By Sara
Chicago is usually known for its blustery winter days, untrustworthy politicians, and the best crosstown baseball rivalry in the country (oops, sorry, New York). What you may not know is that summer in Chicago is the best kind of summer. We get four months of gorgeously sunny days and that first whiff of warm air brings everyone out of hibernation. After a long, freezing winter, the layers are shed and the windows thrown open. What you may not know about Chicago city proper is that it is divided into neighborhoods and everyone loves to declare their neighborhood to be The Best Neighborhood in all of Chicago.
Every weekend, all summer long starting in May, these neighborhoods throw street festivals to prove their superiority over their, well, neighbors. Over 400 neighborhood festivals take place celebrating:
FOOD
RibFest, Roscoe Village Burger Fest,Taste of Lincoln, Taste of Randolph, Guinness Oyster Fest, TASTE OF CHICAGO (obvs)
MUSIC
Chicago Folk and Roots Festival (n/k/a Square Roots), Blues Fest, Chicago Jazz Festival, Wicker Park Festival, Do-Division, Hideout Block Party
CULTURAL HERITAGE
The 57th Annual Ginza Festival, Fiesta del Sol, Chinatown Summer Fair,Taylor Street Festa Italiana
LOCAL ARTISANS
Ravenswood Remix, Design Harvest Festival
and our city's favorite pasttime...
BOOZING
Wrigleyville Summerfest, Old St. Pat's World's Largest Block Party, Retro on Roscoe, Pride Fest, basically any of the 400 street festivals.
Loud Loop Press showcased 12 of the best neighborhood festivals here and I happen to agree with many of the choices. If you're in town for a weekend between May and September, look for a neighborhood festival and I guarantee you'll have a GREAT time. Or if you're local, get off your couch and venture to a new-to-you neighborhood to check out the eats, drinks and tunes.
(all images courtesy of Google Images)
Comments