Chicago styleYear round
It’s always a great time to visit Chicago. Each season brings something new, from magical holiday markets in the winter to massive music festivals in the summer, cool architecture events in the fall to the Chicago River dyeing in the spring. Explore things to do and see in Chicago all year long.
Summer
Chicago heats up in the summer
Catch live music at a street fest, sip craft beer by the water, watch a movie under the stars, or dig your toes in the sand along our sun-soaked lakefront. Here’s a few things to do during summer in Chicago.
Chicago Gospel Music Festival
Chicago Gospel Music Festival
Gospel music has deep roots in Chicago. Come celebrate the genre’s past and present with free shows from both traditional and contemporary performers.
Chicago Blues Festival
Chicago Blues Festival
No one sings the blues quite like Chicago. Come celebrate over 35 years of performances by the world’s all-time greats and the city’s legacy as the birthplace of amplified blues.
Chicago Friday Night Flights
Get a taste of nation's top craft beer city with this tasting series highlighting a dynamic lineup of local breweries from every corner of the city.
Grant Park Music Festival
The nation's only free, summer-long outdoor classical music series, featuring the acclaimed Grant Park Orchestra in parks throughout the city.
Chicago Dance Month
Chicago Dance Month
Join in the ultimate dance party with an entire month of free and discounted dance events throughout the city.
Millennium Park Summer Music Series
Millennium Park Summer Music Series
Grab a seat at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion for free weekly concerts under the stars all summer long
Pride Fest / Pride Parade
Pride Fest / Pride Parade
Pride is the biggest party of the year in Chicago. The annual fest is a massive LGBTQ+ celebration, followed by one of the largest Pride Parades in the country.
James Beard Awards
James Beard Awards
The best and brightest of the culinary industry gather in Chicago for these prestigious annual awards, along with a week of celebratory events.
Chicago SummerDance
Bust a move at this outdoor summer dance party, where instructors offer free lessons and live bands provide the beat.
Puerto Rican Fest
This colorful celebration of Puerto Rican heritage takes over the cultural corridor in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
Jazzin’ at the Shedd
Jazzin’ at the Shedd
Enjoy live jazz, cocktails, and a fireworks show on the Shedd Aquarium’s lakefront terrace on evenings throughout the summer.
Pitchfork Music Festival
Pitchfork Music Festival
Discover what’s cool on the music scene during Pitchfork, a three-day music festival showcasing taste-making acts from alternative rock to hip-hop to dance music.
Chinatown Summer Fair
Chinatown Summer Fair
The streets of the historic Chinatown neighborhood fill with food vendors, live music, cultural demonstrations, and more.
Chosen Few Picnic and Festival
Chosen Few Picnic and Festival
This laid-back festival celebrates house music, a genre created right here in Chicago, with live DJ performances in beautiful Jackson Park.
Windy City Smokeout
This annual outdoor fest brings country superstars to Chicago, along with some of the nation’s best beer and barbecue.
Bud Billiken Parade
Celebrate black culture during the nation’s largest African American parade in historic Bronzeville and Washington Park.
Chicago Air & Water Show
Chicago Air & Water Show
Turn your eyes to the sky at the nation’s oldest and largest free-admission air and water exhibition, held at North Avenue Beach.
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
One of the country’s biggest music fests takes over Grant Park for four days with a star-studded lineup that includes 100+ bands across multiple stages.
Northalsted Market Days
Northalsted Market Days
Northalsted, Chicago’s LGBTQ+ mecca, hosts the largest street festival in the Midwest, with a weekend lineup of live music, drag queens, food and drink, DJs, and dancing.
Spring
Experience Chicago in bloom
Our city is bursting with life in the spring. River cruises set sail, baseball fans pack the bleachers, and thousands gather to watch the river turn green for St. Patrick's Day. Check out the best of spring in Chicago.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Dyeing of the Chicago River
St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Dyeing of the Chicago River
Chicago goes green (literally) for St. Patrick’s Day. The annual parade is one Chicago’s biggest events of the year, and the Chicago River dyeing is one of the world’s most famous holiday traditions.
C2E2
C2E2
This epic fan convention is dedicated to comics, pop culture, graphic novels, anime, manga, and beyond.
Art on theMART
Chicago is home to the world’s largest digital art projection, which takes place on theMART at dusk from March through December. Watch the breathtaking light display along the scenic Riverwalk.
Baseball season begins
No matter what team you cheer for, there's nothing like baseball season in Chicago. See the Cubs play in Wrigleyville, or catch the White Sox in Bridgeport.
EXPO CHICAGO
EXPO CHICAGO
Check out the latest in contemporary and modern art presented by leading international galleries at Navy Pier.
Chicago Latino Film Festival
Chicago Latino Film Festival
This international film festival has been highlighting the best in Latino filmmaking for more than three decades.
Chicago’s First Lady Cruises
Chicago’s First Lady Cruises
Chicago Architecture Foundation Center River Cruise aboard Chicago’s First Lady sets sail from the Riverwalk, giving you a glimpse into the fascinating history behind over 50 iconic buildings.
Summer fireworks at Navy Pier
Summer fireworks at Navy Pier
The night sky lights up with a spectacular fireworks display every Wednesday and Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Catch the show from Navy Pier, a boat cruise, or along the lakefront.
Sueños Music Festival
Chicago’s first-ever reggaeton fest takes over Grant Park with a can't-miss lineup of Latin hitmakers.
Chicago Cabaret Week
This multi-venue festival features a variety of blues, jazz, American songbook, and more at discounted prices.
Chicago Riverwalk season opening
Chicago Riverwalk season opening
We love the Chicago Riverwalk any time of year, but it really comes to life in May. Boat tours, public art displays, and waterfront patios let you enjoy food, drink, and the view.
Fall
See Chicago in color
In Chicago, autumn brings gourmet food fests, major art fairs, spooky parades, and groundbreaking architecture exhibits that keep the city buzzing all season long.
Chicago Jazz Festival
Chicago Jazz Festival
Hear jazz greats from Chicago and around the world during Chicago’s original free music festival in scenic Millennium Park.
Taste of Chicago
Taste of Chicago
Experience the world’s largest free-admission food festival, where you can sample the best bites from dozens of local restaurants in lakefront Grant Park.
Chicago World Music Festival
Hear musical acts from around the world at the annual World Music Festival, the largest and longest-running international music festival in the country.
Chicago Gourmet
Mingle with celebrity chefs and try some of Chicago’s best bites at this fine-dining food festival put on by Bon Appétit.
Hyde Park Jazz Festival
Hyde Park Jazz Festival
This free, multi-venue fest celebrates the finest in local jazz, plus appearances by national and international acts.
Riot Fest
Riot Fest
This three-day fest is known as a music mecca for all things, alternative, punk, hip-hop, and rock, known for its reunions and full-album performances.
Bike the Drive
Bike the Drive
Take a ride down iconic Lake Shore Drive during this annual biking event. Pedal down 30 miles of scenic lakefront, completely car free.
Reeling Film Festival
Reeling Film Festival
This is the second longest-running film festival of its kind, bringing audiences 10 days of the LGBTQ+ films from around the world.
Chicago Marathon
Get ready to race or cheer from the crowd. One of the six World Marathon Majors, the Chicago Marathon takes runners through 29 neighborhoods.
Open House Chicago
Get behind-the-scenes access to over 250 Chicago buildings, including many that aren’t typically open to the public, during this free, city-wide architecture fest.
Historic Pullman House Tour
Historic Pullman House Tour
Tour private homes in the historic Pullman neighborhood, including many century-old landmark buildings.
Arts in the Dark
Arts in the Dark
This surreal evening parade celebrates Halloween with a procession of fantastical floats, puppets, and performances by local artists from every field.
Chicago International Film Festival
Chicago International Film Festival
A can’t-miss for film buffs, this is the longest-running international film festival in America, with 12 days of film screenings and events.
Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead
Experience an authentic Día de los Muertos with this free celebration at the National Museum of Mexican Art, featuring live music, face painting, art activities, traditional foods, and more.
Thanksgiving Day Parade
This annual parade is a classic Chicago tradition, featuring marching bands, equestrian acts, ballerinas, and giant helium balloons, all along Chicago’s State Street.
Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
Catch this century-old Chicago tradition, marking the beginning of the holiday season with the lighting of the city’s official Christmas Tree.
The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival
The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival
This annual parade illuminates more than one million twinkling lights along one of Chicago’s most iconic streets.
Ice skating at Millennium Park
Ice skating at Millennium Park
Hit the ice for free beneath Cloud Gate, aka “The Bean”, at Millennium Park or wind around the Skating Ribbon at neighboring Maggie Daley Park.
Christkindlmarket Chicago
Christkindlmarket Chicago
Wander a charming German holiday market in Daley Plaza, where you can find mulled wine, baked goods, hand-blown ornaments, artisan woodwork, and more.
Winter
A magical time to visit Chicago
Chicagoans never let a little cold cramp our style. When the temperature dips, the city stays warm with magical parades, holiday markets, culinary celebrations, and more. Check out things to see and do during winter in Chicago.
ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo
ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo
Each winter, Chicago’s free zoo is transformed with over 2.5 million twinkling lights, plus live ice-sculpting, photo ops with Santa, hot chocolate, and more.
Light Up the Lake
Light Up the Lake
Enjoy winter fun without the chill at this indoor festival featuring ice skating, light sculptures, holiday activities, and more at Navy Pier.
Lightscape
Be awed by a magical light show that takes over these sprawling outdoor gardens.
Winterland at Gallagher Way
Just outside Wrigley Field, Gallagher Way hosts this family-friendly winter wonderland with ice skating, events, a holiday market, and more.
New Year's Eve fireworks
New Year's Eve fireworks
Chicago goes all out for New Year's Eve with spectacular waterfront fireworks.
Chicago Restaurant Week
Chicago Restaurant Week
Get a taste of Chicago’s acclaimed dining scene with special prix fixe menus at hundreds of restaurants throughout the city.
Polar Adventure Days at Northerly Island
Polar Adventure Days at Northerly Island
Beat your cabin fever on this snow-dusted island, where you can meet wolves and birds of prey, explore on snowshoes, make winter crafts, and sip hot cocoa.
Winter Flower Show
Winter Flower Show
Discover a winter oasis at this colorful flower show inside Garfield Park Conservatory.
Chicago Theatre Week
Experience fearless Chicago theatre for a discounted price. Choose from show-stopping musicals, drama, comedy, and more on stages across the city.
Lunar New Year
Ring in Lunar New Year with cultural, musical, and culinary events, including lantern processions and traditional parades.
Chicago Auto Show
Chicago Auto Show
It’s the largest auto show in North America, with the newest models, experimental concepts, antique and collector cars, and more.
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