Chicago Jazz Festival (Courtesy of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events)

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.

(Courtesy of Circus Vazquez)

Five brothers started Circus Vazquez in Mexico City in 1969. The family-run circus has made the Chicago area one of its stops for more than 20 years.

(WTTW News)

It’s said the South Side Irish Parade started with about a dozen children marching around West Morgan Park with shamrocks and Irish flags. Now, organizers say it’s the largest community-based St. Patrick’s Day parade outside of Dublin.

The annual “Christmas Around the World” exhibit at Museum of Science and Industry. (Credit: Heidi Peters / Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago)

There's still plenty of holiday merriment to be made through the New Year. 

The annual “Christmas Around the World” exhibit at Museum of Science and Industry. (Credit: Heidi Peters / Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago)

Between indoor, outdoor and drive-thru options for light displays, it's safe to say this holiday season will be bright. We've also rounded up a baker's dozen of holiday markets. 

Do Division Street Fest (Courtesy of West Town Chamber of Commerce)

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.

(Bruno Emmanuelle / Unsplash)

"Chicago Sings Karaoke," a citywide competition, launches Oct. 9. The winner will receive $5,000.

In this combo of file photos, Chris Rock, left, appears at the FX portion of the Television Critics Association Winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 9, 2020; and Will Smith appears at the 94th Academy Awards nominees luncheon in Los Angeles on March 7, 2022. (AP Photo / File)

Will Smith has again apologized to Chris Rock for slapping him during the Oscar telecast in a new video, saying that his behavior was “unacceptable” and that he had reached out to the comedian to discuss the incident but was told Rock wasn’t ready.

This combination of photos show Los Amigos Books in Berwyn, Ill. The store, launched by Laura Romani, focuses on children's stories in English and Spanish. (Laura Rodríguez-Romaní via AP)

According to American Booksellers Association CEO Allison Hill, the association now has 2,010 members, at 2,547 locations, an increase of more than 300 since spring 2021. It’s the highest ABA total in years.

Taste of Chicago. (Credit: City of Chicago)

This year’s event will feature three days of a “bite-sized” Taste in Grant Park in July, as well as three days of Taste in the neighborhoods in June.

The cast and crew of “CODA” accept the award for best picture at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo / Chris Pizzello)

The Academy Awards named an unabashed crowd-pleaser, the deaf family drama “CODA,” best picture Sunday, handing Hollywood’s top award to a streaming service for the first time in a ceremony that saw the greatest drama when Will Smith strode onstage and slapped Chris Rock.

The Chicago Air and Water Show is set to return after a two-year hiatus on Aug. 20 and Aug. 21. (Courtesy Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events)
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A “bite-sized version” of Taste of Chicago will return to Grant Park in July, with pop-ups returning to Chicago’s neighborhoods, officials said. 

(Courtesy of South Side Irish Parade Committee)

Irish eyes will be smiling in March as all three of Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day parades are set to return after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Stephen Sondheim (Photo by Bernard Gotfryd via Wikimedia Commons)

Both traditional and groundbreaking, Stephen Sondheim was a one-man era of musical theater. A new appreciation of his music and artistry from WFMT.

(WTTW News)
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Local business owners discuss implementing the policy

A public health order requiring proof of vaccination against COVID-19 took effect Monday in Chicago. Let’s walk through who needs to show what, and where.

American poet Amanda Gorman reads her commissioned poem “The Hill We Climb” during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 20, 2021. (AP Photo / Patrick Semansky, Pool, File)

Books and authors mattered in 2021, sometimes more than the industry wanted.