Festivals & special events, Free & cheap, Music
Chicago SummerDance
June – September 2025 Free admission • Grant Park and parks citywide Enjoy live music and dancing on an open-air dance floor during the annual…
Free and cheap
Festivals & special events, Free & cheap, Music
Grant Park Music Festival
June 11 — Aug. 16, 2025 Free admission • Millennium Park Experience a Chicago summer tradition like no other. The Grant Park Music Festival, now…
Festivals & special events, Free & cheap
Chicago Air and Water Show
Aug. 16 – 17, 2025 Free admission • Chicago lakefront The Chicago Air and Water Show has been an iconic Chicago event since 1959. The…
Festivals & special events, Free & cheap, Music
Chicago Blues Festival
June 5 – 8, 2025 Free admission • Millennium Park and beyond A legendary Chicago event since 1984, the Chicago Blues Festival is the world’s…
Festivals & special events, Free & cheap, Music
Chicago Jazz Festival
Aug. 28 – 31, 2025 Free admission • Millennium Park The oldest of Chicago’s free lakefront music festivals, the Chicago Jazz Festival boasts an incredibly…
Free & cheap, Museums & art
Free museum days in Chicago
Experience Chicago’s award-winning museums without spending a dime. Check out our ever-growing list of Chicago free museum days in 2025, plus a few museums that…
Festivals & special events, Free & cheap, Music
Chicago Gospel Music Festival
July 12, 2025 Free admission • Millennium Park Gospel music has deep roots in Chicago. The Chicago Gospel Music Festival, one of the city’s free…
Free & cheap, Holidays
Free Halloween events in Chicago
Halloween in Chicago is so much more than just trick-or-treating. There are magical nighttime parades, authentic Day of the Dead celebrations, spine-tingling ghost tours, and…
Festivals & special events, Free & cheap, Music
World Music Festival Chicago
Sept. 26 – Oct. 5, 2025 Free admission • Multiple locations The annual World Music Festival is your passport to musical acts from around the…
Free & cheap, Parks & outdoors
Your guide to the Chicago Riverwalk
Located on the south bank of the Chicago River, the award-winning, pedestrian-friendly Chicago Riverwalk stretches 1.25 miles from Lake Michigan to Lake Street. Along the…
Free & cheap, Museums & art
Free things to do at the Chicago Cultural Center
From architecture tours to provocative art shows, the Chicago Cultural Center is a creative epicenter, with no-cost art exhibits, concerts, guided tours, and more. Here are…
Free & cheap, Parks & outdoors
Free summer fun in Chicago’s parks and gardens
Welcome to a summer of free things to do in serene green spaces throughout the bustling city. Morning yoga? Movie under the stars? Perhaps a…
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