It’s not summer in Chicago without the hundreds of eclectic and exciting festivals that span into the fall season. When you’re in the midst of the summer heat you’ll find some of the very best events that beg for your attention and time. Whether you’re enjoying Mumford and Son’s headlining Lollapalooza or jamming to Bjork at the Pitchfork Music Festival you’re sure to hear some of the best music of our time. If you’re more interested in food, look no further than The Taste of Chicago where you can try food from all over the city in one place. Last but not least if entertainment in the form of H20 is your thing, grab a seat on the water for the world famous Chicago Air and Water Show and the breathtaking Tall Ships Festival near Navy Pier.
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza, known for it’s huge headlining performers and crazy parties is not a festival to miss in Chicago. With humble beginnings in 1991, the festival toured until it found it’s home in Grant Park in 2005. The music festival usually falls in August and according to the website the tickets for this year are already completely sold out. (With the help of Ebay and other ticket retailers you can still grab a spot). With a focus on sustainability and pollution free entertainment, the festival will feature a Green Street dedicated to farm-to-table bites and other eco-friendly activities. One of the biggest highlights of the festival is it’s gourmet food booths. Famous restaurants line up to serve food at the biggest festival in Chicago and guests can enjoy food from The Salsa Truck and Grahamwich. This year in addition to Mumford and Sons there are hundreds of performers and you can catch The Killers and Vampire Weekend.
Taste Of Chicago
Known in Chicago as simply “The Taste,” the Taste of Chicago is a mecca for foodies. Hosted by the City of Chicago, this festival includes trendy pop-up restaurants and food trucks with cult-follower statuses. Live music and performers keep the crowd mingling and you can purchase tickets to nibble and bite from hundreds of food options. Celebrity chefs make appearances and this year you can enjoy a meal by the likes of Rick Bayless and The Hearty Boys for only $40 per three course dinner. If learning the trade is more your thing you can catch some demonstrations at The Dominick’s Cooking Corner. Chefs that teach at local culinary schools and celebrities will offer all different types of classes and you can take home a few new skills. The festival offers free admission on certain days and you can buy food tickets in advance.
Long gone are the days when we could enjoy the huge mast on a ship and steer the wooden wheel but if you find yourself at Navy Pier this August you are sure to see some of the most beautiful tall ships in the world. The much-anticipated Parade of Sail happens August 7th and you can actually purchase a ticket to ride on one of the ships in the parade for $229. Other options for the event include simply watching the parade, watching the Chicago Match Cup where the tall ships race, board the ships, or take a 75-120 minute cruise. Ships represent an array of countries and you can see Norwegian and Canadian ships this summer. Spectacular fireworks will be held throughout the festival above Lake Michigan and you can get a great view on Navy Pier. You can also enjoy all that Navy Pier has to offer while enjoying the festival. The famous ferris wheel and other entertainment options will be running as usual on the pier.
Pitchfork Music Festival
Hosted by Pitchfork Media, the Pitchfork Music Festival is known globally in the independent music scene. This year the festival which is held in Union Park will include Bjork, R. Kelly, Belle and Sebastian and many other alternative artists. You can rely on about 40-50,000 music goers to show and rock alongside you. In addition to enjoying the main bands, you can also check out their craft fair, record fair and book fort which features some of the best in indie publishing. So go ahead and get your face paint and cut offs on and grab some friends to go to the best indie music festival in Chicago.
Chicago Air and Water Show
If you live within thirty miles of downtown Chicago you can’