Festivals & special events
Chicago festival and event guide
Every season is festival season in Chicago. Chicago’s world-renowned fests and events celebrate food, music, culture, art, and history throughout the city. Check out the…
Festivals & special events
Discover the best of the city’s fests.
Festivals & special events
Chicago House Music Festival
Free admission • Millennium Park The Chicago House Music Festival is a free, multi-day celebration of the Chicago-born genre. The annual event kicks off summer…
Blog, Family, Festivals & special events, Holidays, Special events
Your guide to The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival
The holiday season is always an exciting time in Chicago. With countless events across multiple neighborhoods, there are so many ways to celebrate. One event…
Festivals, Festivals & special events, Special events
Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade
Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021 It’s turkey time! The Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks off the holiday season with a fun-filled morning in the heart of…
Festivals & special events, Food & drink
Your guide to Chicago’s food festivals
Plan your trip around the city’s biggest foodie events like Taste of Chicago in July and Chicago Gourmet in September. And don’t miss the culinary…
Festivals & special events, Free & cheap
Chicago’s free summer music festivals
In the summer, the city’s downtown and lakefront are filled with the sound of sublime songs, slide guitars, haunting violins, and sultry saxes, as revelers…
Festivals & special events, Museums & art
Chicago museums open late for after-hours events
Chicago’s museums are packed with fascinating, immersive exhibits on every topic you can imagine — and the fun doesn’t have to stop when the sun…
Architecture & history, Festivals & special events
Chicago Architecture Biennial
Sept. 17 – Dec. 18, 2021 Free admission • Chicago Cultural Center & partner locations Experience the future of architecture at the Chicago Architecture Biennial.…
Festivals & special events, Free & cheap, Music
World Music Festival Chicago
Free admission • Multiple locations The annual World Music Festival is your passport to musical acts from around the globe. This free, city-wide festival, typically…
Festivals & special events, Free & cheap, Music
Grant Park Music Festival
Free admission • Millennium Park July 2 – Aug. 21, 2021 Experience a summer of extraordinary music with 30+ free classical concerts. The Grant Park…
Festivals & special events, Free & cheap, Music
Chicago Gospel Music Festival
Free admission • Millennium Park Gospel music has deep roots in Chicago. The city helped transform the genre, propelling it onto a world stage. The…
Festivals & special events, Free & cheap, Music
Chicago Blues Festival
Free admission • Millennium Park The annual Chicago Blues Festival in June is the city’s largest music festival. More than 500,000 blues fans gather in…
Festivals & special events, Food & drink
Chicago beer festivals and events
Attention all beer enthusiasts! Cheers to Chicago’s booming craft beer scene at the city’s packed calendar of beer fests. Sample craft beers from local, national,…
Festivals & special events, Free & cheap, Music, Theatre & performing arts
Chicago SummerDance
Aug. 18 – Sept. 15, 2021 Free admission • Grant Park The annual SummerDance festival brings people of all ages and skill levels together in…
Festivals & special events, Food & drink
Chicago Gourmet
Sept. 1 – 30, 2021 Harris Theater rooftop and citywide Welcome to a reinvented Chicago Gourmet. The iconic food festival will be reimagined for another…
Festivals & special events, Music, Special events
Chicago Jazz Festival
Free admission • Millennium Park The oldest of Chicago’s free lakefront music festivals boasts an incredibly diverse lineup, which includes free neighborhood concerts leading up…
Festivals & special events, Food & drink
Chicago Friday Night Flights
Chicago Friday Night Flights is back for our third season with an exciting lineup of local beer tastings that highlight the city’s dynamic craft brew…
Festivals & special events, Food & drink
Taste of Chicago
July 7 – 11, 2021 Free admission • Citywide This year’s new and reimagined event, Taste to Chicago To-Go, will feature free pop-up events around…
Festivals & special events
Taste of Chicago restaurants
Note: the below list is from 2019. Please check back for updated participating food vendors. Prepare yourself for one massive picnic. Taste of Chicago has…
Festivals & special events, Food & drink, Music
Windy City Smokeout
July 9 – 11, 2021 United Center parking lot Country music, barbecue, and craft beer — it’s hard to think of a better way to…
Festivals & special events, Music
Lollapalooza
July 29 – Aug. 1, 2021 Grant Park What started as a single-stage music showcase put together in 1991 by Perry Farrell, lead singer of…
Entertainment, Festivals & special events
Chicago film festivals and events
Chicago has a long and illustrious cinematic history: Charlie Chaplin at the Essanay Studios in 1915, ’80s classics like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Blues Brothers, modern day hits…
Architecture & history, Festivals & special events, Museums & art
5 must-see art and architecture events in Chicago
Chicago has a long legacy of influential art and architecture, from the birth of the skyscraper to Frank Lloyd Wright’s greatest creations and beyond. And…
Festivals & special events, Music
Top summer music festivals in Chicago
Music lives big in Chicago, on neighborhood streets, in downtown parks, on stage at the stunning Jay Pritzker Pavilion, and along the lakefront in iconic…
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