Top Chicago Music Festivals

Chicago, the Windy City, is that perfect mixture of big-city chic and Midwest charm and its music festivals combine the best of top name acts and local gems making for a diverse season of festival fun for all tastes.

Kicking off on June 5 and ending June 6, the Chicago Gospel Music Festival returns to Millennium Park (at the corner of north Michigan and east Randolph.) Up to 50 acts perform on three stages with featured acts begin local, national and international. 2009 featured Kirk Franklin and a special performance by former American Idol winner Fantasia. In addition to music, there is an art fair featuring artists of all disciplines as well as activities for the whole family. The Chicago Gospel Music Festival is free and guaranteed to lift the spirit without depleting the income.

Known for it's world-class orchestra and opera companies, Chicago brings together musical forces from the instrumental and vocal worlds for a series of free classical music concerts at the Jay Prtizker Pavilion in Millennium Park. The 2010 festival opens on June 16 and runs through August 21 and will feature the great orchestral works of Beethoven, Mahler, Vivaldi and Brahms along with special concerts by the Grant Park Festival Choir. Concerts feature the Grant Park Orchestra in programs ranging from operatic highlights to collaborations with world musicians and dance troops. The new Independence Day Concert features favorites including Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever and the Tchaikovsky Overture 1812. Admission is free.

For those seeking jazz, the annual Chicago Jazz Festival will be September 4 and be-bop until the last note is played on September 5, 2010. Presented by the Mayor's Office of Special Events, this festival is one of the longest running lakefront festivals and is held in Grant Park. The festival features local acts on its Young Jazz Lions stage as well as international and national talent on three other stages. While the 32^nd festival will be scaled back from last year, it still promises to be a swinging good time filled with music, food and fun and still free to attend.

Lollapalooza has become one of Chicago's biggest and most popular music festivals 2009 featured top names like Snoop Dog, recent Grammy winners Kings of Leon, Jane's Addiction and super cool acts like Santigold and Thievery Corporation. The 2010 Lollapalooza fest begins August 6 and runs through the 8^th. Prices range from $60 to $175 for 3-Day passes, but quickly sell out so the potential concert attendee will want to but them sooner rather than later. While the 2010 line-up of acts is yet to be announced, you can be certain that it will range from rap to rock and have a bit of everything in between.

Bringing the world together in one city is the Chicago World Music Festival. The 12^th annual, weeklong festival begins Friday, September 24 and runs until Thursday, September 30, 2010. Performed in a variety of venues throughout Chicago, the festival highlights the best in world music from traditional to contemporary. Prices range from free to ticketed for each concert. For more information on tickets and venues, check the hotline at 312.742.1938.

Offering musical events for every taste and budget, Chicago is jam-packed with exciting music festivals reaffirming that it is one of the coolest cities on the planet.

Sources:

www.explorechicago.org

www.chicago.metromix.com

www.grantparkmusicfestival.com

www.chicagofestivals.net