
Festivals & special events, Free & cheap, Music
Chicago SummerDance
June – September 2025 Free admission • Grant Park and parks citywide Enjoy live music and dancing on an open-air dance floor during the annual…
June – September 2025 Free admission • Grant Park and parks citywide Enjoy live music and dancing on an open-air dance floor during the annual…
June 11 — Aug. 16, 2025 Free admission • Millennium Park Experience a Chicago summer tradition like no other. The Grant Park Music Festival, now…
June 5 – 8, 2025 Free admission • Millennium Park and beyond A legendary Chicago event since 1984, the Chicago Blues Festival is the world’s…
July 31 – Aug. 3, 2025 Grant Park Each year, thousands of fans travel from around the world to experience Lollapalooza in Chicago. Those lucky…
Aug. 28 – 31, 2025 Free admission • Millennium Park The oldest of Chicago’s free lakefront music festivals, the Chicago Jazz Festival boasts an incredibly…
June 26 – Aug. 7, 2025 Free admission • Millennium Park The Millennium Park Summer Music Series offers free outdoor concerts in downtown Chicago, showcasing…
July 10 – 13, 2025 United Center parking lot Country music, barbecue, and craft beer — it’s hard to think of a better way to…
Music lives large in Chicago, from our neighborhood streets and historic venues to downtown parks and our iconic lakefront. And Chicago’s iconic festival season brings…
July 12, 2025 Free admission • Millennium Park Gospel music has deep roots in Chicago. The Chicago Gospel Music Festival, one of the city’s free…
If you’re a blues fan, you need to add a trip to Chicago to our bucket list. No one sings the blues quite like Chicago,…
Chicago is home to a legendary jazz scene. You’ll find contemporary clubs giving the spotlight to surprising new sounds, a free downtown festival dedicated to…
Sept. 26 – Oct. 5, 2025 Free admission • Multiple locations The annual World Music Festival is your passport to musical acts from around the…