HONOR THE FALLEN. PUSH YOURSELF. DO IT TOGETHER.
MURPH Festival — Chicago's Military Fitness Festival
Every Memorial Day weekend, we honor the men and women who gave everything — and we do it the way they would have wanted: together, outside, pushing ourselves.
MURPH Festival 2025 — UIC, Chicago
The Event
More Than a Workout
MURPH Festival is a community fitness and culture event built around the famous MURPH workout — a tribute to Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy. Fitness stages, military culture, veteran organizations, food, music, and the kind of energy that makes you proud to be part of something.
This isn't just a workout. It's a gathering. A memorial. A celebration of the community that service creates.
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
Where We're Taking It
Fitness stages. Military culture programming. A vendor and activation village with veteran-owned businesses, fitness brands, healthy food, and community resources. Music. The kind of event that makes you proud to be part of something.
We're building toward that. Each year gets closer.
MURPH Festival 2027
Planning is underway for MURPH Festival 2027 — May 2027 in Chicago. Specific date and location to be announced.
If you want to be part of shaping what it becomes — as a sponsor, vendor, partner organization, or volunteer — now is the time to reach out.
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.
BE PART OF THE MURPH.
Honor the fallen. Push yourself. Be part of something bigger than a workout.