Chicago’s biggest and best festivals
As one of the USA’s most culturally vibrant and diverse cities, it’s no surprise that Chicago is home to some fantastic festivals every year. Whether you love music or your idea of heaven is a hearty pizza, Chicago’s plethora of festivals has something to offer everyone. But with so much going on, it can be hard for people new to the city to know where to start. Here’s a quick rundown of the biggest and best festivals throughout the year in Chicago and its surrounding area.
Chicago has had an influential place in the global music scene for decades. It’s popularly known as the birthplace of house music, and has also been a major influencer in the development of blues and hip-hop. This prominent position is reflected in the many world-leading music festivals it hosts every year. One of the biggest is Lollapalooza, an annual festival that’s been held at Chicago’s Grant Park since 2005 but which toured across the US during the 1990s. The festival concentrates mainly on alternative rock and heavy metal, and major bands to have played there in the past include Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine. Lady Gaga has also appeared in recent years.
Another popular alternative music festival in Chicago is the Pitchfork Music Festival, held annually in Union Park since 2006. And classical music fans are catered for too, at the Grant Park Music Festival. This free series of concerts takes place every year over ten weeks and has been a Chicago tradition since 1931 when the city’s then-mayor suggested it as a way of lifting city spirits during the Great Depression.
But music isn’t the only thing that Chicago’s festival scene is noted for. The Chicago International Film Festival, founded in 1964, is the longest-running film festival in North America and takes place every autumn. It screens a variety of international films and awards the Gold Hugo as its grand prize for best film. Silver Hugos are awarded to the best actor and best actress every year, and lifetime achievement awards have gone to Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood and Jodie Foster in the past.
Away from film, food plays a significant role in Chicago’s festival life. Taste of Chicago is the world’s largest food festival, and the largest festival in the city. Held annually in Grant Park, it has traditionally started on the Friday previous to July 4th, American Independence Day, and taken place over ten days. However, from 2012, Taste of Chicago will be held over 5 days in July. The first Taste of Chicago was held in 1980 and today celebrates the diversity of cuisine available in the Chicago area. It’s also spawned several offshoots around the United States and the world, and is seen as a pioneer in the sphere of food festivals.
Taste of Chicago might be the city’s biggest culinary event, but there are plenty of other food festivals on offer in and around the city. Taste of Polonia, for instance, is a significant four-day celebration of Polish heritage and cuisine in Chicago and is the largest ethnic festival in the city, attracting 40-60,000 people each year. And in the affluent nearby town of Naperville, the biggest attraction is Ribfest – an annual celebration of American BBQ that attracts some of the best ribs chefs in the USA. Hotels in the area fill up quickly around Ribfest time, and the event is of significant cultural and economic importance to the area.
Fiona Roy writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency that specialises in Naperville hotels. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
