Posted 5 years ago in Trending, Arts and Culture
3 MIN READ - Summer in Chicago means you're guaranteed to one thing: summer music festivals—mostly free in the Loop. Maybe it’s the long-awaited warm weather or the city’s celebrated musical history, but there's not a dull weekend in the city. Before your calendar gets too full, take a look at our summer concert calendar and start plotting out all of the acts you want to see.
Chicago House Music Festival
Saturday, May 25, 2019
Millennium Park
Free
The Chicago House Music Festival will continue throughout the park with DJs and family activities. Headline performances at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion will feature the debut of London's Reel People, who are internationally renowned for their original soulful house compositions and collaborations. Other artists include legendary DJ and producer Tony Humphries, from New York City and Chicago mainstays Gene Hunt, Mark Grusane, and First Lady. Later in the evening, Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events will host several after sets at various clubs throughout the city.
34th Annual Chicago Gospel Music Festival
May 31 – June 1, 2019
Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park
Free
Celebrating the great influence of the music genre born in this city more than 80 years ago, the Chicago Gospel Music Festival will present the top gospel artists in the country. Over the years, the festival has featured traditional choirs to contemporary urban gospel mixed with hip-hop and house music.
36th Annual Chicago Blues Festival
June 7 – 9, 2019
Millennium Park
Free
The largest free blues festival in the world, Chicago Blues Festival shares the great Chicago-born music tradition with the world while shining a spotlight on the genre’s contributions to soul, R&B, gospel, rock, hip-hop, and more. More than 500,000 blues fans prove that Chicago is the "Blues Capital of the World."
Grant Park Music Festival
June – August 2019
Millennium Park
Free
Acclaimed by critics and beloved by audiences, the Grant Park Music Festival is the nation’s only free, summer-long outdoor classical music series of its kind. The 2019 "Season of Anniversaries" include Carlos Kalmar’s 20th year leading the festival, Millennium Park’s 15th anniversary, and the festival's 85th season.
Chicago SummerDance
June – August 2019
Grant Park
Free
The Spirit of Music Garden at Grant Park will blossom into an urban dance space. Dance to the sounds of 48 different live bands and DJs, and get into step with dance lessons beforehand. Glide across the restored 4,900-square-foot, 100 percent recycled, open-air dance floor designed by Chicago artist Dan Peterman. Swing, waltz, cha-cha, or simply enjoy the music!
Lollapalooza
August 1 – 4, 2019
Grant Park
One of the most prolific music festivals makes its annual return to Chicago's Grant Park. Lollapalooza rocks out with one of the biggest names including Ariana Grande, Childish Gambino, Twenty One Pilots, The Strokes, The Chainsmokers, Lil Wayne, Janelle Monáe, Kacey Musgraves, and more. Chow Town will be cooking up gourmet food for festivalgoers to fuel up as they revel in four days of music, heat and huge crowds near some of the best attractions in the Chicago Loop.
Chicago Jazz Festival
August 23 – September 1, 2019
Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park
Free
The longest running of the city's lakefront music festivals, the Chicago Jazz Festival showcases the most celebrated jazz artists from Chicago and around the world during new, extended festival dates. The Chicago Jazz Festival is produced by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and programmed by the Jazz Institute of Chicago.
World Music Festival
September 13 – 29, 2019
The Chicago Loop and Beyond
Free
The 21st Annual World Music Festival Chicago is presented by the City of Chicago and produced by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. This city-wide, multi-venue, eleven-day festival has attracted over 650,000 concertgoers and has presented more than 650 artists and ensembles from over 80 countries since it began in 1999. This event is the largest and longest-running international music festival in the U.S.
