why does Chicago get two fests and DC can't even muster up one
although I'm not a big fest person
They have way more than two.
Lollapalooza, Riot Fest, Pitchfork, Chicago Jazz Fest, Chicago Blues Fest, Spring Awakening (EDM), Some Labor day hiphop/EDM thing whose name escapes me.
I think there's some sort of Grant Park classical and world music free series in Grant Park all summer (their version of Kennedy Center).
Chicago is a major cultural hub and the third biggest city in the country, and as Sweets accurately laid out: the catchment area for all of the midwest.