It’s a BUSY weekend in Chicago with WNBA All-Star Weekend and so many festivals and fun! Here’s What’s Happening This Weekend…

If you want to check out a festival:

  • Chicago Gospel Festival continues today from noon-9pm at Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, featuring a lineup of acclaimed gospel singers… bring a chair or a blanket to spread out on the lawn, where admission is free! Our own Sonya Blakey hosts the festivities and join our sister station Inspiration 1390 as they broadcast live.
  • Taste of Bronzeville returns for a third year with live entertainment, food from neighborhood restaurants, plus food trucks, bakeries and beverage vendors. They’ll also have line dancing, DJs, community yoga and other activities. It’s all free today from 11am-5pm on 37th Street and King Drive.
  • This weekend is the 54th Annual Fiesta Del Sol in Pilsen with live music, entertainment, food vendors, carnival rides, resource fair and more! It’s all free today and tomorrow, from 11am to 10pm each day along Cermak between Ashland and Morgan.
  • Wicker Park Fest is back this weekend for the ultimate free summertime Chicago celebration, showcasing an indie music lineup of over 50 emerging artists, plus vendor market featuring over 200 small businesses, plus a pet fest and kid-friendly spaces.
  • Taste of Lincoln Avenue continues through tomorrow in Lincoln Park for its 42nd year featuring live music, food, whiskey tastings, kids’ carnival, and dog parade. Free admission with suggested donation. 
  • The free 47th Annual Chinatown Summer Fair is back today and tomorrow in Chinatown with food, vendors and traditional performances, including dragon and lion dance procession and a kung fu demonstration. There will also be family-friendly activities for all ages, like a children’s area and arts and crafts activations.

Also this weekend, you can honor Illinois’ first Emmett Till day by catching the play, Anne & Emmett at Dusable Black History Museum and Education Center. The play imagines a conversation between Anne Frank and Emmett Till in an exploration of history, intolerance and hope. Anne shares her story of hiding from Nazi persecution, while Emmett recounts the brutal racism that led to his murder. Their encounter highlights the heartbreaking similarities in their experiences and the societies that failed to protect them.

Also today, check out South Side Sisters Sounds & Stories from 4-5:30pm at Kennicott (Jonathan) Park in Kenwood. It’s a free afternoon of music in the park, celebrating the legacy of Black women composers through chamber music, art song and spirituals.

Chicago’s 23rd Annual Disability Pride Parade starts today at 11am with a procession along Dearborn from the Harold Washington Library to Daley Plaza, followed by a celebration in the plaza with music, food, accessibility information, child-friendly activities, and more. 

And the viral sensation Savannah Bananas baseball team is back at Wrigley Field all weekend, with shows today at 4pm and tomorrow at 3pm.

Looking ahead:

The 31st Black Women’s Expo is coming next weekend, running from Friday, July 31st through Sunday, August 2nd at McCormick Place… the lineup includes Joy Reid, Keke Palmer, and Grammy winning gospel singer Le’Andria Johnson.

Whatever you choose, have fun and don’t let me EVER hear you say you don’t have anything to do!