Taste of Chicago 2026 begins setting up in Grant Park for festival starting July 8; street closures begin
Taste of Chicago, the city's annual food festival, has begun setting up in Grant Park.
The Taste is being held in July for the first time since 2022. For the last three years, the festival has moved to September because of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. But NASCAR announced last year it was taking 2026 off and would be working with the city to find a possible new date and create a new plan for 2027.
This year, the Taste of Chicago will be held from July 8 through July 12 in Grant Park. Street closures began Monday as the festival began setting up.
As of 6 a.m., Columbus curb lanes from Monroe to Balbo are closed on both sides of the street.
On Thursday, July 2, starting at 6 a.m. Columbus will be completely closed from Monroe to Balbo, and Ida B. Wells will close from Columbus to Semi Circle.
On Sunday, July, 5, Jackson will close completely between Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive, and Columbus' closure will extend from Balbo to Roosevelt.
The Taste will be open each day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Along with dozens of restaurants, pop-up vendors and food trucks, there is live music every night. Beach Bunny headlines the festival's opening night, Original Koffee headlines on Thursday, Common headlines Friday, Babyface headlines Saturday and Julieta Venegas is the festival's closing headliner.
Click here for a full list of participating restaurants, pop-up vendors, and a full schedule of live music.
