CHICAGO, 2016-Nov-10 — /Travel PR News/ — The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is pleased to announce the 2017 dates of its marquee festivals, events and exhibitions (highlights only, subject to change). Admission to all events is FREE. For information and updates, visit cityofchicago.org/dcase, join the conversation on Facebook (Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events) and follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@ChicagoDCASE).
NOTE TO MEDIA: Media requesting credentials to cover music festivals, Millennium Park summer music series, the Chicago Air and Water Show and Taste of Chicago must submit requests in advance, no later than two weeks prior to the event. Please visit the press room at cityofchicago.org/dcase to select the festival you wish to cover.
Lakefront Festivals and Special Events:
19th Annual Chicago Kids and Kites Festival presented by Country Financial
May 6, 2017
A favorite family event and a harbinger of springtime in Chicago, the festival provides free kite kits for children to build, decorate and fly (while supplies last) along with other family activities such as face painting, balloon artists and the Big Kite Candy Drop (weather permitting).
Cricket Hill in Lincoln Park (Lake Shore Dr. and Montrose Dr.)
Chicago Memorial Day Parade
May 27, 2017
The City of Chicago’s Memorial Day Parade honors all men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.
State St. from Lake St. to Van Buren St.
32nd Chicago Gospel Music Festival
June 2–3, 2017
The Chicago Gospel Music Festival showcases the best in local, national and international Gospel music performers.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.) and Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.)
34th Annual Chicago Blues Festival
June 9–11, 2017
During three days on five stages, blues fans prove that Chicago is the true “Blues Capital” at the world’s largest free blues festival.
Grant Park (Jackson St. & Columbus Dr.)
21st Annual Chicago SummerDance
Fridays–Sundays, June 23–September 10, 2017
Swing, waltz, cha-cha…or simply enjoy the music at the largest annual outdoor live music and dancing series in the United States. Dancers of all ages and skill levels are invited to take part in introductory, one-hour dance lessons by professional instructors followed by live music and dancing. Additional dates for SummerDance in the Parks—and an end-of-summer SummerDance dance-off event at Millennium Park on Saturday, August 26.
Grant Park, Spirit of Music Garden (601 S. Michigan Ave.)
37th Annual Taste of Chicago
July 5–9, 2017
Taste of Chicago is the nation’s premier free outdoor food festival showcasing the diversity of Chicago’s dining scene, alongside concerts and other activities for the entire family.
Grant Park (Jackson St. & Columbus Dr.)
4th Annual Fifth Star Awards
August 2017
Celebrate Chicago’s creativity at the Fifth Star Awards, an awards show honoring legendary Chicago artists and cultural institutions with live performances and video tributes. It’s free – and you’re invited!
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.)
59th Annual Chicago Air and Water Show
August 19–20, 2017
Featuring military and civilian flight aerobatics, historic aircraft, simulated water rescues and parachute teams, the Chicago Air and Water Show is one of the largest and longest-running free admission events of its kind.
North Avenue Beach (1600 N. Lake Shore Dr.)
39th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival
August 31–September 3, 2017
A favorite Labor Day Weekend tradition, the Chicago Jazz Festival showcases free live performances by Chicago’s vast jazz talent alongside national and international jazz legends and artists.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.) and Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.)
19th Annual World Music Festival Chicago
September 8–24, 2017
Enjoy global grooves by award-winning artists from around the world at the free, city-wide, multi-venue World Music Festival Chicago that has presented more than 750 artists and ensembles from over 80 countries since it began.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.), Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.) and other citywide locations
104th Annual Christmas Tree and Holiday Celebrations
November 17–December 2017
Celebrate the holiday season at the official Chicago Christmas Tree Lighting, sing holiday favorites at Caroling at Cloud Gate on Friday evenings and visit the Santa Claus House on weekends throughout the season. McCormick Tribune Ice Rink is open mid-November 2017 – mid-March 2018.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.)
Arts and Creative Industry Events
3rd Annual Lake FX Summit + Expo
April 21–22, 2017
The Lake FX Summit + Expo is the region’s largest free conference for artists, creative professionals and entrepreneurs. The event welcomes thousands of individuals, businesses and organizations for keynotes by industry leaders, professional development workshops and networking opportunities.
Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.) and other locations
4th Annual Fifth Star Awards
August 2017
See information above.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.)
Family Events
Juicebox
1st & 3rd Fridays (Chicago Cultural Center) and 1st & 3rd Saturdays (Garfield Park Conservatory), 11am
Winter, Spring & Fall
With engaging music and dance performances in a kid-friendly setting, the free Juicebox programs are geared for the stroller set, but enjoyable for the whole family.
Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.), Garfield Park Conservatory (300 N. Central Park Ave.) and other locations
19th Annual Chicago Kids and Kites Festival presented by Country Financial
May 6, 2017
See information above.
Cricket Hill in Lincoln Park (Lake Shore Dr. and Montrose Dr.)
104th Annual Christmas Tree and Holiday Celebrations
November 17–December 2017
See information above.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.)
Exhibitions and Visual Arts
Year of Public Art
January–December 2017
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events have declared 2017 as the “Year of Public Art” in Chicago with a new 50×50 Neighborhood Arts Project, the creation of a Public Art Youth Corps, a new Public Art Festival, exhibitions, performances, tours and more. The citywide celebration commemorates the 50th anniversary of two of our most seminal public artworks—the Picasso in Daley Plaza and the Wall of Respect which once stood at 43rd Street and Langley Avenue on the South Side—and highlights the important role that public art has played in Chicago’s history.
Citywide
Eugene Eda’s Doors for Malcolm X College
January 21–June 25, 2017
This exhibition will reunite all 32 doors painted by Eugene Eda for the stairwells of the original, now demolished Malcolm X College. Painted in 1917 by one of the principal artists of the Wall of Respect, the monumental doors are a landmark of the Black Arts movement in Chicago. The Exhibition includes other portable artworks in the MXC collection as well as documentation that will shed light on this important and turbulent period in Chicago history. Part of the Year of Public Art.
Chicago Cultural Center, Sidney R. Yates Gallery (78 E. Washington St.)
50 x 50 Invitational / The Subject is Chicago: People, Places, Possibilities
February 11–April 9, 2017
The Subject is Chicago is our first invitational exhibition in several years, with a call going out in mid-October 2016 for works in all media by artists who reside within the city limits of Chicago. Works by 50 artists will be selected by an external panel of jurors, with the aim of representing all 50 wards, offering an exhibition opportunity to artists who may be underrepresented. Part of the Year of Public Art.
Chicago Cultural Center, Exhibit Hall (78 E. Washington St.)
Wall of Respect, Guest Curated by Romi Crawford, Abdul Alkalimat and Rebecca Zorach
February 25–July 30, 2017
The Wall of Respect chronicles how the Organization of Black Arts and Culture – a collection of 14 designers, photographers, painters and others – designed and produced a seminal mural for and within Chicago’s Black South Side communities. Featuring the images of leading black icons ranging from Sara Vaughn and John Coltrane to Marcus Garvey and Ossie Davis, The Wall of Respect received national critical acclaim when it was unveiled in 1967 on the side of a building at 43rd St. and Langley Ave. The Wall was positioned as a critical extension of the Civil Rights Movement and came on the heels of March on Washington, the assassination of Malcolm X, and the emergence of Black Power. The Wall was ultimately painted over and virtually forgotten after damage by a fire in 1971. Today, however, the Wall has reemerged as one of the most significant projects in Chicago’s storied public art history. Part of the Year of Public Art.
Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago Rooms (78 E. Washington St.)
Candida Alvarez, Guest Curated by Terry Myers
April 29–August 6, 2017
The first major career survey of the work of Chicago-based artist Candida Alvarez, this exhibition will focus primarily on the artist’s painting, from 1975 to the present. Born in Brooklyn and based in Chicago since 1988, Alvarez has been involved with both abstraction and representation in her work for more than 30 years. Emerging from a home life that immersed her in the traditions of Puerto Rico, her parents’ birthplace, from the outset Alvarez incorporated narrative and ritual into her work.
Chicago Cultural Center, Exhibit Hall (78 E. Washington St.)
2nd Chicago Architecture Biennial
September 16–December 31, 2017
The 2nd edition of the successful Chicago Architecture Biennial will be the largest international survey of contemporary architecture in North America. The 1st Chicago Biennial in 2015 drew more than a half-million visitors to free exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center and elsewhere that showcased the cutting-edge ideas of 120 architects and firms from more than 30 countries, including many from Chicago.
Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.) and other locations
Film
Millennium Park Summer Film Series
Tuesdays, June 13–August 29, 2017
Grab a seat in the pavilion or bring a picnic for the Great Lawn and enjoy the free outdoor movies at Chicago’s architectural gem, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
Millennium Park, Jay Pritzker Pavilion (201 E. Randolph St.)
Music
32nd Chicago Gospel Music Festival
June 2–3, 2017
See information above.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.) and Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.)
Millennium Park Summer Music Series
Select Mondays & Thursdays, June 12–August 17, 2017
Grab a seat in the pavilion or bring a picnic for the Great Lawn and enjoy the free music taking place all summer long at Chicago’s architectural gem, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
Millennium Park, Jay Pritzker Pavilion (201 E. Randolph St.)
34th Annual Chicago Blues Festival
June 9–11, 2017
See information above.
Grant Park (Jackson St. & Columbus Dr.)
21st Chicago SummerDance
Fridays–Sundays, June 23–September 10, 2017
See information above.
Grant Park, Spirit of Music Garden (601 S. Michigan Ave.)
37th Annual Taste of Chicago
July 5–9, 2017
See information above.
Grant Park (Jackson St. & Columbus Dr.)
39th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival
August 31–September 3, 2017
See information above.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.) and Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.)
19th Annual World Music Festival Chicago
September 8–24, 2017
See information above.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.), Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.) and other citywide locations
Caroling at Cloud Gate
Fridays, November 24–December 15, 2017
Bundle up and belt out some holiday classics as local choral groups lead hundreds of celebrants in song at these festive part concerts, part sing-alongs.
Millennium Park, Cloud Gate aka “The Bean” (201 E. Randolph St.)
Theater, Dance and Performance
OnEdge
February 24–March 25, 2017
The OnEdge performance series spotlights experimental dance, theater and genre-defying performances from national and international artists and companies.
Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.), Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.) and other citywide locations
Chicago SummerDance
Fridays–Sundays, June 23–September 10, 2017
See information above.
Grant Park, Spirit of Music Garden (601 S. Michigan Ave.)
Recreation
Millennium Park Summer Workouts
Wednesdays & Saturdays, June 3–September 2, 2017
Jump start your day with tai chi, yoga, pilates and Zumba® classes on Millennium Park’s Great Lawn. Grant support provided by the McDonald’s Active Lifestyles Endowment, managed by the Millennium Park Foundation.
Millennium Park, Great Lawn (201 E. Randolph St.)
McCormick Tribune Ice Rink
Mid-November 2017–Mid-March 2018
Swish, twirl and glide at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink, a Chicago winter tradition for over a decade that draws over 100,000 skaters annually. Skating is free, with skate rentals available for a fee. Free skating lessons are offered throughout the season. Grant support provided by the McDonald’s Active Lifestyles Endowment, managed by the Millennium Park Foundation.
Millennium Park (Michigan Ave. between Washington St. and Madison St.)
Markets
Chicago Farmers Markets (City Markets) presented by Country Financial
May–October, 2017
Daley Plaza Farmers Market opens May 11, 2017.
Across Chicago at locations downtown and throughout the city’s neighborhoods, the markets managed by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) sell fresh fruits, vegetables plants and flowers. Some neighborhood markets also feature music programming, prepared foods and local artisan (non-food) vendors.
Daley Plaza (50 W. Washington St.) and citywide locations
Maxwell Street Market
Sundays, Year Round, 7am–3pm
A Chicago tradition of bargains and bargaining with an international flavor, the Maxwell Street Market offers an eclectic mix of merchandise – from tools to tires, plus fresh produce, furniture, clothing, rare find and collectibles – plus some of the best Mexican and Latin street food in the city.
800 S. Desplaines St.
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to enriching Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago’s non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City’s future cultural and economic growth, via the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City’s cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors. For more information, visit cityofchicago.org/dcase, join the conversation on Facebook (Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@ChicagoDCASE).
Contact:
Christine Carrino
christine.carrino@cityofchicago.org
312.744.0573
Mary May
mary.may@cityofchicago.org
312.744.0576
Jamey Lundblad
jamey.lundblad@cityofchicago.org
312.744.2493
Source: City of Chicago