Fiesta Back of the Yards is back in full force with food, music and carnival rides on 47th Street this weekend. Craig Chico of Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council said he’s excited to return to the full carnival experience after three years without it.

“We’ve been doing this for over 30 years, running this event for the community, but the pandemic shut us out for two years,” Chico said. “And last year when we came back, we weren’t able to secure a carnival, but this year we are bringing that back for our kids and our community. So we’re really excited about that, and obviously kids love carnivals. I remember when I was a kid, I used to go to the carnival down here, and there were three rides. Now we’ll have close to 20 rides.”

In addition to the carnival, Chico said the roster is packed with live music and performance, as well as community resources and food vendors.

(Courtesy of the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council)

“Over 35 different acts are going to be performing, bands mostly,” Chico said. “We’re going to have five different ballet folkloricos from around the city representing their communities and their cultures. We’re going to have 60 booths of food and merchandise and sampling from our sponsors and several resource tables. We’ll be doing some workforce development and education and health. … There’s a lot of free things that our sponsors will be giving away.”

More than anything, Chico wants the event to showcase the neighborhood he calls home.

“We want people to know what a beautiful community this really is,” Chico said. “And there’s just so much for everyone to do.”

Fiesta Back of the Yards is free to attend and runs through Sunday, June 18.

(Courtesy of the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council)