Taste of Chicago moved to September as city announces summer festival schedule
CHICAGO (CBS) – The City of Chicago announced its lineup of summer festivals and events, including the Taste of Chicago which will return to Grant Park in September in addition to three neighborhood events throughout the summer.
The Taste neighborhood events will take place on June 24 in Humboldt Park, July 15 in Pullman Park and Aug. 5 in Marquette Park.
The Taste events culminate in the downtown edition which is scheduled to be held between Sept. 8 and Sept. 10 in Grant Park, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events announced.
The announcement comes after questions about the feasibility of holding the Taste of Chicago in Grant Park this summer, because it would normally have been held around the time that a NASCAR race is scheduled to be held on the July 4 weekend.
The start/finish line and pit road for the race will be along Columbus Drive at Buckingham Fountain, with the race course including portions of Columbus Drive, Balbo Drive, DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Roosevelt Road, Michigan Avenue, Congress Plaza Drive, and Jackson Drive, taking drivers through Grant Park, and within blocks of Soldier Field, which hosted the only other NASCAR race in Chicago in 1956.
The Taste of Chicago in Grant Park is a tradition that goes back a very long time.
If you had tuned into our news on July 4, 1980, you would have seen the late Bob Wallace chowing down at the first-ever Taste of Chicago, for Channel 2 News. That Taste of Chicago ran for only one day and was held on Michigan Avenue.
But in 1981, the festival moved to Grant Park. Except for 2020 and 2021, when it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Taste has been held in Grant Park each and every year since.
The Taste is where Eli's Cheesecake got its start – beginning with that first festival on Michigan Avenue, and in Grant Park all the time since.
Other summer events scheduled include:
- Chicago Gospel Music Festival in Millennium Park will be held June 3.
- Chicago Blues Festival in Millennium Park will be held June 8-11.
- Millennium Park Summer Music Series at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion on Mondays and Thursdays from June 22 through Aug. 21.
- Millennium Park Summer Film Series at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion on Tuesdays from July 11 through Aug. 29.
- Chicago Air and Water Show at North Avenue Beach and along the Lakefront on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20. The practice runs will take place Aug. 18.
- SummerDance Celebration at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion and throughout Millennium Park on Aug. 27.
- Chicago Jazz Festival citywide including Millennium Park Aug. 31 through Sept. 3.
- World Music Festival Chicago citywide from Sept. 22 through Oct. 1.
