Saturday October 24, 2015 marked a new tradition in Chicago: The first "Halloween Gathering" took…read moreplace on the Chicago Cultural Mile. The event consisted of tents scattered in Millennium Park, Grant Park and Maggie Daley Park; and an evening parade along Columbus Drive. It was the first year, and granted there were a few hiccups: I could not find the TheaTRICKS stage and there were not enough volunteers to help me find it, the parade started about 10 minutes late. But otherwise it was a great event for all ages. The main venue, called the Conjure Creative Tent, had free product samples (Mamma Chia drinks, Smartpop popcorn, and candy corn), free arts and crafts (create masks, lanterns, artwork), live music, and live entertainment. Maggie Daley Park had a kid's costume procession, dance performances, and hula-hooping. A couple other booths along the east side of Michigan Ave had things like magicians and tarot card readings. The nighttime parade was scheduled for 2 hours. The announcer mentioned the parade had 70 floats, but we only stayed for the first hour. There were entries from museums (Art Institute, Field Museum), schools (DePaul University, School of the Art Institute), dance companies (Joffrey Ballet), and various other cultural communities. There were a few marching bands, dance performances, and some cars with interesting hydraulics. It was great free event and I look forward to see how it will look in years to come!

A little taste of all the AH-mazing restaurants the area has to offer. Games, DJ, music, drinks,…read moredesserts-- it's a party in the neighborhood! I enjoyed exploring. It was a welcoming, peaceful experience and I had a great time.

Aug 15-18 2019 version of the Little Italy festival has lots of great entertainment, food, vendors,…read morecarnival barkers, people watching, and attitude. What it doesn't have any of... parking. There is one street in that neighborhood that isn't zoned for permits, and that's the street they're blocking off for the event. So a pro-tip is to find the street behind the little italy public library and park there, or in their lot. The festival itself has fun music acts that remind you of the old country or (what you think it might be like from the Godfathers) or really kitchy things like boy bands and wrestlers. There's a row of carnival barkers that is quite fun, and really the music and food programming is very good and the alcohol even seems reasonably priced. Lots of area businesses feature themselves, which is more rare than it should be, and there were lots of kids having fun, etc. Overall, the festival gets 5 stars, EXCEPT... This year they are hosting the gelato festival. This is a touring gelato competition or something making a stop in chicago for this event, and the gelato is really really really good. Very good. Gelato festival riff... But here's the thing. The festival started tonight (thursday) and the gelato people are a mess. They have no idea what they are doing and the crowd has no idea how to get to the gelato. so there's just a permanent herd waiting to get gelato and not realizing that unlike the rest of the festival (which thankfully just takes cash) this bizarro mini-festival only takes tickets from booths that aren't marketed as ticket booths, or via an app that they don't tell you where to find or from a website that seems not to exist. (here it is:https://gelatofestival.com/en/world-master/chicago/ ) Anyways, go to the booth and give them 10 bucks. It gets you three gelatos. If the lines are crazy and such just go to a stand where the attendant is working (my wife waited 10 minutes at a gelato stand that nobody was operating, having taken a smoke break after serving 10 guys from India who sampled everything and then left) - and order three things. They don't label anything, so you'll have to ask the attendant what each thing is, or just be brave and point. They want you to rate the gelato and such but really they can't even serve the gelato properly, they're all a mess. So I would give the gelato festival folks like... 2 stars. Except the actual gelato is good. They need to do crowd control, tell people how to get the gelato, etc. But in its delicious disarray, I guess the gelato festival is the very epitome of Italy.

On time opening performance. Plentiful of seating to relax and enjoy the music and the Crystal…read moreGarden venue. Dance floor available for those who don't mind the public eye. ;-). It's amazing that Daniela Nardi will be playing 3 sets for the festival. CDs available for purchase.

Not too many words needed here, pictures are better. I have…read morestopped by at least for a short bit every year since about 2001! At times overcrowded and pretentious and a silly show At time genuine and human and showing the best side of non-judgmental acceptance A good place to make and meet friends of the same stripe and lash! Even if it's not your thing you should stop by to see what makes a lot of people pulse

The event that, in 1979, outgrew the Gold Coast bar it originated in, has over the thirty years…read moresince then outgrown a number of Chicago hotels; expanded from twelve contestants the first year to now drawing regularly over 50 or 60 from a number of countries; and now yearly draws thousands of assorted leather folk of all ages, races, genders and kinks to what is now felt by many to be the Leather Family Reunion. Salute!

Well, props to Naper Settlement for pulling something together after the Christkindlmarket here…read morefell through. The lighting was the strongest element; it's really something nice to see outside. Unfortunately, there wasn't too much else to do: only a couple of food vendors (Tata's Pierogi were good) and just a couple of vendors of craft type items (inexplicably shoulder to shoulder with people selling windows?) The Weed Ladies (local floral group) have their dried flower creations for sale in one of the historical buildings. If you are photosensitive, note that the lights in the vendor tent flickered badly! :( It's free to get in to this event, but there were some agressive signs (& people for that matter) pushing donation. There's a list of upcoming events (see photo) but tonight the only one was a singing group (sounded good, anyway!) If you're in Naperville or nearby, fun to check out, but I wouldn't go out of my way until they make this one bigger.

If you know me at all, you know that I love little neighborhood events and such - what Yelp calls…read more"Local Flavor". So the Lakeview East Tree Lighting is just perfect for me! You would think that a neighborhood tree lighting in the parking lot of a grocery store might be lame, but it is seriously NOT. They had several local businesses selling stuff, free mulled wine and hot chocolate, tea sampling, ice sculptors, Santa and (really awesome) carolers. This was a very festive, happy event. And while it was very well-attended, there was enough room to actually move around and not be packed in like with so many other events in this city. The Lakeview East Tree Lighting is now on my "do this every year" list!

This event is so fun!!!…read more We didn't know what to expect, but we were so happy to be a part of it! We arrived a bit before starting, but things were set up, and Santa got there just as we did! The Chamber of Commerce was giving out canvas bags filled with all kinds of offers and ads from local businesses, which was really cool, actually. They also gave out delicious gingerbread man and star-shaped sugar cookies from Bittersweet. They ran out about halfway through, and started giving out frosted sugar cookies from Treasure Island. There was free cider and hot chocolate, as well as hot roasted chestnuts! There were real life gingerbread men bouncing around, dancing and posing for pictures, super fun stuff. There was a guy doing ice sculpture the whole time - he did a gingerbread man on a gingerbread house, and then a Christmas tree. Very cool! The entire time, they showed the cartoon Grinch Who Stole Christmas special over and over using a projector on the wall of the next building - it was spectacular! Santa let me sit on his lap and take our picture - and he complimented my Christmas scarf! The first half of the event had carolers - really great group. We have seen that group at Lakeview events before, and they are just fantastic. The second half was a brass band, and they were also just fabulous. The tree lighting was brief but awesome, and the tree was beautiful. We had a truly wonderful time - it was so fun, and we were really happy to have been a part of the evening. We will definitely go again next year, and so should you!

I have really mixed feelings about attending this. First of all, I really hadn't heard much about…read moreit, but received an email invitation to meet Jazz through a listserve because of being a GSA advisor. I jumped at that chance. Meeting Jazz and her parents made my day. They were wonderful, gracious, and really out there for the people who came to see them. I got photos and a chance to chat with Jazz's mom. Again, that was wonderful! Jazz and her family remained available to the fans. Unfortunately, they were in the minority. We saw them and the Little People talking to fans, taking photos with fans, or at least out in the crowds. And that is where I have the biggest issue. So many of the stars remained aloof, guarded behind a blockade and security. That was confusing. So many people here because of the chance to meet the stars, as advertised. The best examples I have are that people lined up to meet the Long Island Medium, but they were informed that she would sign for 30 minutes. Once that time was up, she was done. What? People in line and waiting an hour or more, and she couldn't/wouldn't sign or take a photo if she hit 31 minutes? I'm confused and not in line. Other stars on stage escaped off stage to waiting golf carts to be whisked away or remained behind the barricade. Disappointing to see people running to the fence and the stars too far away to sign or get photos. Some of the stars would come to the fence, but again, disappointing. And only 4 food trucks showed up for this event. I was really expecting this to be a showcase for the food trucks. Empanadas, hot dogs, steak sandwiches, and ice cream were the only trucks available. I thought Chicago was a food truck city. The people on stage were good including the band The Breakfast Club. And another great event was packing food for the Northern Illinois Food Depository. My friend and I packed for a long time, and we talked to a few of the people who sponsored this part of the event. When we left, over 13,000 meals had been packed. That's awesome! So, mixed review. Would I go again? Probably not. Was it worth my time. Yes, but because of the Jennings family, some of the stage acts, and the food depository.

I really enjoyed this!! Brought a friend of mine and her 2 daughters and she also had a cousin in…read morefrom California. The stars we saw were all so cordial.. Cake Boss.. Long Island Medium...The Roloff family. They all took pictures with us and it was great!! Great food from the Food Trucks and we also had beautiful weather. I received the invitation via email as I was on the list for TLC's list from an earlier promotion. Hope the have one again soon!!

Enjoyable I enjoyed the Fashions…read more The Food. Just a wonderful few moments of Conversation and meeting other people.

MODA is a student organization at the University of Chicago that began in 2003 with the intention…read moreof utilizing fashion as a creative outlet, one that encompasses all field: design, style, art, photography, parties and so much more. By showcasing fashion on campus, promoting the city's fashion scene, MODA has cemented its role as a resource for students interested in fashion. Through its Designer Bootcamp program, quarterly fashion events, annual magazine, and blog, MODA has established itself as a prominent organization at the University of Chicago. By expanding partnerships with industry professionals, corporate sponsors, and the media, MODA has continuously connected the University of Chicago campus to the greater Chicago fashion scene, and beyond. Fashion Shows Every quarter, MODA produces and participates in fashion events on campus and downtown. All shows feature students modeling student designs as well as designs from local boutiques and established brands (Ann Taylor, Rent the Runway, and more). These fashion shows have grown enormously over the past years, becoming a staple in the Chicago fashion calendar, even taking over venues like Chicago's Union Station and attracting audiences of over 1,000 people. This year's date: February 21st, 2014