Chicago Heats Up This June!

Finally, summer is here! Chicago is aglow with sunny skies and even sunnier faces as people throng the city to take part in its many summer activities. Music  and art lovers, food enthusiasts, kids of all ages, rejoice! This month’s Highlights will show you why, June in Chicago is the place to be.

Grant Park Festivals This June, some exciting festivals will be held in Chicago’s historic Grant Park. Stages will resonate with the sound of the Blues. The park will fill with the aroma of delicious cuisine prepared on-site by some of Chicago’s best restaurants. Classical music will imbue the Pritzker Pavilion and inspire every soul that hears the masters play their instruments. And all of this will happen amidst the surreal backdrop of the city’s skyscrapers. Certainly, Grant Park is the venue for some of Chicago’s most popular festivals, and this June you can be a part of it all!

The first of these is the 26th Annual Chicago Blues Festival, taking place from June 12th -14th. The world’s largest free blues festival, it will feature five stages with names such as Front Porch and Mississippi Juke Joint. Music will be played from noon until 9:30 pm each day of the festival. The music acts that will be headlining this year are Eddie C. Campbell, Bettye LaVette and Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings. Dozens of other acts will be performing as well. Be prepared: you never know when a legend might stop by the festival for an unscheduled performance! Anything is possible, so come and join the fun; the atmosphere at this event is truly laid back and very, very cool.

The Taste of Chicago is in its 29th year and still going strong. This year it’s held from June 26th through July 5th. First-time visitors to this event will see why people come back to it year after year. With over 70 restaurants flaunting their fare, there is quite literally something for everyone. Eat everything from Chicago-style deep dish pizza to fried ice cream!

Each day of the Taste, there will be live music on both the Taste stage and in the Petrillo Music Shell. On the Taste stage, each day will feature a theme. Some of these include “Indie Rock & Power Pop Friday”, “Cover Bands Through the Decades”, “World Music Day” and “Gospel & Jazz”. In the Petrillo Music Shell you will find such big-name acts as the Wallflowers, Counting Crows, Barenaked Ladies, Ne-Yo and the Afrodisiacs.

On Opening Day of the Taste Emeril Lagasse will make a special appearance at 4 pm. He will hold a cooking demonstration for all to see; you won’t want to miss this!

The Grant Park Music Festival is celebrating its 75th year of free outdoor summer concerts. In fact, it’s the only outdoor classical music series in the country. And in 2004 it became better than ever with the completion of the Jay Pritzker Memorial Pavilion at Millennium Park; the venue is hailed as being the perfect acoustical backdrop for the beautiful music that is played there. The festival kicks off on June 9th and runs through August 15th. Some special features of this year’s festival include:

• An inaugural performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concert No. 1 (June 10th)
• A musical tour of an art gallery, called Pictures at an Exhibition (June 13th)
• A recreation of the first Grant Park orchestral concert in 1935. (July 1st)

With a wide variety of musical and choral performances that even includes a Spanish mariachi band, this festival truly upholds its tradition of greatness as it enters its 75th year.

For information about other festivals throughout the year, check out this list of Chicago's major festivals.

This Summer, it’s about the Kids! Kids are out of school and looking for some fun, and Chicago is full of great activities that will give them the stimulation and excitement they crave! They can get hands-on with art and discover how it can enrich their lives or meet a variety of four-legged, furry and feathery friends at the zoo. They can even get up close and personal with Harry Potter artifacts at the Museum of Science and Industry!

The Museum of Contemporary Art is offering Hands-on Creation Stations where kids (and adults) can take a hands-on approach to art. The activities will take place each Tuesday on the MCA’s beautiful outdoor terrace or on the MCA Plaza, so kids can get outside and enjoy the weather as well as learn how accessible art can be. Some of the activities in June will include the creation of moss artwork and light & photo installations. In July, kids can learn about the relationship between sight and optical illusions or make a color quilt. In August, they’ll be able to create a color mist mural and learn techniques for blind contour drawing. The activities are varied, engaging and highly educational, and best of all, they’re all free!

The Brookfield Zoo, located west of Chicago in suburban Brookfield, features several special events for kids this summer. The first is the Little People Musical Show from June 5-6, where kids can sing and dance along with Little People characters. Also check out the Zoo Tunes Concert on June 7; this is an outdoor summer concert with several live music performances. Other Zoo Tunes Concerts will be held throughout the summer as well. And don’t forget the Father’s Day Barbecue on June 21, which will include a barbecue lunch and a walk through the zoo (reservations are required). There are many other events offered at Brookfield Zoo all summer long, as well as the year-round exhibits that feature countless animal species!

Magic has come to Chicago! Take your kids to see the Harry Potter Exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. The exhibit is running through the summer and will feature over 200 genuine props used in the Harry Potter movies, including Harry’s famous round eyeglasses. You will even be able to get your hands on some of the items: throw a Quaffle and pull a Mandrake plant from a pot!

In addition to props, the exhibit features themed environments that are based on actual sets from the movie series. Using real articles from the films, these sets bring the magic of Harry’s world to you! The environments include the Gryffindor Common Room, with costumes and the Fat Lady portrait; Hagrid’s Hut, with oversized furniture and other items found in his home; and The Great Hall, with a ceiling that looks like the outdoor sky.

Magical creatures from the films are present at the exhibit as well. You can meet Buckbeak the Hippogriff, Acromantula the spiders and a Hungarian Horntail Dragon.

Chicago Traveler has extensive information about kids’ activities in Chicago this summer; check it out!

This June, Go for a Cultural Spin! Art can be as soothing to the soul as a beautifully sunny summer’s day. Why not experience gorgeous art and gorgeous weather together by checking out some of the city’s art and literature fairs? In these one-of-a-kind fairs, art breaks free from the museum and literature busts out of the libraries. The sky and the trees become the backdrop for a day of culture and inspiration.

The Eastside Millennium Art Festival, held from June 6th-7th near Millennium Park at Michigan Avenue and Lake Street, will feature 150 artists exhibiting their work. Over 25,000 people are expected to attend to meet the artists and explore their collections. The festival also includes live music and food. Admission is free and everyone is invited to come enjoy the art.

The 25th Annual Chicago Tribune Printers Row Lit Fest is also held from June 6th-7th in Chicago’s historic Printer’s Row near the South Loop. Every year booklovers everywhere flock to this event, and this year will be no exception. Looking for a popular classic? How about a unique, one-of-a-kind edition? Look no further; this is the place to find it! Although books are certainly the focus at this fair, there will be numerous things happening. Authors and poets will be giving readings; a Define-A-Thon competition will be held; kids will find music and activities just for them; there will even be cooking demos and wine tastings! All of this is guaranteed to make you want to stay forever at this enormous book fair and really soak in every moment of it!

The 60th Annual Old Town Art Fair, held June 13 & 14, is a picturesque, historic facet of Chicago’s popular Old Town neighborhood. 260 artists will display their work and an estimated 50,000 people will attend the fair; with numbers like these, this art fair is one of the most prestigious of its kind. You can expect to see art in a variety of mediums, from drawing and painting to fiber, glass, metal and stone. There will be kids’ activities in the Children’s Corner, including arts & crafts, pottery making, a magic show and face painting. Live music will be played on the music stage, with artists such as The Hoyle Brothers and The Sounds of Sweetness. Food will be available at the fair as well, and for those who want to take home a souvenir, there will be stalls set up with great deals on posters, t-shirts and other items.

For more information about art in Chicago, check out Chicago Traveler’s Art Gallery Listings.

Make Your Summer More Affordable! Chicago is home to countless attractions, dozens of museums and hundreds of restaurants. How do you choose? A great way to get ideas is by checking out the dozens of discount coupons and special savings that are available for attractions around the city. Chicago Traveler makes it easy to access these coupons. By seeing some of the most popular options, you will be inspired. And by seeing how much you can save with these coupons, you will be thrilled!

Here are some examples of the great savings available with these Chicago coupons:

• Attractions, such as a Buy One, Get One Free Admission to the Amazing Funhouse Maze at Navy Pier
• Dining, such as a 15% discount on your entire bill at the China Grill
• Entertainment offers include: complementary admission to the Sears Skydeck with purchase of a ticket to Blue Man Group,  2-for-1 tickets for any downtown walking tour on Mon - Thu, or 2-for-1 tickets on the Chicago Water Taxi.
• Museums, such as $2 off admission to the Chicago History Museum
• Shopping, such as an extra 15% off your purchase at Filene’s Basement

To see all available coupons, please click here.

Chicago Highlights is a monthly publication of Chicago Traveler written by Zahra Ink - Chicago Writing Services, for more issues, see the Chicago Highlights Archive.