Wrigleyville's Wildest September Ever: Historic Volleyball at Wrigley This Sunday, Plus a Brand-New Music Festival Coming Later This Month
By Socialhood News · Wrigleyville ·
Wrigleyville neighbors, this September is shaping up to be unlike any the block around Clark and Addison has ever seen — and it starts this coming Sunday with a genuine first in the 112-year history of Wrigley Field.
On Sunday, September 6, the Friendly Confines will host collegiate women's volleyball for the very first time, as part of the 2026 Allstate Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge Week. The historic doubleheader is the centerpiece of a week-long series that matches all 18 Big Ten programs against all 16 SEC programs beginning Tuesday, September 1, with the Wrigley Field finale serving as the marquee event. The evening kicks off with Penn State vs. Kentucky at 6 p.m. CT, followed immediately by Nebraska vs. Missouri at 8 p.m. CT — and both matches will be nationally televised on FOX. Tickets are on sale now through the Cubs, and a single ticket covers both matches.
Think about what that means for a moment: a ballpark that has hosted baseball since 1914, a Grateful Dead concert, a Notre Dame vs. Northwestern football game, and professional wrestling is about to welcome its first-ever collegiate volleyball matches. The ivy-covered outfield walls will form the backdrop for two top-tier Big Ten and SEC programs squaring off on a net stretched across the warning track. For neighbors who want to see Wrigley in a completely different light — literally, under the stadium lights on a September Sunday evening — this is the night.
The September homestand at Wrigley is already deep into a four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers, with games on Monday August 31 through Thursday September 3 before the club heads to Miami. Tonight — Wednesday, September 2 — the Cubs host the Brewers at 7:40 p.m. CT on MLB Network, with Cubs starter D. Peterson (4-1, 3.90 ERA) facing off against Milwaukee's J. Misiorowski (14-5, 1.73 ERA) in what the schedule makes clear is a marquee pitching matchup. Tickets for tonight's game are starting from $28.80. Then on Thursday, September 3, the final game of the Brewers series tips off at 7:15 p.m. CT on FOX, with Kevin Gausman on the mound for Chicago and tickets starting from $54 — the highest-priced home game of the current stretch, reflecting the demand for this division rivalry matchup going into the final weeks of the regular season.
But the neighborhood's September story doesn't end with the volleyball net coming down on the 6th. Later this month, Clark Street itself becomes the stage for something Wrigleyville has never hosted before: the first-ever Clark Street Live music festival on Saturday, September 26, and Sunday, September 27. Running from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. both days, the festival will take over Clark Street from Newport Avenue all the way up to Addison Street — essentially turning the entire heart of the neighborhood into an outdoor concert venue just steps from the ballpark's front gate.
Organizers are billing Clark Street Live as the grand finale of Chicago's festival season, and the musical vision is genuinely ambitious. Two separate stages will run simultaneously: one dedicated entirely to country music, while the other showcases a rotating lineup spanning rock, pop, cover bands, and original artists. Food and drinks will flow from the neighborhood's own bars and restaurants, keeping the economic energy right on the block. Whether you're a two-stepper or a classic rock devotee, the programming is designed to give every neighbor and visitor a reason to plant their feet on Clark Street for the day.
Taken together, the September calendar for Wrigleyville is a reminder that this neighborhood has always been more than a baseball destination — it is one of Chicago's most versatile event corridors, capable of reinventing itself from a volleyball arena to a country music fairground within the same calendar month. With the 2027 MLB All-Star Game already on the horizon, the neighborhood is clearly building momentum, and September 2026 may well be remembered as the month Wrigleyville showed the city exactly how many things it can be at once.
Neighbors, are you heading to the historic volleyball doubleheader this Sunday at Wrigley? And have you marked September 26–27 on your calendar for Clark Street Live? Drop your plans in the comments — and let your neighbors know which stage you'll be dancing near.
Sources:
1. https://www.mlb.com/cubs/tickets/events/bigtenvolleyball
2. https://wgntv.com/sports/wrigley-field-to-host-its-first-ever-volleyball-matches-in-september-big-ten-and-sec-announce-monday/
3. https://wrigleyvillechicago.com/clark-street-live/
4. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/CHC/chicago-cubs/schedule/
5. https://www.ticketmaster.com/Wrigley-Field-tickets-Chicago/venue/32839