Hot times in the city

Yes, it’s summer festival season again. In other words, what we wait all winter for

By Trent Modglin

If you’re looking for live music, sundresses, sunburns, cold beer, slices of deep dish, a fresh ear of corn and plenty of art and old friends to run into, we’re right there with you.

And to help ease the madness of summer in Chicago, we’ve decided to help you get organized. Below is a listing of the top street festivals the city has to offer. See you there.

JUNE
Mayfest — May 31 - June 3.
Location: 4700 N. Lincoln Avenue, in the heart of Lincoln Square.
The goods: A big German festival with live music, dancing and authentic food.

Belmont/Sheffield Music Festival — June 2-3
Location: 3200 N. Sheffield, at the corner of Sheffield and Belmont Avenues. Runs north on Sheffield to School.
The goods: National and local bands, food, beer and crafts.

Chicago Blues Festival — June 7-10
Location: Grant Park. That’s 300 S. Columbus if you don’t make it downtown very often.
The goods: The world’s largest free outdoor blues event. Four days, six stages and better than 750,000 people.

Wells Street Art Festival — June 9-10
Location: 1300 N. Wells, running from North Avenue to Division.
The goods: Plenty of beer and food, but expensive art (paintings, photography, glasswork, sculptures, etc.) is the focus here. Live music is conveniently stationed in the lot behind O’Brien’s restaurant.

Andersonville Midsommarfest — June 9-10
Location: 5200 N. Clark, at the corner of Clark and Foster.
The goods: If you don’t make it this far north very often, this is your excuse to check out the quaint Andersonville neighborhood and explore its strong Swedish heritage. Includes international food, art and crafts and kids’ activities.

Old Town Art Fair — June 9-10
Location: 1763 N. Park Avenue. The main gate is at Lincoln Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue for this afternoon event.
The goods: Some 260 artists are invited. It’s only a couple blocks north of the Wells St. Art Festival, held on the same weekend. The two are often confused with one another.

Ribfest Chicago — June 9-10
Location: 4000 N. Lincoln Avenue. At the corner of Irving Park.
The goods: You guessed it, ribs take center stage here. No shortage of local restaurants — and napkins.

Taste of Randolph Street — June 15-17
Location: Downtown at 1200 W. Randolph.
The goods: Plenty of food from neighborhood establishments, art, cooking demonstrations and more.

Pride Fest and the Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade — June 23-24
Location: 3700 N. Halsted. The Pride Fest (June 24) is held on Halsted, at the corner of Waveland, while the parade on Sunday begins at the Halsted/Belmont corner.
The goods: For the 37th straight year, it’s the place to be for the Midwest’s gay and lesbian community.

July
Taste of Chicago — June 29-July 8
Location: Grant Park.
The goods: Honestly, if don’t know about “The Taste,” you should really pack your bags and leave town. A total of 60 local restauranteurs and some 3,000,000 visitors munch their way toward the Tums in the Midwest’s largest food festival.

Lakeview Music Fest — July 7-8
Location: 3100 N. Ashland.
The goods: Formerly called the Addison-Clark Street Fair and located near Wrigley Field, it features plenty of live bands, local merchant stands, fashion shows and food.

Rock Around the Block — July 14-15
Location: 3600 N. Lincoln Avenue, at Addison running south to Roscoe.
The goods: Food and drink vendors, arts and crafts and 30 bands on three different stages. National acts like the Old 97’s and the Spin Doctors have played here in recent years.

Old St. Pat’s World’s Largest Block Party — July 20-21
Location: 650 W. Madison. At the corner of Madison and Des Plaines in the West Loop.
The goods: The folks at Old St. Pat’s church not only have the city’s oldest public building, they also put on the biggest party in the city. Formerly considered a serious meat market for singles, that reputation was waned a bit in recent years. Blues Traveler, Counting Crows, Better Than Ezra and the BoDeans have made a summer stop at Old St. Pat’s in the past.

Summer on Southport — July 28-29
Location: 3800 N. Southport, running from Waveland to Byron.
Highlights: This is one of the city’s newer summer festivals, located on one of the bestsummer streets in the city. This may not be the raucous event other festivals are, as a lot of the set-up is geared more toward children.

Wicker Park Summerfest — July 28-29
Location: 1600 N. Damen, at the busy Damen/North/Milwaukee intersection.
Highlights: Wicker Park is often considered to be the musical hub of Chicago, and the hip scene figures to produce some up-and-coming indie music on its two stages. Plenty to do after it closes down, too.

Taste of Lincoln Avenue — July 28-29
Location: 2400 N. Lincoln Avenue, from Fullerton to Wrightwood.
The goods: To veterans of the Chicago social scene, this six-block blowout is widely considered one of year’s can’t-miss events. Five entertainment stages and no shortage of rooftop and deck parties in the surrounding area.

August
Retro on Roscoe — Aug. 4-5
Location: 3400 N. Damen, at the corner of Roscoe.
The goods: Step back in time to a “cooler” age at this Roscoe Village specialty. In addition to an antique car show, chili cook-off, art vendors and carnival games, you’ll hear live music covering the ’70s through the ’90s.

North Halsted Market Days — Aug. 11-12
Location: 3500 N. Halsted.
The goods: The 26th annual Lakeview event features more than 40 musical acts on three stages.

29th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival — Aug. 30-Sept. 2
Location: Grant Park
The goods: This festival has featured such jazz greats as Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Wynton Marsalis and Nancy Wilson, among many others. Look for more information on a city-hosted week of jazz performances in a variety of venues during the week leading up to the actual festival.

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