With summer in full swing, the festivals in Chicago just keep getting better and better. Some have already passed, like the famous Spring Awakening Music Festival and Ribfest, but many more are quickly approaching – and there’s bound to be one for everyone. Here is a complete guide to them:
- Pride Fest (June 21-22): Free, located at Halsted and Waveland
- Wicker Park’s Green Music Fest (June 21-22): $5 suggested donation, located on Damen Avenue
- Gold Coast Art Fair (June 21-22): Free, located at Grant Park
- World’s Largest Block Party (June 27-28): $75 for both nights, located on Desplaines Street
- Chicago Gospel Music Festival (June 27-29): Free, located at Millennium Park
- Chicago Summerfest (June 28-29): $5 suggested donation, located on Clark Street
- Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival (June 27-29): $5 suggested donation, located on Milwaukee Avenue
- Chicago SummerDance (June 27 – September 14): Free, located at Grant Park
- Pride Parade (June 29): Free, located from Halsted to Broadway
- Hyde Park 4th of July Parade (July 4): Free, located at Nichols Park
- Windy City Ribfest in Uptown (July 4-6): $5 suggested donation, located at Lawrence and Broadway
- The Chosen Few Picnic Weekend (July 3-6): Prices starting at $20, located at Jackson Park
- Taste of Lakeview (July 5-6): $5 suggested donation, located at Lincoln and Belmont
- Taste of Chicago (July 9-13): Pay-per-food item, located at Grant Park
- Bastille Day 5K Run, Walk and Block Party (July 10): $30 registration, located at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
- Square Roots (July 11-13): $10 suggested donation, located on Lincoln Avenue
- Windy City Smokeout (July 11-13): $25 per day, located on Clark Street
- Summer on Southport (July 12-13): $5 suggested donation, located at Southport at Waveland
- Bucktown Tree and Garden Walk (July 12-13): Free, located throughout Bucktown
- Roscoe Village Burger Fest (July 12-13): $8 suggested donation, located at Belmont and Damen
- West Fest (July 12-13): $5 suggested donation, located on Chicago Avenue
- BenFest (July 18-20): $5 suggested donation, located on Irving Park Road
- Celebrate Clark Street (July 19-20): $5 suggested donation, located on Clark Street
- Sheffield Garden Walk (July 19-20): $7 donation, located on Sheffield Avenue
- Taste of River North (July 18-20): $5 donation, located at Ward Park
- Chinatown Summer Fair (July 20): Free, located on Wentworth Avenue
- Jeff Fest (July 25-27): $5, located at Jefferson Memorial Park
- Taste of Lincoln Avenue (July 26-27): $10, located on Lincoln Avenue
- Wicker Park Fest (July 26-27): $5 donation, located at North and Milwaukee avenues
- Fiesta Del Sol (July 31 – August 3): Free, located on Cermak Road
- Lollapalooza (August 1-3): $100+, located at Grant Park
- Wrigleyville Summerfest (August 2-3): $5 suggested donation, located at Roscoe and Seminary
- Taste of Latin America (August 2-3): Free, located on Armitage Avenue
- Edgewater Edge Fest (August 2-3): $5 suggested donation, located at North Broadway
- Ginza Festival (August 8-10): $5, located on Menomonee Street
- Bud Billiken Parade (August 9): Free, located on Martin Luther King Drive
- Market Days (August 9-10): Price not listed, located on Halsted between Belmont and Addison
- Retro on Roscoe (August 9-10): $10 suggested donation, located at Roscoe and Damen
With easy access to and from all of these locations thanks to the Skokie Swift and the CTA and all of these festivals having hard-to-beat prices, a boring day in the summer could turn into a lot of fun by visiting one of them. Don’t let a good opportunity go to waste!