The official start of summer is over a week away, but Chicago’s festival season is already buzzing. Just this past weekend we had Lit Fest, Blues Fest, Rib Fest, Midsommerfest, Party at St. Mike’s, Wine Fest, Old Town Arts Fair, and I’m sure I’m missing one or two smaller neighborhood shindigs. My days of maintaining a comprehensive ToDo section are long over… (evidently I now maintain non-comprehensive ToRead lists…,) but here is a handful of resources (I’ve used) you can use to follow the tonnes of fun, mostly free events going on in Chicago during the summer.
- Music Without Borders @ Millennium Park – Thursdays, 6:30-9:30p, June 3 – July 22
- Downtown Sound: New Music Mondays @ Millennium Park – 6:30-9p, May 24 – July 26
- Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz @ Millennium Park – Thursdays, 6:30p, July 29 – Sept 2
- The Grant Park Music Festival @ Millennium Park Varies, June 15 – August 21
- Chicago Summerdance – Free Outdoor Dancing with Live Music and Lessons @ 601 S. Michigan Ave. Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening, 6 to 9:30 pm, and Sunday afternoon, 4 to 7 pm, weather-permitting. Free. June 17 – August 28
- Ravinia – outdoor music venue, various
- Chicago Festival Calendar @ Metromix
- The Art Institute – Free Thursday Evenings, 5-9p
- Hot Summer Nights @ Chicago Botanic Gardens – Free Music and Dance Lessons, Thursdays 6-8p, June 10 – Sept 2
- Let’s Dance! @ 909 Davis St Plaza (Metra, Evanston) – Free Music and Dance Lessons, Thursdays 6-9p, July 15 – Aug 19
- Official City of Chicago Festivals (Blues, Taste, Air and Water, Jazz, Viva!, Country Music)
- Chicago Festivals
- Maxwell St. Market – Sundays, 7a-3p
- Chicago Arts District 2nd Fridays Gallery Night – Near 18th and Halsted, 6-8p
- Tuesdays on the Terrace – Live Jazz @ Museum of Contemporary Art. Free (and free adm to the museum itself on tuesdays!), Tuesdays 5:30 – 8p, June 1 – Sept 28
And of course, there are the always handy Chicago Reader, NewCity, and TheOnion weeklies to help you keep tabs on some of the smaller events. (film festivals @ Gene Siskel, outdoor Shakespeare, theater performances, etc.) Have fun exploring the city!
