If you thought that Chicago
had run out of neighborhoods to have festivals in, you were dead wrong.
In fact, this weekend is jam-packed with fests everywhere you look,
from big ones like Pitchfork Music Festival to the lesser known Tour de
Fat (that's actually what it is called). Read on for your weekend update
from your friends at HI-Chicago!
Pitchfork Music Festival: July 15 – 17 (Fri 3-10pm, Sat/Sun 12-10pm
This
indie alternative to the bigger music festivals like Lollapalooza has
an amazing line-up this year, including Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes,
TV on the Radio, James Blake and more! Union Park
promises to be packed this weekend, so if you’re not planning on going
to the festival, find a different route home! That said, you should
definitely go to the festival. It’s seriously awesome. Tickets are still
available on-site for Friday and Saturday! $45/day.
Tour de Fat: July 16, 9am-4pm
Ok,
so while I had a lot of fun imagining food eating contests, deep fried
Oreos, and a liposuction tent, this is actually cooler, and a lot less
gross. This annual bike and environmental fest is hosted by Colorado’s
New Belgium Brewery, the makers of Fat Tire beer (a-hah, it all makes
sense now). The event will have live music by Dovekins and Mucca Pazza, a
bike parade, a car/bike swap—which is maybe the coolest crazy idea I’ve
heard in a while (see below for more details), and of course, tons of
Fat Tire brews for sale. The brewery is making stops in 13 cities across
the country (biking, of course) to promote environmental awareness and
bike use – how awesome is that?
What is the car/bike swap, you may ask? In their words…It's
when one fortunate soul hands over their car, title and keys to the
Tour de Fat altar in exchange for a bike. Not just any bike, a New Belgium,
fully-loaded, hand-crafted, Fort Collins-built commuter bike. There's
13 Tour de Fat stops - surely one near you - and that's 13 car/bike
trade opportunities. It's about weaning yourself off the petroleum teat.
It's about becoming a better, sexier person. It's about
rediscovering the cultural thrill of public transportation. One year's
time is the minimum commitment – commuting is your sentence.
Taste of River North: July 15 – 17 (Fri 5-10pm, Sat 12-10pm, Sun 11am-6pm)
Food
and drink tickets for $1 each get you meals from some of the best
restaurants in the area, including Citizen Bar, Green Door Tavern, Moe’s
Cantina, and more! Galleries and shops will all be set up in the park,
along with live music from Sixteen Candles and others. Pet and kid friendly! $5 donation.
Lincoln Park Arts and Music Festival: July 16 – 17, 12-10pm
Great music, fantastic artists, and tons of food and drink vendors will be over at Racine Ave this weekend for the Lincoln Park Arts and Music Festival.
Headliners the Freddy Jones Band and Trevor Hall will be performing,
along with tons of other local talent. What sets this apart from all the
other festivals, you ask? Not much really. But why mess with success?
$5 donation.
Old St. Pat’s World’s Largest Block Party: July 15 – 16, 5:30-10:30pm
While the qualification of world’s largest block party hasn’t been proven, Old St. Pat’s
is still HUGE. Over 18,000 are expected to attend this annual fest, and
vendors will be offering all your regular fest foods, as well as
noodles! But noodles aren’t the best part of this festival; the price of
admission allows you into all of the shows and even includes 5 drink
tickets for beer, wine, pop (see? I’ve been in Chicago
for too long) and water! Also, the line-up has some awesome big name
bands, including Barenaked Ladies (remember them??), Plain White T’s,
and Cobra Starship! $40/day in advance, $45/day at door.
Chinatown Summer Fair: July 17, 10am-8pm
Head to Chinatown for this annual neighborhood festival
with music, dance performances, and tons of food from restaurants and
street vendors in the area. But most importantly, it features a colorful
lion and dragon dance procession lead by none other than Ronald
McDonald – and yes, it will make more sense once I tell you that
McDonald’s is hosting the festival…but it’s still weirdly cool.
Get out and enjoy this beautiful weekend, and we here at the hostel will be doing the same!
Stay groovy!
Written by: Keren Mikva
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