How can you not like North Coast?!…read more This is hands down my favorite festival in Chicago. I was going even before they switched over from Union Park in Chicago to Seatgeek Stadium in Bridgeview/Summit. I will say the change at first sucked since it's easier to get down to the city, but truly after going here a few times this location is great! Very spacious, no sound bleed, and there are a lot of hotels in the area that a lot of attendees stay at. Two years ago I stayed at a nearby hotel which was great. This year my friends and I drove back and forth each day; it was fine, but I recommend staying somewhere nearby or within walking distance to avoid the clusterhell of Ubers after the fest ends! Ubers cannot get to the grounds, so you'll have to walk a while to get out of the area to connect with one. There are a lot of random drivers offering rides there, too, but you've got to be careful accepting rides from them since they're random people. I always make sure they have the Uber/lyft sticker and will ask them to pull up their profile. The one bad part of North Coast is the getting out of the fest after it ends. The parking lot is a total nightmare and finding an Uber is impossible since police close off a lot of roads within the residential areas, which sucks for residents, Ubers, and the attendees! But that's not the fest's fault, plus it's a nightmare after every festival ends trying to get out. The lineup for North Coast never disappoints, and the pricing is incredible. I think I paid around $250 for a 3-day pass which is such an amazing price. The employees and security here are always super nice and fun. It's more of a lowkey festival compared to other Chicago fests which I prefer. They have various drinks, food trucks, and retailers. I love the merch here so much! You already know I'll be going next year!

This festival was awesome…read more The good ---the musical artists. Being able to face one way and see Lupe Fiasco in concert and when his set ends being able to watch Nas & Damian Marley...wow! It was just amazing!!! Added bonus, I love Mayer Hawthorne! --how close you can get to the stage! I've never been so close to a music artist before. The people in the front could reach out and touch Lupe or Nas and everyone pays the same price for the ticket. Love it. --the atmosphere. Everyone is having so much fun!!! As one of the only sober people there, the entire grounds reeked of weed and everyone was passing it around openly...which led to a lot of people having fun... but also a lot of crazy dancers obviously on something a bit stronger & also some rude people. I loved being able to bring chairs/blankets/whatever and just chill earlier in the day for Mayer Hawthorne. The bad --the food options. I had a very overpriced plate of what they called Pad Thai that was $11 for some pretty gross food. I know, I know, the festival isn't about the food but goodness. They need more food options more readily available and better options. --they need more bathrooms! --the parking. There is none. Zero. We parked over a mile away. I wish there was some type of solution to the parking problem. --after the last show it's madness. As expected tons of people are leaving but it's dark and everyone is high or drunk so at the very least I need to bring a flashlight. --It was odd going to a lounge/bar to pick up our will call tickets. Not sure what was up with that. If groupon offers tickets again and they have another sweet lineup, I'm down!

Used to love going to St Al's fest each year. Great to see a traditional German parish continuing…read moreto embrace their roots even as the neighborhood has changed. Unfortunately, each year, it seems to become more of a standard Chicago street festival and less of an Oktoberfest. In 2021, they got rid of the big tent (and it rained, so we could've used it!), and the beer was Sam Adams - no more German beers. The only thing making it an Oktoberfest was the one stand with brats and kraut and the Polkaholics playing up front (which I do love). Looking elsewhere for a better fest this year. Hopefully St Al's will go back to basics soon. I'll be back if they do.

Great festival. It's not a authentic German Oktoberfest, but more of a traditional Chicago Street…read morefestival with a German twist. Mixture of German and American beers combined with partial selection of German and typical street fest fare. So minus points for that, but bonus points in that it is more affordable than the Oktoberfest in Lincoln Square and the bands, vendors, and beer tents have grown and improved in quality each year. It is extremely crowded during peak times (Saturday night), but so is every other popular street festival. Also, it's completely run by church volunteers and the money goes to great causes...so kudos to that. It's very family friendly during the day time...LOTS of babies.

This was amazing! I ate and ate and drank and drank!…read more Tips: Gates open at 12 but you should plan to get there at at least 11:15! Buy a wine necklace on Amazon to hold your wine so you'll have a free hand to grab food. Pace yourself! Eat before drinking! There is so much alcohol here, you're sure to get drunk if you don't eat! The bathrooms are not port a potties but! Soap is low so you might want to bring sanitizer. Off spray or a spray to repel bees (if there is such a thing) would also be a plus. There is so much food! My favorites included the barbecue area, a lovely Brussel sprouts salad, shrimp and grits and the Mariano's tent! The Japanese tent was fun with plenty of freebies. If it's a rainy day next year dress accordingly! I'm so glad I wore rain boots to the event, the grass was super muddy!

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This was my first time at this fest and we had a great time. There was a great selection of…read morevendors who had a wide variety of dogs and most also had a traditional Chicago dog as they should! We were there for 16 Candles and they are just pros at the festival circuit. I loved the Depression Dog from Enzo's, the Rahm and Obama from Chicago Doghouse. The Snoop Dog from flashy was good but I felt they were a little skimpy on the toppings and their lines were very confusing as they made people wait to order. And don't breeze past Taco in a Bag as they have fun takes on dogs! We did not go to the bouncy houses but that are looked awesome! There does need to be more porta pottys. We hit them at 730 on night one and was almost full and no tp! Would also love for there to be hand washing stations especially since hotdogs are eaten with your hands. Signage for having to purchase dog dollars and where to do it need to look different than the rest of the signage so people notice, or have it mentioned an beverage tent signage. I saw so many wait in line order drinks to have to leave them due to no dog dollars (although I also thought "have you never been to a festival before?"). All in all fun event! Glad there was Goode Island Green Line and happy to see the Chicago Dogs baseball team doing marketing there. Hope to be back next year!

This was my first time at the Chicago Hot Dog Festival, and I'm so glad to have checked it out…read more PARKING: It's close to Lincoln Park Zoo, so street parking is pretty much non-existent unless you get lucky. There IS a $20 lot directly across the street. We used Spot Hero to find something cheaper. EVENT: There is a $5 SUGGESTED donation. We didn't. :X Highlights: - Many jumpy/climby houses for the kiddies - Some craft/goods vendors - Live music - Tables w seats/umbrellas AND tall standing tables - FOOD, incl. ice cream, but c'mon: hot dogs. Duh. Aforementioned FOOD: Lines varied Sunday afternoon. The longest wait time was 10 minutes or so. 1/2 size hot dogs are usually $4-5, with fulls $8-10 (except Fatso's $5 Veggie). Bottled water is $2. Tip: as with any fest, bring your own water to cut costs. I had two halves: + Char Dog (Fatso's) - 4/5 flavor, 3/5 value Standard Chicago-style dog but charred. The char taste was great, but the size? An absolute teeny tiny "half." I'd argue the dog was 1/3 size a regular link. + Momona (Chubby Weiner) - 4/5 The dog was wrapped in BACON and topped with pineapple, bleu cheese crumbles, and a drizzle of some sort. Very good. The line backed up easily, though, since the two girls taking orders ignored customers and just meandered for a while. No joke. Very annoying. The only full-sized dog I ate: + Veggie (Fatso's) - 3.5/5 Panko-crusted eggplant, sweet potato, and bell pepper hotdog, Chi-style. It had good flavor, but was total mush to eat. That's not atypical since some veggie burgers can be like that, too, depending on the ingredients used. The amount of mustard and onions they put on overwhelmed the "dog" flavor. It's nice to see veggie options, though - and for only $5! I shared some fries ($4 for a massive portion at Edzo's), water, spent UNDER $20, and left STUFFED. I'm not quite sure how people can drop $50 unless they're spending it on alcohol (it's about $6 per beer) too. OVERALL: Great event to get your encased meats fix!

I went to this event yesterday and ended up spending more time there then I originally anticipated…read moreI would! It was such a well put together event and such a fun, relaxing time. This event celebrates street food & artistry in Chicago, just as the event title suggests. It brings together art, music and delicious food! This was the first year the event went out and it was held at the Galleria Marchetti. This was a great location with an indoor section, fancy tented area that was wedding reception-esque, and two outdoor areas. I loved the outdoor areas! The weather was perfect so it was so pleasant to grab some bites, listen to some music and soak up the sun in a decent temperature! They had a silent auction going on and I wish I knew it was because they had some great items for sale! A signed Justin Bieber album!??!? Ummmm amazing!!! And other artists on the same level as him like Michael Jackson! hehe I'm only kidding! Half kidding. Really some amazing items with low starting bids. Seriously wish I had known! Tickets were $31 and I think well worth the price! They had a kid's cooking demo, some amazing musical acts plus an awesome hip hop tap dance group M.A.D.D. Rhythms! I loved all of the music and bands that played!!! On to the yummies! There were some food trucks & carts representing and the best part for me was trying new ones I haven't tried before! I had never had any of these before! The coolest part was talking to the people who ran the trucks & carts. It's not often you get that privilege and for a foodie like myself it was a good thing. Homage Street Food - New food truck to Chicago! The owner was super nice and enthusiastic about what he is bringing to the city and how different it is. Both dishes we tried had some kick to them. I had the buckwheat noodles and really enjoyed them! Arrf Scarf Cart - Treats for dogs! Friendly group and have yet to say how the dog likes these treats. I got treats to give to one of my BFF's dogs Minion...I'll keep you posted on how Minion likes them! Bergstein's NY Deli Truck - I tried their slider and potato pancake. Both were yummy! Puffs of Doom Cart - Super friendly people here! I'm not a huge fan of cream puffs but these little guys were cool. Interesting choices in flavors and I opted for the oreo, yum! Uptown Pie Company Truck - I think they were a no show! Sad. Herby Pop - Gourmet popcorn and it was tasty! I just had my onion & dill popcorn sample after dinner tonight and really enjoyed the savory taste of it. Dawali Mediterranean Kitchen - Now that was some good naan! The hummus was some of the best I've ever had! Everything on this HUGE sampling plate was delicious! Adding this to my list of restaurants I must visit. English & Porkchop both had pulled pork sandwiches. Both were good but it was kind of funny they had the same dish and were right next to each other. I have been to English a bit for the bar aspect of it so was interesting to see them at a food event Old School Root Beer Float Carts - Awesome! Root beer floats are the bomb diggity! A root beer float sitting outside on the grass was the perfect treat! Dark Matter Coffee Company had hangover coffee! It doesn't get cooler then that! Wow Bao is always good! They had pulled pork buns and some other flavors which I didn't get to try! e.leaven had some yummy food plus amazing brownie bites! They were so thick and delicious! Macy's Chefs A-Go-Go Tour - Takashi!!! My friend and I are big Takashi fans and it was so cool to see him there and walking around the event. I wish I would have had more courage to ask for a picture! Either way, I ate his cold noodle dish for lunch today and loved it! Yum.Yum.Yum. The Macy's truck was also handing out Bananas Fosters Pops from Emeril! They were beyond delicious and I don't like bananas! Forever Yogurt Truck - Ended the night with some strawberry lemonade frozen yogurt with no toppings. Delicious and I loved the cute, colorful truck! All in all, a fantastic event and I hope they throw it again next year!

The place was packed, the lines were long and the weather was terrible but it was well worth it!…read moreFor occasional sippers with a low tolerance, cider is most appreciated. It is typically low in alcoholic content but full of flavor. It is great to see its growth in the marketplace and this event is great for consumers who are in search of ciders unknown. The Summit admission ticket included admission to a four hour session, a glass compliments of Binny's and 8-10 tickets. The tickets are used to sample ciders or cheese. Most cider tastings were 6 oz for one ticket. The higher end ciders were 2 tickets per tasting. There were tons of vendors, some of which are not even on the market yet. They range from dry to sweet and are made with different type apples and various processes. There were many vendors with no line at all. Not because they were not good, they were perhaps unknown or pretty popular (AppleTroew, Angry Orchard etc). The longest lines seem to have been for the Ice Ciders. It is a very unique flavor in comparison to traditional ciders. I tried one Prohibition (Sea Cider) that is reportedly paired best with BBQ or a sweet dessert. Other ciders were made with whiskey or mixed with other fruit flavors (Bluberries, Peach, Apricot, Pear and Cherry). I even tried a cider with a pecan and cinnamon flavor (Totally Toasted). Designated drivers received admission for $5 and it included a bottle of water. If you lacked a DD, Uber was onsite to offer rides and a $20 off discount for first time users.

I really enjoyed Cider Summit 2019! It seems like the organizers really listened to some past…read morecomplaints about the event, because this year it felt very organized and we had more tickets to use. I don't drink beer but I love hard ciders, and this event introduced me to so many new options!

Chouffe Fest is a great concept and being as it was the first time they've done it in Chicago, I'm…read moregoing to be a bit lenient on them. The coolest thing was they gave you a gnome hat when you entered with a jingle bell. It was hilarious to see everyone in the place wearing these little gnome hats! Plus of course, the beer was awesome. I tried all three beers they had on tap but my favorite was the La Chouffe. We also got a souvenir gnome cup for the beer which was great. Another positive was how friendly the ticket people were! They were fabulous and even said bye when we were leaving which is not typical fest. Decent music at the fest, as well. The postcard pressing was super cool, as were the posters being printed and the caricatures being drawn. Thank goodness we grabbed a poster when we first entered as we weren't able to do any other activities (they had some oversized games for a couple people to play at a time) because it was just so darn busy. Now the not so positives- Only three tables in the whole place to sit down. Completely packed beyond belief. They way oversold this event. It's as if there was no capacity & they just kept selling tickets. We didn't get to try the food from Wagyu Wagon because the line was over a 30 minute wait. 30 minute wait for them to refill your beer. No cool oversized garden archway like they mentioned in the advertisements. The only oversized item was a chair (and the aforementioned games) but we couldn't even get over to it because the place was so crammed full of people. All in all, I don't know if I could say I'd go again. The main deterrent would be the crowds. Festivals are not much fun when you can't walk around at all because people are packed in so tight. They definitely should put a cap on how many people can attend. Also they had just one station for the beer! With so many people...and having to wait 30 minutes for a refill....Probably should another a few more stations next year. That said, Chouffe Fest has potential and I'll be keeping an eye on it to see where it goes in future years!

Fabulous and free jazz festival over Labor Day weekend in Chicago…read more Although it is not as big as other jazz festivals that I've been to like the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, French Quarter Festival (my personal favorite), or Montreal Jazz Festival, the Chicago Jazz Festival was perfect for a couple of hours to relax and enjoy some jazz. We walked to Millenium Park and then had a short wait to go through a limited security screen. Took a few photos of Jaume Plensa's Crown Fountain and Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate (aka The Bean) before heading to the pavilions to enjoy some cool jazz. Loved the Sharel Cassity Alliance. So nice to see an all female jazz group. The Charlie Johnson Quartet was also quite good. Plenty of seating was available, but you could bring lawn chairs or even snacks into the park. Will have to come back again when we can spend more time enjoying some cool jazz on a hot summer day. Great way to end the summer in Chicago.

Jazz fest 2025 was fun. The fist band Ben Waltzer Quartet was amazing. But it went downhill from…read morethere. Abigail Richard's has a terrific voice but she had poor song selection and I think the sound was off a bit for her. The Beatles song was not good though people seemed to enjoy it. The Madison Electronique was not for me. And I don't think jazz fest liked the political commentary. We only saw one band on the main stage. They seemed mediocre. Overall a fun day for a few hours. We went to a great local jazz bar that night and the band was awesome.