Chicago Summer Festival Schedule Guide

Nine months of winter and three months of summer. That is pretty much how it goes in Chicago. This might explain why during the three months of summer, there is a plethora of things to do in the Windy City as Chicagoans and tourists alike try to cram a year's worth of outdoor activities into three months. Luckily for us, the City gives up plenty of choices.

When discussing summer festivals in Chicago, it begins and ends with the Taste of Chicago. The Taste of Chicago, held in Chicago's beautiful Grant Park, is a week long festival of food, drink and music. Chicago is known for delicious food and the Taste will give you a chance to try lots of different foods from more than 60 of Chicago's finest restaurants.

In addition to the food, there is also plenty of live entertainment including a 4^th of July concert. This year's lineup has not yet been announced but previous years have included John Mayer, Counting Crows, Wilco, John Hiatt and many others.

The Taste of Chicago can be either incredibly inexpensive (free) or a little on the pricey side. How much you spend completely depends on how much you eat and drink. There is no admission and the musical acts are free. You purchase food and beverage tickets to pay for the concessions. They are sold in strips of 12 for $8. The food can run between 1-4 tickets for a sample size with nothing costing more than 10 tickets.

Tickets can either be purchased at the festival or in advance online or at Dominick's grocery stores.

The Taste of Chicago runs from June 27^th through July 6^th. Admission begins daily at 11 am and the fest closed at 9pm. The official website for the Taste of Chicago can be found here.

If music is your thing, then look no further than this year's Lollapolooza festival in Chicago's Grant Park. This year's concert extravaganza will be held August 1-3. The 2008 lineup was just announced and the stars will be out in full force. This year's lineup includes Radiohead, Wilco, Kanye West, The Raconteurs, a reuniting of Rage Against the Machine and many others.

Chicago's Grant Park is situated in downtown Chicago and is a fabulous venue. Look one way, you see the fantastic Chicago skyline. Look the other way and you are staring out at expansive Lake Michigan.

Tickets for Lollapolooza are sold as 3 day passes for between $190 and $205 for the entire weekend and can be purchased online here.

For a more refined evening of entertainment, try Chicago's Venetian Night on Saturday, July 26^th.

Venetian night is a boat parade along the shores of Lake Michigan where nautical Chicagoan's show off their illuminated boats. Around 30-50 boats usually participate and the parade is followed by a fireworks show that is set to music.

Located along Lake Michigan between the Shedd Aquarium and the Chicago Yacht Club, Venetian Night is extremely kid friendly and best of all, free.

The Air & Chicago Water celebrates its 50^th year this year on August 15, 16 and 17. The Chicago Air & Water Show is exactly what it sounds like, a demonstration of various air and watercraft featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute team among others.

The main area for the show is 1600 N. Lake Shore Drive but it stretches along the lake front for quite a distance from that address. However, anywhere you are in Chicago, the show can be felt. For those who have never experienced the show, it is a must see. There is something about seeing those planes fly through downtown Chicago that is truly awe inspiring.

In addition to these major events, Chicago boasts various smaller street festivals where you can really feel the small neighborhood atmosphere of Chicago. During the summer in Chicago, you will be hard pressed to find a weekend where there isn't a festival. A couple of my personal favorites are the Chicago Blues Festival on June 5-8 and the Old Town Art Fair held on June 14-15.

A list of the upcoming events can be found here.

Transportation to any of the events that I have mentioned can cause nightmares if you decide to drive. Summer is festival time in Chicago, but it is also road construction time. If you have to drive to one of these events, a couple of words of advice. AVOID RUSH HOUR and check the traffic reports.

But luckily, if you do some research you will find ways to get where you are going without having to get in a car. One suggestion is to get a hotel downtown or within a cab ride from downtown and make a weekend out of it.

Also, Chicago has a great public transportation system. You can get just about anywhere via train, El (subway), bus or taxi.

If you are coming in from the suburbs, consider taking the train in. Metra is the railway of Chicago and trains will either bring you to the Ogilvie Transportation Center or Union Station depending on where you are coming from. Both of these stations are downtown and the two are only a couple of blocks apart. A short cab ride or walk can then take you anywhere downtown.

If you are already in the city or in one of the closer suburbs, consider taking the El or bus. The Chicago Transit Authority can provide all the information you need to help you plan your trip.