From ribs to Greek food, music and art, north to south, this weekend's festivals pack a punch. Check ‘em out here.
MAY
Chicago Craft Beer Week
May 15-25
Various locations
Hyde Park Garden Fair
May 16, 17
Hyde Park Shopping Center, Lake Park Avenue and 55th Street
Free
Mayfest
May 16-18
3100 N. Ashland Ave.
$10 admission
Third Rail Music Festival
May 24-25
560 W. Grand Ave.
$19-$131
Randolph Street Market Festival
May 24-25
1340 W. Washington St.
$8, $10 at the gate
Maifest Chicago
May 29-June 1
Leland and Lincoln
Free
Millennium Art Festival
May 30-June 1
Lake Street at Michigan Ave.
Free
Do-Division Street Fest & Sidewalk Sale
May 30-June 1
Street fest: Division Street from Damen Avenue to Leavitt Street
$5 suggested donation
Festival del Taco
May 30-June 1
26th Street and Kostner Avenue
Free
(Read more about Festival del Taco)
JUNE
Chicago Kosher BBQ Festival & Competition
June 1
3751 N. Broadway
$3 suggested donation
Midsommarfest
June 6-8
Clark Street in Andersonville
$10 suggested donation
Fiesta Back of the Yards
June 6-8
47th Street between Ashland and Damen Avenues
Ribfest Chicago
June 6-8
Lincoln Avenue/Irving Park Road/Damen Avenue
$5 suggested donation
Lincoln Park Greek Fest
June 6-8
Sheffield between Diversey and Schubert
Any donation accepted
Belmont-Sheffield Music Festival
June 7-8
Sheffield, from Belmont to School
Suggested $5 donation
57th Street Art Fair
June 7-8
57th Street, Kenwood to Woodlawn
Free
Pivot Arts Festival
May 28-June 14
Various locations in Uptown and Edgewater
Free - $30
Chicago Blues Festival
June 13-15
Grant Park
Free
Puerto Rican Parade & Festival
June 12-15
Humboldt Park
Free, but with a suggested donation of whatever attendees can afford
Taste of Randolph Street Fest
June 13-15
Randolph Street from Peoria Street to Racine Avenue
$10 suggested donation
Artist of the Wall Festival
June 14-15
Loyola Park Beach
Free
Six Corners BBQ Fest
June 14-15
Irving Park Road, Milwaukee Avenue and Cicero Avenue
Free
Old Town Art Fair
June 14-15
The main gate of the Old Town Art Fair is located at Lincoln Avenue & Wisconsin Street. Other gates: Lincoln Park West & Wisconsin; Sedgwick & Menomonee: Sedgwick & Wisconsin; Menomonee & Wells; and North Park & Willow.
Wells Street Art Festival
June 14-15
Wells Street from North Avenue to Division
Spring Awakening Music Festival
June 14-16
Soldier Field
$170-$300
Pride Fest
June 21-22
Halsted and Waveland
Free
Pride Parade
June 29
Halsted to Broadway
Free
Wicker Park’s Green Music Fest
June 21-22
Damen Avenue between North Avenue and Schiller Street
$5 suggested donation
Gold Coast Art Fair
June 21-22
Grant Park
Free
World’s Largest Block Party (Old St. Pat’s)
June 27-28
Desplaines Street between Madison and Adams streets
$75 for both nights, $45 at the gate
Chicago Gospel Music Festival
June 27-29
Millennium Park | Chicago Cultural Center | Ellis Park
Free
Chicago Summerfest
June 28-29
Clark Street at Armitage
$5 suggested donation
Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival
June 27-29
Milwaukee Avenue from Kedzie to Diversey avenues
TBD
Chicago SummerDance
Grant Park
June 27 – Sept 14
6 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Thurs-Saturday, 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Sundays
Spirit of Music Garden, 601 S. Michigan Ave.
Free
JULY
Hyde Park 4th of July Parade
July 4
Nichols Park
Free
Windy City Ribfest in Uptown
July 4-6
Lawrence and Broadway
$5 suggested donation
The Chosen Few Picnic Weekend
July 3-6
Jackson Park, 63rd Street and Hayes Drive
$20-$1,000
Taste of Lakeview
July 5-6
Lincoln and Belmont
$5 suggested donation
Taste of Chicago
July 9-13
Grant Park
Free, but seats at musical acts could cost up to $50
Bastille Day 5K and 8K Run, Walk and Block Party
July 10
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Cannon Drive at Fullerton Parkway
$30-35 registration, $5 entrance to block party
Square Roots
July 11-13
Lincoln Avenue between Montrose and Wilson
$10 suggested donation for adults, $5 for kids and seniors, $20 for families
Windy City Smokeout
July 11-13
Bub City 435 N. Clark St.
$25-30 per day, $75 three-day pass
Summer on Southport
July 12-13
Southport at Waveland
$5 suggested donation
Bucktown Tree and Garden Walk
July 12-13
Private gardens throughout Bucktown
Roscoe Village Burger Fest
July 12-13
Belmont and Damen
$8 suggested donation
West Fest
July 12-13
Chicago Avenue from Damen Avenue to Wood Street
$5 suggested donation
BenFest
July 18-20
2215 W. Irving Park Road
$5 suggested donation, kids 5 and under are free
Celebrate Clark Street
July 19-20
Clark Street between Morse and Estes avenues
$5 per person or $10 per family suggested donation
Chicago Craft Beer Festival
July 19-20
Sheffield Avenue between Fullerton and Webster
$40
Sheffield Garden Walk
July 19-20
Sheffield Avenue between Fullerton and Webster
$7 donation
Taste of River North
July 18-20
Ward Park (Kingsbury & Erie)
$5 donation, $8 after 5 p.m. Saturday
Chinatown Summer Fair
July 20
Wentworth Ave. from Cermak Road to 24th Place
Jeff Fest
July 25-27
Jefferson Memorial Park, 4822 N. Long Ave.
Admission is $5 before 5 p.m., $7 after 5 p.m., or $15 for all three days. Children ages 12 and under are free
Taste of Lincoln Avenue
July 26-27
Lincoln Avenue between Fullerton and Wrightwood
$10
Wicker Park Fest
July 26-27
North and Milwaukee avenues
Fiesta Del Sol
July 31-Aug. 3
1400 W. Cermak Road (Between Morgan Street and Ashland Avenue)
Free
AUGUST
Lollapalooza
Aug. 1-3
Grant Park
$100 and up
Wrigleyville Summerfest
August 2-3
Roscoe and Seminary
$5 suggested donation
Taste of Latin America
August 2-3
Armitage Avenue from Central Park Avenue to Avers Street
Free
Edgewater Edge Fest
Aug. 2-3
North Broadway, from Thorndale Avenue to Ardmore Avenue
$5 suggested donation
Ginza Festival
August 8-10
435 W. Menomonee Street
$6 adults, $5 student, free for children under 12
Bud Billiken Parade
Aug. 9
Martin Luther King Drive, 35th to 51st
Free
Market Days
August 9-10
Halsted between Belmont and Addison
Retro on Roscoe
Aug. 9-10
Roscoe and Damen
$10 suggested donation
Glenwood Ave Arts Fest
Aug. 15-17
Glenwood and Morse avenues
Free
Edison Park Fest
Aug. 15-17
6730 N. Olmstead Ave.
Festival Cubano
Aug. 15-17
Riis Park, 6100 W. Fullerton Ave.
Albany Park World Fest
Aug. 16-17
Lawrence and Kimball
$5 suggested donation
Chicago Air & Water Show
August 16-17
North Avenue Beach
Free
Taylor Street Festa Italiana
Aug. 21-24
Taylor Street between Ashland and Racine avenues
$5 suggested donation
New Orleans Festival
Aug 23-24
Division and Damen
Bash on Wabash
August 23-24
1400 S. Wabash
$5 suggested donation
The Boulevard Festival
August 22-24
Logan Boulevard and Whipple Avenue
$10 suggested donation
Bucktown Arts Fest
Aug. 23-24
Senior Citizens Memorial Park (2300 North Oakley Ave/2300 West Lyndale St.)
Chicago Food Social
Aug. 23-24
Kendall College Parking Lot 900 N. Branch St.
$5 admission
Taste of Greektown
Aug. 23-24
100-400 S. Halsted St.
Free
Ukrainian Days Festival
Aug. 23-24
Smith Park, 2526 W. Grand Ave.
$5 donation
Chicago Fringe Fest
Aug. 28-Sept. 7
Cost varies
Chicago Jazz Festival
Aug. 28-31
Millennium Park
Free
Taste of Polonia
Aug. 29-Sept. 1
Copernicus Center, 5216 W Lawrence Ave.
Free
North Coast Music Fest
Aug. 29-31
Union Park
$149-$279 (three-day passes)
Around the Corner Arts Festival
Aug. 30
Irving Park Road, Milwaukee and Cicero avenues
Remix Chicago
August 30-31
Milwaukee Avenue between Fullerton and California avenues
Free
SEPTEMBER
German-American Fest
Sept. 5-7
Lincoln/Leland/Western
Free
Windy City Wine Festival
Sept. 5-6
Buckingham Fountain
$30 in advance, $38 at the door
Guinness Oyster Fest
Sept. 6
Roscoe and Damen
$7 suggested donation
Ukrainian Village Fest
Sept. 6-7
Oakley and Superior
$5
World Music Festival
Sept. 11–Sept. 21
Various locations, including Chicago Cultural Center
Free
Little Village Festival
Sept. 12-14
26th and Kostner streets
Free
Riot Fest
September 12-14
Humboldt Park
Regular tickets not yet on sale, $70-80 three-day Early Bird passes are sold out
Crush in Old Town
Sept. 14-15
Wells Street between North and Schiller
$7
Apple Fest
Sept. 20
Lincoln Avenue between Lawrence and Leland
Free
Logan Square Beer Festival
Sept. 20
Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie
Tickets TBD
Design Harvest Festival
Sept. 20-21
Grand Avenue between Damen and Wood Streets
$5 suggested donation
Sam Adams Lakeview Taco Fest
Sept. 20-21
Southport between Addison and Newport
Children’s Book Fair
Sept. 21
Nichols Park, 55th and Kimbark Ave.
Free
Oktoberfest
Sept. 26-28
Southport and Lincoln avenues
Hyde Park Jazz Festival
Sept. 27-28
Various locations
Edgewater Fall Art Fair
Sept. 27-28
Granville Avenue between North Broadway and Kenmore Avenue
$5 suggested donation
OCTOBER
Ravenswood ArtWalk Tour of Arts and Industry
Oct. 4-5
Ravenswood Avenue between Addison and Lawrence
Free
