List of festivals in Chicago
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
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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 territori ...
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Architecture

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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, Hyde Park, 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, May * SOFA Chicago,
Navy Pier Navy Pier is a pier on the shoreline of Lake Michigan, located in the Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Side community area in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Navy Pier encompasses over of parks, gardens, shops, restaurants, family ...
, October/November * Wells Street Art Festival, Old Town, June


Community festivals and celebrations

* Andersonville City Made Fest, Andersonville, September * Fulton Fest, Near West Side, September * Northalsted Market Days, Boystown, August * Ribfest Chicago, North Center, June * Six Corners BBQ Fest, Six Corners, Portage Park, June


Culture, heritage and folk

* African Festival of the Arts * American Spanish Dance and Music Festival *
Celtic Fest Chicago Celtic Fest Chicago is held the second weekend of May in Chicago's Millennium Park. It had previously been held in the second week in September, the first one having been held in the third week in September 1997 on Columbus Drive and Jackson Bouleva ...
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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 * Printers Row Lit Fest, 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 t ...
(Ferris Bueller's Day Off)


Fiction and fantasy

* Capricon *
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 McCo ...
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Wizard World Chicago Fan Expo Chicago (formerly Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, and commonly known as the Chicago Comicon), is a comic book convention held during the summer in Rosemont, Illinois, United States, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. It was tr ...


Film

* Chicago Feminist Film Festival *
Chicago International Children's Film Festival In 1983, Facets Multi-Media founded the Chicago International Children's Film Festival (CICFF), the first competitive festival of films for children in the U.S. The impetus for the Festival came from a need to introduce new, culturally diverse fil ...
* Chicago International Documentary Film Festival *
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 *
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 *
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


Flowers

* Botanic Gardens Antiques & Garden Fair * Chicago Flower and Garden Show


Food

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Chicago Food Truck Festival (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
* Good Food Festival & Conference * Ribfest Chicago * Six Corners BBQ Fest *
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 * Taste of Randolph, June


Holiday

* Christkindlmarket * Clark Street Spooktacular *
Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Magnificent may refer to: * HMS ''Magnificent'', Royal Navy ships * HMCS ''Magnificent'' (CVL 21), a Canadian ship *'' Magnificent!'', a 1969 album by jazz pianist Barry Harris * "Magnificent" (Rick Ross song) * "Magnificent" (U2 song) *"Magnificen ...
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Spooky Zoo Spectacular Lincoln Park Zoo, also known as Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens, is a zoo in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois. The zoo was founded in 1868, making it the fourth oldest zoo in North America. It is also one of a few free admission zoos in the Unit ...
* The Way of the Cross Downtown Chicago


LGBT

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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 ...


Music, theatre and performing arts


Music

* Alehorn of Power * Chicago Blues Festival *
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 * 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 * 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 ...
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Midwest Wonderland Music Festival The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
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North Coast Music Festival The North Coast Music Festival is an annual festival held in Chicago on Labor Day weekend. Initially featuring a diverse mix of electronic, hip hop, folk, jam band, and rock acts, and a wide variety of performance and installation artists, in r ...
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Pitchfork Music Festival The Pitchfork Music Festival is an annual summer music festival organized by ''Pitchfork Media'' and held in Union Park in Chicago, Illinois. Starting in 2011, the festival announced a branch staged in Paris at Grande halle de la Villette. The fe ...
* Ribfest Chicago *
Riot Fest Riot Fest is an annual three-day punk rock music festival based in Chicago, Illinois, at Douglass Park. It is known for booking reunions, guest performances, and full album performances. Riot Fest remains one of the largest independently owned m ...
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Spring Awakening Music Festival Spring Awakening Music Festival (SAMF) is an annual electronic dance music (EDM) festival held in Chicago. The festival started at a theater in 2008, moved to Soldier Field in 2012–2015, and to Addams/Medill Park in 2016–2018. In 2019, ...
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Square Roots In mathematics, a square root of a number is a number such that ; in other words, a number whose ''square'' (the result of multiplying the number by itself, or  ⋅ ) is . For example, 4 and −4 are square roots of 16, because . E ...
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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

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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 *
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

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Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic The Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic (also known as The Bud Billiken Day Parade) is an annual parade held since 1929 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bud Billiken Day Parade is the largest African-American parade in the United States of America. Held annu ...
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Chicago Columbus Day Parade (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
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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 ...
* 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
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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 ...
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Puerto Rican Day Parade The Puerto Rican Day Parade (also known as the National Puerto Rican Day Parade) takes place annually in the United States along Fifth Avenue in the Manhattan borough of New York City. The parade is held on the second Sunday in June, in hon ...


Sports

* Bike The Drive * Boulevard Lakefront Tour *
Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a marathon (long-distance foot race) held every October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the six World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is the fourth-largest r ...
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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


Transportation

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Chicago Air & Water Show The Chicago Air & Water Show is an annual air show held on the shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois. Chicago's second most popular festival, it has been held every year since 1959. In 2005 it was attended by 2,200,000 people. Presented by ...
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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

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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 *
Chicago Reggae Festival The Chicago reggae festival is a community festival that features food and music from Jamaica as well as other entertainment. The festival brings performers from all over the world. See also *List of reggae festivals *Reggae Reggae () is ...
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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 comp ...
* Cineme * Green Apple Music & Arts Festival * Intonation Music Festival *
Looptopia Looptopia was a dusk-to-dawn cultural event that was held in 2007 and 2008 in the city of Chicago. Billed as "Chicago's White Night", Looptopia was modeled after Nuit Blanche held annually in Paris. It premiered on the evening of May 11 through t ...


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