Ask any boater in Chicago and they’ll tell you that summer, and the boating season on Lake Michigan, is too short! To enjoy the most of it, head to the lake, where the water temperature peaks at 80 degrees in August, and to one of the many outdoor events and festivals.
The Ravinia Festival, or simply Ravinia, is North America’s longest running outdoor festival and features headliners from just about every music genre. This month, Chicago’s own Chance the Rapper performs on August 8. Hugh Jackman performs with the Chicago Philharmonic the following day. If you’re a “Grease” fan, head to Ravinia on August 23 for the “Grease” Sing-Along. Sing along to the soundtrack while watching the 1978 film with on-screen lyrics. The musical “Grease” was first performed at the Kingston Mines in Chicago in 1971.
Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion hosts two free concerts this month. Presented with the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), the Broadway in Chicago Summer Concert is August 10 and features performances from current and upcoming Broadway in Chicago productions. Artists from The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center perform pieces from the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s upcoming season at “Sunday in the Park with Lyric” concert on August 23.
It’s indoors, but inspired by the outdoors. Award-winning Kokandy Productions presents James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George” in the Chopin Downstairs Studio, August 13–November 1. The musical was inspired by George Seurat’s 1884 painting “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,” one of the most famous paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Black Ensemble Theater’s 50th anniversary season continues with Fridays on the Green, a series of free outdoor evening concerts held on the theater’s front lawn at 4450 North Clark, August 14, 21 and 28.
The last concert in the Tuesdays on the Terrace series of free, live outdoor music performances on the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s Anne and John Kern Terrace Garden is August 25.
Mandala Arts’ Red Line Jazz Project is a series of free live performances at or near Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Red Line L stations through September with a grand finale at the Harris Theater on October 16. The Tzu-Tsen Wu Quartet performs at the CTA’s Argyle Station on August 13.
The current season of the Millennium Park Summer Film Series (Tuesdays) at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park wraps up August 18. The 4th Technicolor Weekend presented by the Chicago Film Society at the Gene Siskel Film Center screens seven original 35mm and 16mm prints using the Technicolor process including William Castle’s 1967 comedy “The Busy Body.” On August 8, watch that film starring Robert Ryan, Sid Caesar and Anne Baxter, as well as Richard Pryor in his film debut — all indoors but keep an eye out for “beautiful exterior shots of ‘60s Chicago.”
Two of the biggest outdoor events this month are Northalsted Market Days® which is the Midwest’s largest outdoor street festival, on North Halsted between Belmont and Addison on August 7–9, and the 68th annual Chicago Air and Water Show, billed as “the largest FREE show of its kind in the United States,” at North Avenue Beach and the lakefront on August 14–16.
For something a bit more intimate, the 11th annual Thirsty Ears Festival described as “Chicago’s only classical music street festival” runs August 22–23 on Wilson Avenue from Hermitage and Ravenswood. The 19th annual Oak Park Microbrew Review is August 22 on Marion Street. Stroll the streets of downtown Evanston at the Evanston Art & Big Fork Festival August 22–23, which features the works of more than 150 artists plus food, refreshments and live music at The Big Fork.
Chicago’s many ethnic outdoor festivals combine culture, music and food. You’ve probably seen Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral just off the Kennedy Expressway near Cumberland. The cathedral hosts its annual Serbfest on August 7–9. The 70th Ginza Japanese Cultural Holiday Festival at the Midwest Buddhist Temple is also August 7–9. The 50th annual Armenian Fest at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church, which is celebrating its centennial, is August 9. The Taylor Street Festival in Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood is August 13–16. Celebrate Hellenic culture and food at the 36th Taste of Greektown on Halsted Street from VanBuren to Adams on August 28–30. Albany Park is one of Chicago’s most diverse neighborhoods. The Albany Park World Fest at Lawrence and Kimball runs August 16–17.
Chicago’s diverse and vibrant cultural traditions are also celebrated at the citywide Chicago SummerDance in the Parks, the city’s free dance series that includes lessons, live performances and music. Presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks, the series runs through the end of August. This month, Chicago SummerDance in Grant Park’s Spirit of Music Garden features ballroom, Bollywood, Chicago Honky Tonk, country, house music, plena, samba, salsa, and swing.
It’s indoors, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project. Their one-night-only performance last year sold out. It’s back at the Harris Theater on August 28 with ten Black dance organizations performing “Dancing the Archive: Embodied Histories, Collective Power” and the inaugural Legacy Bearers celebration of “ten visionaries and changemakers whose lives and leadership have shaped the city’s landscape while inspiring its future.”
August also marks the transition from outdoor to indoor events and a new cultural season. Writers Theatre in Glencoe opens their 35th anniversary season with Matthew Libby’s “Sisters” running August 13–November 8. Northlight Theatre’s 50th anniversary season in their new home at 1012 Church Street in Evanston begins in September with a very Chicago-centric play, Ben Hecht’s “The Front Page,” but in the meantime, help support them by attending Northlight’s Grand Opening gala at their new space on August 15.
With summer events winding down, I look forward to curating Chicago’s fall events for our Classic Chicago Magazine readers.
Dates, times, locations and availability are subject to change.
