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.
Chicago Festivals
The Englewood Jazz Festival runs through Saturday, Sept. 16. In its 24 years, the festival has worked to cultivate a musical community at what’s said to be the “Ravinia of South Side.”
The 18th annual 79th Street Renaissance Festival returns to Auburn Gresham on Saturday, Sept. 9, with entertainment, food, community resources and a carnival including a 50-foot-tall Ferris wheel.
Labor Day weekend will once again be filled with the sounds of jazz at the Chicago Jazz Festival, a four-day showcase of all forms of jazz including a lineup of local, national and international artists.
The LatiNxt Music Festival returns to Navy Pier this weekend with two full days and nights of performances showcasing up-and-coming Latino artists.
The pandemic put 26th Street’s annual Villapalooza music festival on hold for a few years — but on Saturday, it’s back with more space than ever for young local artists to showcase their community and culture.
Pilsen residents can find a dancefloor in their backyard this weekend. The My House Music Festival is hosting house DJs for its eighth year.
Wicker Park Fest is celebrating 19 years with more than 60 bands across three stages. The annual event will showcase the talents of both marquee performers and local artists looking to get their names out there. One of those artists is hip-hop vocalist Jovan Landry.
It’s going to be a weekend full of vendors, artists and local food at the Fiesta Del Sol festival in Pilsen. This year, organizers are celebrating 51 years of a festival that spans an eight-block space along Cermak Road.
Organizers said the four-day festival will be a “grand celebration” to bring community together. The event celebrates African and Caribbean art, cuisine, dance and music.
If you’re a house head, Humboldt Park Boathouse is the place to be Saturday. DJs will be spinning the sounds and styles of the dance music genre from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Fiesta Back of the Yards is back in full force with food, music and carnival rides on 47th Street.
According to an economic impact study, the 2022 Sueños Festival contributed $120.9 million to Chicago’s economy, and Chicago workers earned an extra $5 million in additional labor income. The festival returns this year May 27-28 at Grant Park.
The annual four-day music festival will take place in Grant Park Aug. 3-6.
The Taste — started in 1980 — is set to take place in its traditional Grant Park home Sept. 8-10, one week after the Labor Day holiday weekend that traditionally marks the end of summer.
At least part of the 300-acre Grant Park – known as Chicago’s front yard – will be closed to Chicagoans for 83 days this summer, including every day except June 2, June 3, June 4 and July 16, according to a schedule released Tuesday by the Chicago Park District.
