CHICAGO — Kick off September with some of Chicago’s most beloved festivals, including Taste of Chicago, Retro on Roscoe, the Mandala Makers Festival, Printers Row Lit Fest and the 79th Street Renaissance Festival.
There’s also the Black and Bronze Music Fest, Throwback Music Fest, the inaugural Edgewater Music Fest and the Rhinoceros Theater Festival — the city’s longest-running fringe fest.
Other weekend events include an opening reception for a new exhibit at Oliva Gallery, a free yoga class at a Black- and Filipina-owned studio in Auburn Gresham and a day of family fun at Douglass Park for Little Lawndale in the Park.
Here’s a roundup of 18 things to do in Chicago this weekend:
Taste of Chicago Credit: Taste of Chicago/Facebook
Taste Of Chicago
11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Sunday
Grant Park – Buckingham Fountain, Jackson and Columbus
Taste of Chicago is back with food and drinks from some of Chicago’s best culinary spots, including Billy Goat Tavern, Connie’s Pizza, Harold’s Chicken, Hubbard Inn, JJ Thai Street Food, Khmai, Lexington Betty Smokehouse, Porkchop and The Original Rainbow Cone. There will also be a beer hall and cocktail lounge, live entertainment and neighborhood trivia.
Learn more and find a full list of vendors and performers here.
The flyer for Throwback Music Fest. Credit: Provided/Facebook
Throwback Music Fest
4-10:30 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday
6100 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Enjoy live music, a kid’s carnival, family activities, a pet costume contest, a classic car show, a pin-up contest and more at this three-day festival. There will also be food and drinks and a celebration for first responders Sunday.
Learn more here.
Retro on Roscoe returns for its 30th annual edition this weekend. Credit: Provided/Special Events Management
Retro On Roscoe
5-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, noon-8 p.m. Sunday
2000 W. Roscoe St. from Damen to Leavitt
This 30th annual festival in Roscoe Village brings live music, a classic car show, vintage shopping and family-friendly fun across three days. There will be nearly 50 vintage cars on display, a Sunday appearance by the Wienermobile, arts and crafts vendors, wine and spirits and more.
There is a $15 suggested donation upon entry to support the nonprofit Roscoe Village Neighbors. Learn more here.
A previous street fest hosted by the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce. Credit: Provided/Michael Courier
Edgewater Music Fest
5-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
Broadway from Thorndale to Ardmore
This inaugural street fest features live music, more than 80 vendors, a kid’s zone and more. Among more than 30 performers across two stages are Chicago hip-hop and funk sensation Rick Wilson, Cincinnati-based rockers Foxy Shazam, Chicago rock band Sludgeworth, indie punk rockers Pinksqueeze and more.
There is a $10 suggested donation upon entry to support the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce, Care for Real and the performers. Learn more here.
Mandala Makers Festival
Various times Friday-Saturday
Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, 2936 N. Southport Ave.
Mandala South Asian Performing Arts is hosting its seventh Mandala Makers Festival this weekend, celebrating and platforming South Asian artists. This weekend’s schedule features contemporary music and dance performances, an EDM and Bollywood dance parties, folk performances and more.
Performances are free to attend. Dance parties are $40. Learn more here.
The flyer for Lookingglass Theatre’s inaugural GglassFest. Credit: Provided
GglassFest
Kicks off 6 p.m. Friday and runs through Sept. 13
The Joan and Paul Theatre at Water Tower Water Works, 163 E. Pearson St.
For the first time, Lookingglass Theatre is hosting a festival that invites audiences to go behind the scenes and experience its new play development programs, gglassworks. Attendees will get to see how the ensemble proposes new work, preview upcoming stories and participate in the process.
This weekend’s slots are at 6 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday. Learn more and find the calendar here.
The flyer for the 36th annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival. Credit: Provided
Rhinoceros Theater Festival
Kicks off 7 p.m. Saturday and runs through Sept. 28
Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California Ave. (Humboldt Park), Labyrinth Arts Club, 3658 N. Pulaski Ave. (Avondale) and Jarvis Square Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave. (Rogers Park)
Chicago’s longest-running fringe theater fest is back for its 36th edition, with dozens of plays, musicals and performances coming to venues citywide throughout the month. The works come from more than 40 companies and artists and have a focus on new Chicago works featuring themes of resistance and rebellion.
Learn more and find a calendar of shows here.
The crowds at the 2024 Printers Row Lit Fest. Credit: Don Seeley
Printers Row Lit Fest
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
South Dearborn from Ida B. Wells to Polk
The two-day Printers Row Lit Fest is back for its 40th year with renowned author Sandra Cisneros, who wrote “The House on Mango Street,” as well as more than 70 live programs, over 100 independent booksellers and more. There will also be food vendors, literary organizations, publishers and more.
Admission is free. Learn more here.
Chicago Pottery Market
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
Wilderhouse, 1339 N. Damen Ave.
This late summer market will spotlight more than a dozen local ceramicists, including Archer Ceramics, Alex Sternberg, Joanne Trestrail, Lucas Lee Ho, Monsoon Pottery, Three Dot Studio, Michael Guy Coates and more.
Learn more here.
Friday
‘Holding Space’ Opening Reception
5-9 p.m. Friday
Oliva Gallery, 3816 W. Armitage Ave.
Artists Jan Nakao, Laurie LeBreton and Macus Alonso are coming together for a joint exhibit of painting, sculpture and installation called “Holding Space.” Their influences range from “Jungian analysis to multicultural geometry and ritual firework.”
All artists will attend the opening reception.
The Lakewood Balmoral Residents’ Council hosts an annual community yard sale. Credit: Provided/Facebook
Lakewood Balmoral Yard Sale
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday
5200-5500 North along Magnolia, Lakewood and Wayne (between Foster and Bryn Mawr)
This annual neighborhood sale features 12 blocks of front-yard sales.
Learn more here.
Wicker Park Fine Art Fair
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday
1425 N. Damen Ave.
There will be a variety of art on display among Wicker Park gardens for this fine art fair. More than 30 artists will show and sell their work, from paintings and drawings to ceramics and wood block prints.
This is a free event sponsored by the Wicker Park Garden Club in collaboration with the Park District. Learn more here.
79th Street Renaissance Festival
10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday
79th and Racine Avenue
Hosted by the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation, this annual fest draws over 15,000 attendees for a day of live entertainment, food and family fun.
Learn more here.
The flyer for Madison Row Fest. Credit: Provided/Facebook
Madison Row Fest
11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday
Madison Street between Carpenter and Racine
This family-friendly block party brings together thousands of attendees for food and drinks from some of the city’s best eateries, live entertainment, crafts, games, shopping and more. This community celebration is organized by West Loop Neighbors and West Central Association.
There is a $10 suggested donation upon entry. Learn more here.
The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, 3015 W. Division St. Credit: The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture
Paseo Boricua & Humboldt Park: Stories, Murals & Monuments With Eduardo
Noon-2 p.m. Saturday
National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, 3015 W. Division St.
Explore Humboldt Park and its murals, monuments and Puerto Rican pride with longtime resident and tour guide Eduardo Arocho. He’s been giving tours for nearly 30 years and runs the Paseo Boricua Tour Company.
Tickets are $33.85 and include admission to the museum. Learn more and buy them here.
Little Lawndale In The Park
Noon-7 p.m. Saturday
Douglass Park Flower Hall and Formal Gardens, Ogden and Sacramento
Little Lawndale in the Park is a community event with live musical performances, interactive art making, local vendors, resources, food trucks and more in Douglass Park. Performers include the Mariachi Sirenas, Rosalba Valdez and La Rosa Noir.
Learn more here.
Black & Bronze Music Fest
1-7 p.m. Saturday
Armstrong Park, 4433 S. Saint Lawrence Ave.
Immerse yourself in jazz, soul, hip-hop and poetry performances at the Black and Bronze Music Fest honoring Chicago’s South Side, its history and culture. There will be a variety of vendors and businesses from the South Side and activities like complimentary haircuts for kids 14 and younger, a foot-working dance battle, a stepping competition and more.
Learn more here.
Root To Rise: A Fall Yoga Gathering
3 p.m. Sunday
Rise Training Academy, 8300 S. Halsted St.
Rise Training Academy, a Black- and Filipina-owned small business in Auburn Gresham, offers a variety of martial arts, dance and fitness programs — including a yoga session this weekend. The class is open to all bodies and experience levels and designed to “uplift our underserved South Side community,” said co-owner Lotta Yanong.
Attendance is free but space is limited. Attendees are asked to bring mats, comfortable clothes and water.
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