Chicago Events

New Year’s Eve Fireworks

The countdown to New Year culminates in a pyrotechnic display of colourful fireworks above Michigan lakefront that is choreographed to a musical soundtrack. For more information contact the Chicago Office of Tourism on +1 312 201 8847 or 877 244 2246 (toll free information...  see full details

St. Patrick's Day

The famous Irish holiday is undoubtedly celebrated on a grander scale across the United States, but in Chicago, one can expect the river to be turned green. St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is a well-known figure in the U.S. even if...  see full details

Chicago Blues Festival

The Chicago Blues Fest is one of the biggest outdoor, free blues events in the world and is a must for all blues lovers. It features over 70 international, national and local Chicago artists spread over five stages and at night the festivities...  see full details

Venetian Night

Venetian Night is the city of Chicago's longest running annual event, having started in 1958 as part of the Lakefront Festival, and today attracts hundreds of thousands of people to the lakefront. The waterside parade on Lake Michigan includes about 35 boats decorated with...  see full details

Annual American Indian Center Pow-wow

The annual Pow-wow looks back at Native American culture and invites other native Americans and outsiders to come and appreciate the fascinating aspects of their lives. There are a variety of cultural expressions including crafts, music and dance, histories and renewed interpretations. There are...  see full details

Magnificent Mile Lights Festival

The official start of the holiday season in Chicago is signalled by the lighting of more than a million white lights along the Magnificent Mile during a procession of Mickey Mouse and his Disney friends, concluding with a spectacular fireworks show over the Chicago...  see full details

Art Chicago

Art Chicago has been acclaimed as America’s finest exhibition of modern and contemporary art and is world renowned on the international art scene as an innovative art fair where the works of over 3000 artists from the top galleries around the world are exhibited...  see full details

Taste of Chicago

The Taste has been an annual summer festival for 20 years, featuring 10 days of Chicago-style food and entertainment. Samples from over 70 restaurants are available for tasting, with fare ranging from pizzas and burgers, to the city’s classic prime rib steaks, and haute...  see full details

Chicago Air and Water Show

The oldest and biggest exhibition of its kind in the country, the Air and Water Show displays daredevil acrobatics both in the air and water. It can be viewed from many lakeside locations, but the main hub is above and beyond North Avenue...  see full details

Chicago Jazz Festival

In Grant Park on the shores of Lake Michigan, hundreds of thousands of people gather to picnic on the grass and to listen to the chilled-out music. A popular annual event, the festival offers a pleasing selection of old favourites and new talent...  see full details