Laufey, the Icelandic-Chinese artist bridging old-world jazz and modern pop, has forged a magical connection with Chicago’s rich musical heritage.
Her meteoric rise in the Windy City has seen her transition seamlessly from intimate, pin-drop clubs to sold-out arena spectacles at the United Center. By introducing massive, youthful crowds to lush jazz harmonies and classical strings, this two-time GRAMMY winner has transformed genuine musical craftsmanship into a captivating, city-wide cultural shift.
Now, this phenomenal journey is returning to its most intimate and enchanting roots. On August 23, 2026, Chicago slips into Laufeyland as live strings, candlelight, and Gilded Age glamour take over the Congress Plaza Hotel. It is the perfect tribute to an artist who makes timeless genres feel incredibly fresh, offering a magical evening that honors both her velvet-voiced intimacy and the city’s grand musical legacy.
What is ‘A Very Laufey Day’?
Returning August 23, 2026, A Very Laufey Day gathers Lauvers for a day of music, books, vintage style, and main-character wandering. First launched in 2023 around Bewitched with L.A. scavenger hunts and a live set, the global event has expanded to Chicago, Los Angeles, and Boston.
Past editions span record-shop listening sessions, bookshop pop-ups, thrift events, matcha stops, library meetups, and acoustic performances—all defined by bows, cardigans, hair ribbons, old films, and cozy city routes. Soundtracking it all is a distinct blend of jazz, classical music, bossa nova, and pop, rich with yearning, dry wit, romantic mishaps, and raw vulnerability.
In the United States, the 2026 edition also ties into Laufey’s official collaboration with the American Library Association. Participating libraries can begin issuing Laufey Book Club-branded library cards on August 23, just ahead of Library Card Sign-Up Month in September.
What is Candlelight: A Very Laufey Day in Chicago?
As evening arrives, Candlelight x Laufey: A Very Laufey Day rounds off the global celebrations. Thousands of candles flicker around an intimate acoustic performance, giving Laufey’s jazz-pop melodies, classical detail, cinematic longing, and confessional warmth room to breathe.
Laufey will not perform live at the concert. Instead, local classical musicians take on orchestral string-quartet arrangements of her songs, letting familiar melodies shift into something softer, richer, and wonderfully close-up. Heartbreak, romance and growing pains ring out through the instruments.
Congress Plaza Hotel: a grand hotel fills with vintage love songs
Built as a vast Michigan Avenue haven for visitors arriving for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, the Congress Plaza Hotel is steeped in World’s Fair nostalgia and secret history. Serving as a surviving piece of Gilded Age Chicago, it later became famous as the “Home of Presidents,” adding rich layers of political history to its grand, opulent setting.
Then there is the stunning Gold Room, reportedly the first ballroom in America to use air conditioning. It is an unexpected historical first, but exactly the sort of hidden detail that makes the venue unforgettable. Under candlelight, the room’s old-world scale and ballroom elegance perfectly mirror the elegant, nostalgic atmosphere of Laufey’s music—making the entire experience feel like stepping straight into one of her orchestral love songs.
Chicago named one of ten exclusive tribute concerts
Chicago is one of only 10 initial cities selected for this official collaboration, alongside destinations including New York, London, Paris, Seoul, Berlin, and Melbourne. With such a small global lineup and concerts designed for intimate audiences, tickets are strictly limited.
What you need to know about Candlelight x Laufey: A Very Laufey Day
📍Location: 520 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, 60605
📍Venue: The Congress Plaza Hotel & Convention Center
📅 Date: August 23
🎶 Plan name: Candlelight: A Very Laufey Day
♿ Accessibility: The venue is ADA-compliant
🎟️ Ticket price: From $36.50 per person
Candlelight x Laufey: A Very Laufey Day brings together live strings, thousands of candles, and one of Chicago’s most storied hotels. Between World’s Fair nostalgia, ballroom grandeur, and Laufey’s tender mix of jazz-pop and classical romance, the night feels less like a standard concert and more like stepping straight into one of her vintage love songs.
