Get ready for fun with this guide to neighborhood street fests, art shows, outdoor concerts and cultural celebrations of all sizes across Chicago and the suburbs.
NATO in Chicago -
2024 Chicago Summer Festival Guide
Jun 10, 2024 0 Comments![Chicago Pride Fest, 2022. (Steven Koch / Northalsted) Chicago Pride Fest, 2022. (Steven Koch / Northalsted)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/JUNEChicago%20Pride%20Fest%202022%20-%20Steven%20Koch%20-%20Northalsted84.jpg)
![Chicago Pride Fest, 2022. (Steven Koch / Northalsted) Chicago Pride Fest, 2022. (Steven Koch / Northalsted)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/JUNEChicago%20Pride%20Fest%202022%20-%20Steven%20Koch%20-%20Northalsted84.jpg)
CPS, CTU to Hold First-Ever Contract Negotiation Session Open to the Public Friday
Jun 10, 2024 0 Comments![(WTTW News) (WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/CTU_PS_022223_C2N.jpg)
The CTU announced the sides have agreed to schedule an open contract bargaining session Friday from 5-7 p.m. at Marquette Elementary School, 6550 S. Richmond St., in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood.
![(WTTW News) (WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/CTU_PS_022223_C2N.jpg)
8 People Killed by Gunfire Over Weekend Across Chicago: Police
Jun 10, 2024 0 Comments![(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/CPD_HQ_FILE_CREDIT_Michael_Izquierdo-6.jpg)
An 18-year-old woman fatally shot as she sat in a vehicle early Sunday morning in West Englewood was among eight people killed by gunfire over the weekend across Chicago.
![(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/CPD_HQ_FILE_CREDIT_Michael_Izquierdo-6.jpg)
WTTW News Explains: What Are Illinois’ Gun Laws?
Jun 10, 2024 0 Comments![A graphic that says "Illinois Gun Laws." (WTTW News) A graphic that says "Illinois Gun Laws." (WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/IllinoisGunLaws02_WTTWNews.jpg)
Chicago has a reputation as the City of Big Shoulders. For rough-and-tumble politics. And for having a lot of crime, despite strict gun laws. But what are those laws? WTTW News explains.
![A graphic that says "Illinois Gun Laws." (WTTW News) A graphic that says "Illinois Gun Laws." (WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/IllinoisGunLaws02_WTTWNews.jpg)
Potawatomi Hope to Finalize DeKalb County Land Transfer When Lawmakers Return in the Fall
Jun 8, 2024 0 CommentsThe Prairie Band Potawatomi are now headquartered in northeast Kansas. But they once had a reservation in what is now DeKalb County, a reservation that officials now agree was illegally sold out from under them in 1850.
Extraordinary Stage Show Mixes Magic With a Bounty of Brainteasers at Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Review
Jun 8, 2024 0 Comments![Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents “The Enigmatist,” an immersive experience of puzzles and illusion from David Kwong. (Justin Barbin) Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents “The Enigmatist,” an immersive experience of puzzles and illusion from David Kwong. (Justin Barbin)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/1_CST_ENGM_byJustinBarbin.jpg)
David Kwong is a magician who also constructs crossword puzzles. As he puts it, “I combine the two nerdiest hobbies into one.” In his one-man show “The Enigmatist,” Kwong asserts that the disciplines of puzzle-making and magic-making share DNA.
![Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents “The Enigmatist,” an immersive experience of puzzles and illusion from David Kwong. (Justin Barbin) Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents “The Enigmatist,” an immersive experience of puzzles and illusion from David Kwong. (Justin Barbin)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/1_CST_ENGM_byJustinBarbin.jpg)
Number of Unhoused Chicagoans Tripled Amid Surge of Migrants, Survey Found
Jun 7, 2024 0 Comments![A homeless encampment in Humboldt Park. (WTTW News) A homeless encampment in Humboldt Park. (WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/HumboldtParkEncampment_lv080423_C2N_0.jpg)
“We aren’t rising to the occasion,” said Doug Schenkelberg, executive director of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. He called the survey results “disheartening but not surprising.”
![A homeless encampment in Humboldt Park. (WTTW News) A homeless encampment in Humboldt Park. (WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/HumboldtParkEncampment_lv080423_C2N_0.jpg)
Week in Review: Biden Takes Executive Action at the Border; Chicago Police Prep for the DNC
Jun 7, 2024 0 Comments![](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/cwir060724_C2N.jpg)
Chicago police learn new tactics to handle mass protests ahead of the DNC. And could the president’s new border policy mitigate migrants coming to the city?
![](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/cwir060724_C2N.jpg)
Chicago Archaeopteryx About to Go Off Display for the Summer, Catch It Before Hiatus at Dinopalooza
Jun 7, 2024 0 Comments![The Chicago Archaeopteryx, unveiled in May, has been on display in a temporary exhibit. It will go off view for the summer while its permanent exhibit is under construction. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) The Chicago Archaeopteryx, unveiled in May, has been on display in a temporary exhibit. It will go off view for the summer while its permanent exhibit is under construction. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/ArchFelixShooting_0.jpg)
After Saturday, the Field Museum’s newest dinosaur fossil will be off display until fall while staff works on building a permanent exhibit for the Chicago Archaeopteryx.
![The Chicago Archaeopteryx, unveiled in May, has been on display in a temporary exhibit. It will go off view for the summer while its permanent exhibit is under construction. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) The Chicago Archaeopteryx, unveiled in May, has been on display in a temporary exhibit. It will go off view for the summer while its permanent exhibit is under construction. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/ArchFelixShooting_0.jpg)
The CSO in Masterful Performances of Works by Four French Composers: Review
Jun 7, 2024 0 Comments![Jean-Yves Thibaudet in an encore performance of Ravel’s “Pavane pour une infante defunte” following Saint-Saëns’ “Fifth Piano Concerto (Egyptian)” with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. (Todd Rosenberg Photography) Jean-Yves Thibaudet in an encore performance of Ravel’s “Pavane pour une infante defunte” following Saint-Saëns’ “Fifth Piano Concerto (Egyptian)” with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. (Todd Rosenberg Photography)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/CSO20240606_139.jpg)
Paris will be hosting the Olympic Games this summer, but if you are in search of what might easily be dubbed the Olympics of French classical music, you have no need to purchase an airline ticket. Simply head to Orchestra Hall, writes WTTW News theater critic Hedy Weiss.
![Jean-Yves Thibaudet in an encore performance of Ravel’s “Pavane pour une infante defunte” following Saint-Saëns’ “Fifth Piano Concerto (Egyptian)” with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. (Todd Rosenberg Photography) Jean-Yves Thibaudet in an encore performance of Ravel’s “Pavane pour une infante defunte” following Saint-Saëns’ “Fifth Piano Concerto (Egyptian)” with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. (Todd Rosenberg Photography)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/CSO20240606_139.jpg)
Street Closures for NASCAR Chicago Street Race Start Monday. Here’s What to Look Out For
Jun 7, 2024 0 Comments![A still from a promotional video for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. (Courtesy of NASCAR) A still from a promotional video for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. (Courtesy of NASCAR)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/NASCAR_Street_Race_060624_Credit_NASCAR.jpg)
The NASCAR Chicago Street Race will take place July 6-7. Setting up and tearing down for the race is expected to take 19 days.
![A still from a promotional video for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. (Courtesy of NASCAR) A still from a promotional video for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. (Courtesy of NASCAR)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/NASCAR_Street_Race_060624_Credit_NASCAR.jpg)
Appellate Court Finds CPS Did Not Violate School Closure Moratorium When It Revoked Charters of Urban Prep Academies
Jun 7, 2024 0 Comments![Urban Prep Englewood campus (artistmac / Flickr) Urban Prep Englewood campus (artistmac / Flickr)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/29715639503_1c573368a0_k%20Cropped.jpg)
An Illinois appellate court this week ruled that Chicago Public Schools did not violate a moratorium on school closures when it voted down charter renewals for a pair of South Side high schools.
![Urban Prep Englewood campus (artistmac / Flickr) Urban Prep Englewood campus (artistmac / Flickr)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/29715639503_1c573368a0_k%20Cropped.jpg)
7th Annual ‘We Walk for Her’ March Demands More Help in Finding Missing Black Girls and Women
Jun 7, 2024 0 Comments![A coalition of people, led by young organizers, marched down Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Bronzeville on June 6, 2024, to bring attention to missing and murdered Black girls and women. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News) A coalition of people, led by young organizers, marched down Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Bronzeville on June 6, 2024, to bring attention to missing and murdered Black girls and women. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/We_Walk_For_Her_060624_Credit_AlpasanEunice.jpg)
People marched the streets in Bronzeville to demand that elected officials and law enforcement authorities do more to resolve missing persons and murder cases. Black girls and women are overrepresented in missing persons cases in Chicago, according to reports.
![A coalition of people, led by young organizers, marched down Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Bronzeville on June 6, 2024, to bring attention to missing and murdered Black girls and women. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News) A coalition of people, led by young organizers, marched down Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Bronzeville on June 6, 2024, to bring attention to missing and murdered Black girls and women. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/We_Walk_For_Her_060624_Credit_AlpasanEunice.jpg)
James Beard Finalists Include an East African Restaurant in Detroit and Seattle Pho Shops
Jun 7, 2024 0 Comments![Hamissi Mamba talks to customers at his restaurant, Baobab Fare, Friday, May 24, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) Hamissi Mamba talks to customers at his restaurant, Baobab Fare, Friday, May 24, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/AP24158527547532%20Cropped.jpg)
The nominees cover a diverse range of cuisine and chef experience, a recent shift following turbulent, pandemic-era years for the James Beard Foundation. The most-anticipated categories include awards for outstanding restaurateur, chef and restaurant.
![Hamissi Mamba talks to customers at his restaurant, Baobab Fare, Friday, May 24, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) Hamissi Mamba talks to customers at his restaurant, Baobab Fare, Friday, May 24, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/AP24158527547532%20Cropped.jpg)
As Pride Month Shines in Chicago, Latino LGBTQ+ Communities Spotlight Youth Services
Jun 7, 2024 0 Comments![Center on Halsted (WTTW News) Center on Halsted (WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/CenterOnHalstedFlags_File_C2N.jpg)
Chicago’s Latino lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer communities are embracing the city’s progress toward equality, while recognizing there’s still work to be done. Particularly when it comes to providing safe and welcoming environments for today’s LGBTQ+ youth.
![Center on Halsted (WTTW News) Center on Halsted (WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/CenterOnHalstedFlags_File_C2N.jpg)
Got Piles of Dead, Stinking Cicadas and Don’t Know What to Do? Treat Them Like Fallen Leaves, Expert Says
Jun 7, 2024 0 Comments![A cicada’s lifespan is short, from alive and thriving to dead and rotting in a matter of weeks. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) A cicada’s lifespan is short, from alive and thriving to dead and rotting in a matter of weeks. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/CicadaSoloOnGrass.jpg)
Members of the first wave of cicadas have done their thing: They came, they molted, they screamed, they bred, and now they’re dying.
![A cicada’s lifespan is short, from alive and thriving to dead and rotting in a matter of weeks. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) A cicada’s lifespan is short, from alive and thriving to dead and rotting in a matter of weeks. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/CicadaSoloOnGrass.jpg)
Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, June 6, 2024 - Full Show
Jun 6, 2024 0 Comments![](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/post-thumb/public/field/image/060624_C2N.jpg)
Officials say more than half of the migrants forced to leave city shelters immediately returned. How Latino communities are celebrating Pride. And meet the first Mexican-born woman to travel to space.
![](https://news.wttw.com/sites/default/files/styles/taxonomy-page-hero/public/field/image/060624_C2N.jpg)