Fest time is the best time! Mark your calendar now for these 100+ festivals on the way.
It’s time to pack your festival fanny packs, Chicago. The next five months bring some of the city’s liveliest fests touching down in a neighborhood near you. Notable newbies this season include the Chicago Food & Wine Festival (don’t forget the moist towelettes for your foodie fingers), country music fest Windy City LakeShake (pack your earplugs! You’re not too old—it’s too loud) and the Chicago Ale Fest (can you fit a designated driver in that fanny pack?). Whether you love browsing artsy creations hand-made by local crafters or just relish the excuse to curb-sit with a plastic cup of beer, there’s a fest for all. Let this be your guide from the season kick-off, the NFL Draft fest, to the final note at September’s Hyde Park Jazz Festival, and all the summer soirees in between.
>>Browse all 2015 festivals in our weekend-by-weekend gallery
>>See all 2015 fests on one page in Metromix’s festival guide
NEW THIS YEAR
Draft Town
April 30-May 2, Grant Park
nfl.com/drafttown
For those who didn’t nab tickets to the NFL draft selection process in Auditorium Theater, Draft Town is the next best option. Transforming Grant Park and Congress Plaza into a football fan haven, Draft Town features meet-and-greets with current and past NFL players, food from local restaurants curated by chef Graham Elliot, interactive games including a flag football tournament and a free concert with American Idol’s Phillip Phillips. Free.
North by Northwest Highway Music Fest
May 1-3, Edison Park
nxnwhwy.com
Four of Edison Park’s venues band together to present this debut festival, where 45 local and regional groups will perform over three days. Expect some throwbacks—such as ZZ Top tribute band Eliminator and No Doubt tribute group Don’t Speak–but the fest also spans other genres, from country and rock to blues and ’90s hip-hop. Tickets cost $10 a day or $25 for the weekend; attend individual shows for a $3 cover.
Lincoln Park Wine Festival
May 30-31, Lincoln Park
lincolnparkwinefest.com
At this new fest in Jonquil Park, sip and sample more than 80 wines from Italy, California, Germany, Chile and beyond alongside food pairings, live music and fine artwork. General admission tickets ($60 a day or $100 for two days) include a souvenir tasting glass and 12 samples. VIP admission ($95 a day) includes five more tasting tickets for a selection of premium wines. Designated driver passes are $30 a day.
Pilsen Food Truck Social
June 6-7, Pilsen
pilsenfoodtrucksocial.com
Unlike other foodie fests where food trucks are only a component, meals on wheels are entirely the highlight at this new event (unrelated to last year’s Chicago Food Truck Fest, just FYI). The lineup of 25 trucks is still to come, but organizers said the event will include bites such as cupcakes, tamales and mac ‘n’ cheese. Revolution Brewing is brewing an exclusive beer for the event, neighborhood music venue Thalia Hall is producing a live music stage and neighborhood boutiques and other vendors will be onsite. A $20 sampler ticket buys bite-sized tasters from a number of trucks, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Illinois Food Truck Owners Association and a neighborhood soup kitchen. $5 suggested donation.
Wingout Chicago
June 6-7, Old Town
greencurtainevents.com
Restaurants such as Public House, Old Crow Smokehouse, Jake Melnick’s, Monti’s and more serve up their house recipes at this chicken wing fest at St. Michael, which will also feature live blues music. Tickets ($55 a day) include all-you-can-eat wings and two beverages.
The Dog Dayz of Summer
June 27-28, Humboldt Park
dogdayzofsummer.com
He has risen! Hot Doug’s that is. For two days only, the lauded hot dog shop, which many are still mourning the October shuttering of, returns at this new hot dog fest. In addition to Doug’s dogs, look forward to duck fat fries, beer by Goose Island Beer Company (the fest is hosted in the brewery’s barrel warehouse) and punk rock and country music. $75.
Ruido Fest
July 10-12, Addams/Medill Park
ruidofest.com
Latin alternative music ranging from post-punk and tropicalia to reggae and electronic, hip hop and psychedelic are the focus at this new three-day outdoor fest, brought to Little Italy/University Village by the team behind Riot Fest. International bands include Café Tacuba, Zoe, Molotov, Kinky from Mexico and Estelares from Argentina.
Brew to Be Wild
June 13, Lincoln Park
brewtobewild.com
Drink among animals (literally) at this new craft beer tasting event at Lincoln Park Zoo featuring more than 75 craft breweries, such as locals Argus Brewery and Lake Effect Brewing Company, and Michigan-based Bell’s Brewery and New Belgium Brewing Company from Colorado. Expect a DJ, lawn games and food available for purchase. A portion of the proceeds benefit the zoo. General admission tickets ($49) include 20 3-ounce samples and a souvenir glass. VIP tickets ($89) include access to tastings and snacks. Designated driver admission is $20.
Chicago Ale Fest
June 19-20, Grant Park
chicagoalefest.com
After an abrupt cancellation last year, the beer fest is scheduled to make its debut at Buckingham Fountain this summer with about 200 brews from more than 100 craft breweries across the nation. The lineup includes local picks such as Begyle Brewing, Finch’s Beer Co. and Forbidden Root, along with others such as New York’s Southern Tier and Michigan-based Virtue Cider, plus live music and food trucks. Admission ($50 a day) includes 20 drink tickets and a souvenir glass. Designated driver admission ($25) includes soda and water and a souvenir glass.
Windy City LakeShake
June 19-21, Northerly Island
lakeshakefestival.com
If an island of twangy guitars is all your country music-loving heart has dreamed of, that’s about to become a reality at this inaugural three-day fest with headliners Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley and Florida Georgia Line. Weekend pass options include general admission ($200), reserved seating ($300) and VIP ($600). Single-day tickets are not available.
Elston Avenue Sausage & Music Fest
June 27-28, Irving Park
chicagoevents.com
Sausage-centric vendors combine forces, with tunes courtesy of the Abbey Pub’s bookers, at this music and food fest, which features bands such as Andrew Jackson Jihad and The Kickback. $5 suggested donation benefits the neighborhood’s school and parks.
Chicago Hot Sauce Fest
July 25-26, Avondale
chicagohotsaucefest.com
No one is saying this summer is going to be a scorcher just yet, but this saucy new fest dedicated to all things spicy sure sounds like it will be. Browse local food vendors (Fat Rice and Dia De Los Tamales, to name a few) and hot sauce vendors from around the country (including Angry Irishman, Premier Sauces and Black Angel Saucery) and consider entering a pepper-eating contest with the world’s (reportedly) hottest pepper, the Carolina Reaper. Can’t take the heat? Cooling stations with milk, ice, bread and mist machines will be available. $5 suggested donation.
Chicago Food & Wine Festival
Aug. 28-30, Lincoln Park
chicagofoodandwinefestival.com
Get ready for the battle of the foodie mag fests: Food & Wine magazine presents this new fest in Lincoln Park about a month before Bon Appetit magazine’s Chicago Gourmet event. This newbie features 40 local food all-stars, including Stephanie Izard (Girl & the Goat) and Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill), 30 cooking demos from chefs such as Jimmy Bannos Sr. (The Purple Pig) and 90 food and beverage vendors over three days. Tickets cost $175 a day or $550 for the weekend, which includes access to separately tickets events Saturday and Sunday evening.
Art-ivals!
Grab your berets, art aficionados. Two new art festivals are hitting River North and the West Loop this summer. Artfest Michigan Avenue (July 10-12) and West Loop Art Fest (Aug. 22-23) will feature paintings, sculptures, photography, handcrafted jewelry, glass and ceramics, live music and local bites. Free.
The rest of the fest news
A few festivals have made some changes this year. Logan Square’s Remix Chicago will be held June 6-7 rather than over Labor Day weekend. Both 6 Corners BBQ Fest in Portage Park (June 19-21) and Chicago Hot Dog Fest in Lincoln Park (Aug. 7-9, tentatively) are expanding to three days. The Chicago Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach (Aug. 15-16) will feature a new flight team, the Breitling Jet Team, from France. The Chicago Food Social ( Aug. 22-23) will not be held at Kendall College, and location details are still to be determined NOTE: CHICAGO FOOD SOCIAL HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL 2016.
>>Browse all 2015 festivals in our weekend-by-weekend gallery
>>See all 2015 fests on one page in Metromix’s festival guide
