About
Cold Waves began in 2012 as an annual Chicago festival created in tribute to sound engineer Jamie Duffy and has grown into a major event for the industrial/darkwave/alternative electronic community. The festival is produced by Cracknation/Cold Waves organizers as a fundraiser for suicide-prevention charities and expanded to multi-venue weekends; Cold Waves XIV is scheduled for September 24–27, 2026 in Chicago across Metro, GMan Tavern, and Bottom Lounge.
