This is a list of

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

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Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Architecture

Open House Chicago Open House Chicago (OHC) is a free weekend festival held annually in Chicago that allows participants to visit dozens of buildings that are not typically open to the public. The next festival will be held on 16–17 October 2021 because 2020 was sc ...

, October

Arts and crafts

57th Street Art Fair The 57th Street Art Fair is Chicago's oldest juried art fair. Founded in 1948, it is held the first weekend in June annually on 57th Street between Kimbark and Kenwood Avenues, in the Chicago neighborhood of Hyde Park, directly north of the Unive ...

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

, June * Chicago Art Book Fair, November * Chicago Artists Month, September/October * Gold Coast Art Fair, Grant Park, June *

Manifest Manifest may refer to: Computing * Manifest file, a metadata file that enumerates files in a program or package * Manifest (CLI), a metadata text file for CLI assemblies Events * Manifest (convention), a defunct anime festival in Melbourne, Aus ...

Columbia College Chicago Columbia College Chicago is a Private college, private art college in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1890, it has 5,928https://about.colum.edu/effectiveness/pdf/spring-2021-student-profile.pdf students pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergra ...

, May * SOFA Chicago, Navy Pier, October/November * Wells Street Art Festival,

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

, June

Community festivals and celebrations

* Andersonville City Made Fest, Andersonville, September * Fulton Fest, Near West Side, September *

Northalsted Market Days Northalsted Market Days is an annual two-day festival in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1982, it's the Midwest's largest street festival with annual attendance exceeding 300,000 people over the two-day event. It takes place in the ...

, Boystown, August *

Ribfest Chicago A ribfest (short for rib festival), sometimes called a rib cook-off, is a type of food festival that occurs throughout the United States and Canada. Ribfests typically attract large crowds Background The size of each ribfest is often measured by ...

, North Center, June *

Six Corners BBQ Fest 6 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 6 or six may also refer to: * AD 6, the sixth year of the AD era * 6 BC, the sixth year before the AD era * The month of June Science * Carbon, the element with atomic number 6 * 6 Hebe, an asteroid People ...

Six Corners Six Corners is a shopping district in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago's Northwest Side. History The area's name is from the intersection of three streets—Irving Park Road, Cicero Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue. Its history as an urban c ...

Portage Park Portage Park is a park in the Portage Park community area of Chicago, Illinois on the National Register of Historic Places. The park stretches from Irving Park Road on the south to Berteau Avenue between Central and Long Avenues. The largest p ...

, June

Culture, heritage and folk

African Festival of the Arts African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

* American Spanish Dance and Music Festival * Celtic Fest Chicago *

Chicago Humanities Festival The Chicago Humanities Festival is a non-profit organization which hosts an annual series of lectures, concerts, and films in Chicago. There are two seasons each year, including a spring festival from April through May, and a longer fall festival ...

* Fiesta Del Sol Pilsen * Lebanese Food Festival *

Midwest Buddhist Temple Ginza Holiday Festival The Midwest Buddhist Temple Ginza Holiday Festival is a large annual Japanese cultural festival that occurs on the second weekend, Friday to Sunday, of August at 435 W. Menomonee Street in Chicago’s historic Old Town, Chicago. The Midwest Buddh ...

Printers Row Lit Fest Printers Row Lit Fest is an annual book fair and literary festival held in Chicago, Illinois in September. The fair's literary "tableau . . . fills a downtown district where linotype machines and printing presses once whirred." The neighborhood w ...

, June * Venetian Night, August *

Von Steuben Day Von Steuben Day is a holiday traditionally held on a weekend in mid-September (von Steuben was born September 17), celebrating the Prussian-born Baron Friedrich von Steuben, who arrived in the United States as a volunteer offering his services to ...

(Ferris Bueller's Day Off)

Fiction and fantasy

Capricon Capricon is a science fiction convention held annually in the Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footn ...

Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) is a Chicago fan convention dedicated to comics, pop culture, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television. The inaugural event was held April 16–18, 2010 at the McCormic ...

* Wizard World Chicago

Film

* Chicago Feminist Film Festival * Chicago International Children's Film Festival *

Chicago International Documentary Film Festival The Chicago International Documentary Film Festival (CIDF) is a festival of documentary films in the United States. The film event was established in 2003 and is dedicated to the celebration and cultivation of the documentary film A documentary ...

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

Chicago International REEL Shorts Festival The Chicago International REEL Shorts Festival is an annual short film competition and screening put on by Project Chicago. The festival was founded by Scott Rudolph and Nels Dahlquist. Held annually, this three-day event plays host to more than 1 ...

Chicago Latino Film Festival The Chicago Latino Film Festival is a U.S. film festival, focusing on Latin America and Latinos. Held annually in Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , ...

* Chicago Outdoor Film Festival *

Chicago Palestine Film Festival The Chicago Palestine Film Festival is an annual film festival begun in 2001 in Chicago and is one of the most important venues in the US for the screening of Palestinian cinema. It accepts works in a variety of genres — documentaries, dramas, ...

Chicago Underground Film Festival Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF), founded in 1993, is the longest running underground film festival in the world. It's an internationally recognized program providing a venue for documentary, experimental and avant-garde narrative film and ...

* Juggernaut: A Sci-Fi and Fantasy Film Festival * Midwest Independent Film Festival *

Polish Film Festival in America Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

Flowers

* Botanic Gardens Antiques & Garden Fair *

Chicago Flower and Garden Show (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Food

* Chicago Food Truck Festival * Good Food Festival & Conference *

Taste of Chicago The Taste of Chicago (also known locally as The Taste) is the world's largest food festival, held for five days in July in Chicago, Illinois in Grant Park. The event is also the largest festival in Chicago. Non-food-related events include live m ...

Taste of Polonia The Taste of Polonia is a Chicago festival held at the Copernicus Cultural and Civic Center in the Jefferson Park community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States every Labor Day weekend since 1980. It is the Copernicus Foundat ...

* Taste of Randolph, June

Holiday

* Christkindlmarket * Clark Street Spooktacular * Magnificent Mile Lights Festival * Spooky Zoo Spectacular * The Way of the Cross Downtown Chicago

LGBT

Chicago Pride Parade The Chicago Pride Parade, also colloquially (and formerly) called the Chicago Gay Pride Parade or PRIDE Chicago, is the annual pride parade held on the last Sunday of June in Chicago, Illinois in the United States. It is considered the cul ...

Music, theatre and performing arts

Music

* Alehorn of Power *

Chicago Blues Festival The Chicago Blues Festival is an annual event held in June, that features three days of performances by top-tier blues musicians, both old favorites and the up-and-coming. It is hosted by the Chicago, Illinois, City of Chicago Department of Cu ...

Chicago Country Fest (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

* Chicago Flamenco Festival * Chicago Gospel Music Festival *

Chicago Jazz Festival The Chicago Jazz Festival is an admission-free, four-day annual jazz festival in Chicago's Millennium Park. It is run by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and programmed with the assistance of Jazz Institute of Chicago during ...

Chicago Maritime Festival The Chicago Maritime Festival is a maritime music and culture festival held in Chicago, Illinois, every winter, usually the last weekend in February, usually at the Chicago History Museum. It is not uncommon for over 500 people to participate. I ...

* Estrojam's Decibelle Music and Culture Festival *

Grant Park Music Festival The Grant Park Music Festival (formerly the Grant Park Concerts) is a ten-week classical music concert series held annually in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It features the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and Grant Park Chorus along with guest ...

* Hyde Park Jazz Festival * Lake Shake * Latino Music Festival *

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...

* Mamby on the Beach *

Midwest Clinic The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference is the world's largest instrumental music education conference, annually drawing approximately 17,000 attendees to Chicago from all 50 states and as many as forty countries. It is he ...

* Midwest Wonderland Music Festival * North Coast Music Festival * Pitchfork Music Festival *

* Riot Fest * Spring Awakening Music Festival * Square Roots *

World Music Festival Chicago The World Music Festival Chicago is an annual musical event held in Chicago, Illinois, since 1999. It is organized by the City of Chicago. The festival takes place in September, usually runs 5–10 days, and has featured musicians from over 75 ...

Performing arts

Chicago Fringe Festival Chicago Fringe Festival was an annual performing arts festival showcasing traditional and non-traditional performances. CFF aimed to provide a space for artists to produce shows that would not otherwise be seen and a festival that was accessible ...

Chicago Improv Festival (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Chicago Sketch Fest The Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival (or SketchFest) is an annual nonprofit sketch comedy festival held in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood at Stage 773 (1225 W Belmont Ave). This is the world's largest sketch festival, featuring 160 sketch group ...

* Paragon: A Sci-Fi and Fantasy Short Theatre Play Festival * Windy City Burlesque Festival

Parades

* Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic * Chicago Columbus Day Parade *

* Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade * Chinese New Year Parade *

McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade The Chicago Thanksgiving Parade, "Chicago's Grand Holiday Tradition", is an annual parade produced and presented by the Chicago Festival Association (CFA). It is held in downtown Chicago, Illinois, every Thanksgiving morning from 8:00 am until 11 ...

* Mexican Independence Day Parade
Northwest Side Irish Parade
*

Polish Constitution Day Parade The Polish Constitution Day Parade in Chicago is the largest Polish parade outside of Poland, and celebrates the anniversary of the ratification of the Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791, which historian Norman Davies calls "the first constitution ...

* Puerto Rican Day Parade

Sports

* Bike The Drive *

Boulevard Lakefront Tour The Boulevard Lakefront Tour is a non-competitive bicycle ride on Lake Shore Drive and neighborhood communities in downtown Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Inter ...

* Chicago Marathon *

Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac is a annual yacht race starting in Lake Michigan off Chicago, Illinois, and ending in Lake Huron off Mackinac Island, Michigan. It is hosted and managed by the Chicago Yacht Club. The "Mac" (as it is know ...

Crosstown Classic Crosstown may refer to: Transportation * IND Crosstown Line, a subway line in New York, New York, United States * Line 5 Eglinton, a light rail line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, also known as "the Crosstown" * MBTA crosstown bus routes, bus rou ...

Transportation

* Chicago Air & Water Show *

Chicago Auto Show The Chicago Auto Show is held annually in February at Chicago's McCormick Place convention center. It is the largest auto show in North America. History Samuel Miles, formerly a promoter of bicycle shows, produced the first "official" Chic ...

Other

* Around the Coyote * Chicago Science Festival * MDW Fair * Pier Walk * Version Fest * Viva Chicago

Discontinued festivals

Art Chicago EXPO Chicago is an international contemporary and modern art exhibition held each year in Chicago, Illinois. In 2012, it took over the duties of a prior organization, Art Chicago, which began in 1980. ''Art Chicago'' was Chicago's longest-running m ...

Asian Animation Film Festival The Asian Animation Film Festival (AAFF) is a film festival held in Chicago for one year in 2006. Founded by the Center for Asian Arts and Media at Columbia College Chicago, AAFF is a unique four-day festival devoted to Pan-Asian artists and animati ...

* Chicago Reggae Festival *

ChicagoFest ChicagoFest was a Chicago music festival established in 1978 by Mayor Michael Bilandic. It was a two-week event held annually at Navy Pier that featured sixteen separate stages, each sponsored by a national retail brand and a media sponsor compat ...

* Cineme *

Green Apple Music & Arts Festival The Green Apple Festival is America's largest Earth Day Celebration, raising local and environmental awareness, educating individuals on environmental issues, hosting cultural events. Green Apple Festival was founded by Peter Shapiro and Zenbu Med ...

Intonation Music Festival The Intonation Music Festival was a yearly summer music festival held at Union Park in Chicago, Illinois. 2005 The festival was held on July 16–17, 2005. It was conceived of and launched by Skyline Chicago, who hired Pitchfork Media to curate, ...

* Looptopia

References

External links

Chicago festivals

Chitown Festivals

{{Chicago mtp *

Festivals A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival co ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...