Chicago Memorial Day Tradition · In Development
HONOR THE FALLEN. PUSH YOURSELF. DO IT TOGETHER.
MURPH Festival — Chicago's Memorial Day Wellness, Fitness & Community Festival
A two-day Memorial Day weekend experience built around the MURPH Challenge — expanding into a community fitness and wellness festival rooted in remembrance, resilience, and the people who carry the mission forward.
MURPH Festival 2025 — UIC, Chicago
The Event
Not Just a Workout. A Festival.
MURPH Festival is becoming Chicago's annual Memorial Day wellness, fitness, and community gathering. The MURPH Challenge is the emotional centerpiece — a tribute to Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy — but the larger experience is what makes it Chicago's.
Live fitness stages. A wellness village. Veteran resources. Vendors, food, music, family activities, recovery, content creators, and the kind of atmosphere that turns a workout into a tradition.
Built on remembrance, resilience, veterans, community, and culture — the way Memorial Day was meant to be honored.
MURPH Festival 2025
Highlights
MURPH Challenge Highlights
The Workout
Named after Navy SEAL Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, who called it “Body Armor.” We do it every Memorial Day weekend as a tribute — and a gathering.
The Vision
An Ecosystem, Not Just an Event
Think of MURPH Festival like a small city with distinct districts — each with its own programming, activations, and energy. The MURPH Challenge anchors the experience. Everything around it is what makes it Chicago's.
MURPH Competition Area
Heats, team divisions, veteran divisions, scaled and beginner divisions, leaderboards, branded lanes, hydration and recovery nearby.
Fitness Class & Training Stage
All-day rotating classes — yoga, HIIT, boxing, kettlebell, mobility, run clubs, military-style workouts, breathwork.
Headliner & Speaker Stage
Featured trainers, veteran athletes, fitness creators, motivational speakers, and community leaders.
Recovery & Wellness Village
Mobility work, stretch and massage stations, cold plunges, recovery demos, mental health resources, wellness education.
Veteran & Community Village
Veteran nonprofits, student organizations, employment, education, mental health, and community resources.
Vendor Marketplace
Veteran-owned businesses, apparel brands, supplements, local artists, wellness companies, and community brands.
Food & Hospitality
Food trucks, coffee, smoothies, healthy food vendors, hydration stations, and lounge seating.
Family & Community Area
Kids activities, family wellness, obstacle courses, art, face painting, games — the whole community shows up.
Main Stage & Memorial Tribute
DJs, opening ceremony, Memorial Day tribute moments, sponsor recognition, award ceremonies, music.
The long-term vision is a two-day Memorial Day weekend experience— a community wellness festival on Day 1 and the main MURPH event with full festival activations on Day 2.
Get Involved
Four Ways to Be Part of It
We're building this with the community — not for them. Here's how to plug in.
Athletes
Register your team, sign up solo, or pick a scaled or beginner division.
Get Updates →Sponsors
Brand activations, hydration zones, recovery villages, title and section sponsorships.
Sponsor Inquiry →Partners
Gyms, run clubs, veteran orgs, community groups, universities, media — co-create the experience.
Partner Inquiry →Vendors
Veteran-owned businesses, food trucks, wellness brands, and community vendors.
Vendor Inquiry →Next Year
MURPH Festival 2027
Targeting Memorial Day weekend 2027 in Chicago. We're currently exploring Humboldt Park near the Boathouse for its atmosphere, space, visibility, and community accessibility. Final date and venue will be announced as planning progresses.
If you want to help shape what it becomes — as a sponsor, vendor, partner, athlete, or volunteer — now is the right time to start the conversation.
Who Was Murphy
Navy SEAL Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy was 29 years old when he was killed in action in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on June 28, 2005. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor — the first service member to receive the award for actions in Afghanistan.
He loved fitness. He called this workout “Body Armor.” After his death, his teammates started doing it to honor him. The world followed. Every Memorial Day weekend, we do MURPH to remember him and everyone who didn't come home.
Supporting MURPH Festival
Partners & Community
The organizations standing with us to make MURPH Festival happen each Memorial Day.
Student Veterans of America
American Legion
UIC Student Veterans
Mainline
Recon Media
Chicago Gear
BE PART OF THE MURPH.
Honor the fallen. Push yourself. Pick how you want to be part of something bigger than a workout.