Graphic courtesy of Faces of Fitness.

Simone Biles is bringing her mental health advocacy off the competition floor and onto the festival stage.

This article is sponsored by Faces of Fitness Chicago as part of a paid partnership. The Gymnastics Now editorial team maintains full control over the reporting and writing of sponsored features. Learn more about Faces of Fitness Chicago here.

The most decorated gymnast in history will headline Faces of Fitness Chicago 2026, the two-day fitness festival known as the “Lollapalooza of Fitness,” which has officially sold out its fifth-anniversary edition in the city’s River North neighborhood on July 25-26.

Biles will take the stage on Sunday, July 26, for what organizers are calling a first-ever, fully immersive Simone Biles experience built entirely around mental health. Roughly 5,000 attendees are expected to join her on yoga mats for a three-part session moving through body, mind, and soul, starting with a guided morning stretch, followed by an intimate fireside-style conversation with festival co-founders, and closing with breathing exercises and grounding techniques Biles uses to stay present under pressure.

“We are honored to have the GOAT, Simone Biles, as a festival headliner,” said festival co-founder David Grass. “Simone is the most decorated gymnast in history and a leading global advocate around mental health and well-being.”

“From a global stage to our festival stage, Simone’s strength, determination, resilience, and vulnerability in prioritizing her mental health and well-being over performance — even when the entire world was watching — redefined what it means to be a true champion, proving that courage isn’t just about pushing through, but knowing when to pause and put yourself first,” Grass said. “We are thrilled to have a first-ever Simone Biles fully immersive festival experience around mental health.”

Biles has spent the years since the Tokyo Olympics turning her own experience into a broader conversation about athlete well-being.

“Put mental health first,” Biles famously said at her 2021 Tokyo Olympics press conference, explaining that without doing so, an athlete won’t enjoy their sport or perform at their best — and that stepping back sometimes takes more strength than pushing through.

It’s a message she’s expected to echo for the crowd in Chicago. She’s also been candid that mental health, in her view, deserves the same priority as physical health, rather than being treated as secondary to it.

That message will anchor the Chicago program, which organizers have framed as a conversation on “the gold of being real” — tracing Biles’ journey from Tokyo, where she stepped back from competition to protect her mental health, through her return to the podium in Paris in 2024.

Biles headlines a 2026 lineup that also includes Peloton instructors Jess Sims, Adrian Williams and Katie Wang, DJ and producer Austin Millz, lululemon Global Ambassador Korey Rowe, former Chicago Bears standout Israel Idonije and Chicago fitness personality Aubre Winters. The festival features more than 20 studio classes from brands including Barry’s, Peloton, Ritual Hot Yoga, Rise Pilates Club, Pvolve and Basecamp Fitness, alongside a 90-brand Wellness Village. For the fifth straight year, a portion of every ticket sold benefits local charity partner Urban Initiatives, which brings fitness and wellness programming to underserved Chicago children.

Faces of Fitness bills itself as the largest fitness, health and wellness festival in the country, drawing more than 10,000 attendees to its sober, music-festival-style format. The brand is also expanding to Miami this year, with Faces of Fitness Miami set for October 24-25 in Coconut Grove.

With Chicago sold out, Biles’ Sunday session is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated moments of the festival’s five-year run.