This weekend in Chicago: The fests keep getting BIGGER...

So, weary festival warrior. You thought you might get a break one of these weekends.  But, NO!  The festivals keep getting larger.  This weekend brings you the two King Kong's of Chicago Festivals.

First up:

Opening Weekend for the Taste of Chicago in Grant Park.  Acres and acres of live music, crowds, food-on-a-stick, crowds, heat, crowds, all culminating with the HUGE fireworks display on the 3rd of July.  (Rain date, July 4th.) 

Umm, did I mention street closures?  Pretty much all the streets that go through Grant Park: Columbus, Jackson, Monroe, all the way to Balbo are closed. 

Check out the cool interactive map.

Taste of Chicago opens Friday, June 27.  Open Daily starting at 11:00 am for you downtown workers.

Next:

The 39th Annual Gay Pride Parade in Lakeview.  Join nearly a half-million of your closest friends and mob the sidewalks along Halsted, Broadway and Diversey to watch Chicago's largest parade on Sunday, June 29.  The parade (theoretically - you know the gays) starts at Noon at the corner of Belmont and Halsted. 

Look for your guides on the @properties float which should attract your attention with an ear-splitting sound system.

Keep your eye out for @properties founder, Thad Wong, as the consummate attention junkie will be found running alongside the float handing out hats, beach balls or at least his business cards.

The crowds paralyze East Lakeview starting at 10:00 am on Sunday, so don't even think about trying to drive across the neighborhood.

Honorable Mentions:

• BAM ! Fest in Roscoe Village:  Roscoe Village will celebrate its 2nd annual Belmont Arts & Music Festival (BAM!) as it livens up the neighborhood streets on June 28th and 29th. Bursting with local artwork, music, food and spirits along Belmont Avenue running west from Damen, BAM! is a reflection of the diverse and vibrant arts scene in Roscoe Village.  (Belmont to Roscoe, near Damen.)
• White Sox vs. Cubs in the second half of the Crosstown Classic this weekend on the South Side at US Cellular Field.  Go Cubs!
• Fifth Annual Randolph Street Festival:  Formerly known as the Chicago Antique Market, this European-style indoor/outdoor fair showcases antiques and vintage collectibles from more than 200 dealers along Randolph Street, between Ada Street and Ogden Avenue.

Get out there and have some fun!

 

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