Beyond Fest just wrapped another year featuring a massive lineup, but next year the popular genre festival is going even bigger. Beyond Fest has announced today that they’re expanding to the Midwest in 2026.

In partnership with Chicago’s iconic Music Box Theatre, this new evolution of Beyond Fest will take place April 2–5, 2026.

Submissions for Beyond Chicago are now open through FilmFreeway, inviting filmmakers from around the globe — especially those from Chicago, the Midwest, and the Great Lakes region — to bring their wildest, weirdest, and most uncompromising visions to screen with one of the nation’s most passionate film communities.

“Since inception, Beyond Fest has existed in service of film fans and filmmakers that are obsessively passionate about film,” said Christian Parkes, Beyond Fest founder. “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.”

“The Music Box has always been a home for bold, visionary cinema,” said Music Box Theatre Owner, Brody Sheldon. “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 Fest, founded in 2013, has become one of the most attended festivals in the country and has featured in-person guests like James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro, S. S. Rajamouli, Julia Ducournau, and Bong Joon Ho.

The full lineup, guests, and special events for Beyond Chicago will be announced in 2026.

Music Box Marquee. Photo Credit: Music Box Theatre