Chicago has a bad rap. South Side of Chicago has a bad rap. The West Side of Chicago has a bad rap. All they want to talk about is violence. But one of the things we’re most proud of is we put tens of thousands of Black folks in a park on the South Side of Chicago. For the last 30-plus years, we have never had a single act of violence.

We have never had a security incident of any sort. So that’s a testament to what Chicago really is and what house music is about. People just don’t come here with that vibe.

For someone coming to the Chosen Few for the first time, what can you tell them to expect?

As far as people coming for the first time, it’s always the same reaction. Even DJ and performers—they’ve never seen a sea of humanity this way. And I’m going to keep it real. A lot of our guest DJs tour and play all around the world. They see crowds like this, but they don’t see Black people like this. So that’s one of the things that makes this event so special. It’s Black-owned, it’s Black-produced. Obviously we welcome everybody—house music welcomes everybody. But this is a Black-owned event, a Black community-produced event.

And that’s what people comment on the most. DJs who tour around the world going to festivals—yeah, they’re playing for large crowds, but not their folks, not our folks.

King’s words capture the essence of what makes the Chosen Few Picnic unique: it’s not just about the music, but about creating a space where Chicago’s Black community can celebrate its cultural contributions in safety and solidarity. The event stands as living proof that house music’s original spirit of unity and joy continues to thrive in its birthplace.