Screamers welcome: Chicago scream club lets people ‘give in and let go’

Emanuel and Elena from the Chicago Scream Club. Photograph: Mariya ArtBelka View image in fullscreen Emanuel and Elena from the Chicago Scream Club. Photograph: Mariya ArtBelka Screamers welcome: Chicago scream club lets people ‘give in and let go’ Chicagoans come together for cathartic and communal screaming experience as activity gains traction across US People strolling along North Avenue Beach, a sandy strip on Lake Michigan, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago , are apt to see something unusual on Sunday evenings. That’s because Chicago’s “Scream Club” meets there every week during the city’s warmer months, bringing together a community of up to 300 people who like to scream out over the water – and it’s an activity that seems to be spreading across the US. Founded last year by couple Emanuel Hernandez and Elena Soboleva, the Chicago Scream Club has become a popular resource for anyone looking to release stress or, in at least one case, celebrate getting married. Videos online of people standing in line, each shrieking into the lake, proves that it’s a popular group activity. “I think a lot of people think screaming is silly by themselves. So then, when they have permission from other people, screaming with them, I think it just gives them confidence to be able to do it,” said Hernandez, who works as a breathwork practitioner, a men’s coach, and a fitness coach. The screaming, videos of which went viral online this week, started after Hernandez and Soboleva found themselves arguing. Hernandez had moved to Chicago to be with Soboleva, leaving behind a career as an actor and crossfit coach. The pair were having issues settling into their new routine, Hernandez said. “One day we were walking by the lake, and I said: ‘Do you want to just go scream into the lake? And she said: ‘You know, yes, but, like, what if people were around?’” Hernandez, 41, recalled. “And I go: ‘I’ll just ask them if they want to join us.’ And so that’s what we did. We found a pier that goes out into the water far enough so that if somebody was around they wouldn’t be able to hear us, but there were people there. So we just asked them: ‘Hey, look, we’re about to scream into the lake. If you’d like to join us, you’re more than welcome.’” Hernandez, 41, said those people responded, “Hell yeah” – and joined the couple in screaming. “That’s when Elena and I were like: “Wow, that was really cool! And I think that we should probably do something with it.’” They created a poster inviting people to come and scream with them, and slowly more and more people started showing up weekly. The pair said that by the sixth week, more than 300 people were showing up. Since then, Hernandez and Soboleva have expanded the club, with screaming events held in cities including Austin, Phoenix, and Washington DC. There’s even an online Scream Club website – although this is not associated with Hernandez and Soboleva’s club – where people can “scream with others across the internet”. “Every