Easily the best beer festival we've ever been to…read more My wife and I have now been to zoo brew several years in a row and it is easily our favorite beer festival. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this beer festival. We've always done VIP which means you get an extra hour, access to a few exclusives beers, buffet style meal provided, and a chance to meet amazing ambassador animals! They set up all of the beer vendors under one giant tent which we really love. Everything is in close proximity which makes it easy to be able to visit every single vendor. They always have a band for entertainment and the bands have always been amazing!! We always try to make a day of it by getting to the zoo early to enjoy the whole zoo and finishing with a beer festival. I highly recommend this event for everyone. It truly does offer something for everyone.

Animals + Craft Beer = Happy Sarah…read more I love animals ever so much, from tiny little fish to huge walruses and lions. The zoo is one of my absolute favorite places so I was beyond stoked for this event. Tickets were $50 but that included the usual parking fee + zoo admission fee. The band, Modern Day Romeos, was awesome. I didn't know what to expect but they were a fabulous cover band and seemed to bring some groupies with them. About 15 minutes into the event, it started raining quite hard and a hour & a half in, a torrential downpour started. Umbrellas were of no use and we were all soaked from head to toe. The beers & breweries were all listed on the event page so although the selection was not vast, I wouldn't criticize on that fact when it was all laid out prior. Lines got super long because of the crazy rain so I'm hoping it won't be quite that bad next year. I will absolutely go again next year. I was super sad to see how upset the lion was by the bass from the band though. He was so visibly agitated by the noise, he was pacing back and forth in the 2 foot glass area of his outdoor habitat. The lion's den was the closest to where the band was playing of all the animals...Poor big kitty! :( Pro Tips for next year: Go earlier~! Brookfield Zoo is huge and I need to make the most of my free admission. I went at 230 this year so only had an hour and a half before the event to look around. It was not nearly enough time! I wasn't sure what to expect with this event, but you're in a roped off type of party area. You don't have full zoo access near the beers. They need more seating! Or covered seating. There were some picnic tables that were not covered so were completely being rained on. Bring cash for the silent auction! They had some pretty cool items!

The fest is pretty large and spread out. Sure, it's free to get in. However, they get you on the…read moreparking costs. They have different tiers depending on how close you want to park. To get in and out of the parking lots can be a pain. The food vendors accept cash or card which is nice. Food lines are long! Be prepared to wait. They had multiple bar lines that were fast. Bar lines also sold water and NA options. Plenty of porta potties. If you plan on attending bring your own chair or blanket to sit on. They allow you to bring in your own food and drinks (just no outside alcohol). Something to keep in mind to keep your costs down. Spread out, but expect crowds. Overall a good event.

We attended this event last year, we had a table set up there for our company (Westway Coach), a…read moreschool bus company. Just wanted to add that we had an amazing time there, the ambient, the music, the food, all was great, we had an amazing time being part of this event.

Chicago is a summer of festivals and I love exploring each and every one. We saw a Groupon for…read morePorky's rib fest and decided to give it a shot! At $15 for two adult entrance tickets and free parking, it was pretty reasonable for festival pricing. As you do at a rib fest, we ordered a bunch of ribs from the following places: - Rasta Joe's: The best out of the bunch. The ribs were cooked perfectly and the sauce was great, with a hint of Caribbean flair. The portion size was also quite generous as we received 6(!) ribs for the 1:3 size that cost $10. This is what I expected a half slab to be. We were extremely happy with this! - Chicago BBQ: Decent. The ribs are quite fatty and fall or the bone. I would equate this to like Barnellis ribs. They're tender and BBQ-ey but nothing extraordinary. I would eat them again though. At $8 for 3 ribs, I'd go for Rasta's. - Texas Lightning: Ew. Ew. Ew. Complete regret for this one. So glad we got a sampler because I think I would have shed a tear if we bought a full slab. High expectations for the Texans but they failed to deliver. The ribs were extremely dry, flaky, and flavorless. It was like someone microwaved a slab of ribs and drizzled some sauce over it. The Jamaican Pork at Rasta's was pretty good too! Good spices. We would definitely give Rasta's an A++ for their ribs. The carnival itself looked fun but also very expensive. Overall, it was a decent event with live music and booze.

Another long overdue review: It was my 2nd year in a row going here and I came back determined to…read moretry the ribs I remember liking so much last time! Me, my cousin, niece and nephew went here on a Thursday around 7pm. Chicago BBQ company: we tried their Beef brisket, Pulled pork, Cornbread and Half slab ribs(unfortunately it wasn't fall-off-the-bone like at Ribfest Chicago, beef brisket seems like pulled pork) Uncle Bob's: we tried 1/2 slab ribs, Pulled pork, Beef brisket, and Cornbread( didn't measure up to Chicago BBQ company) Howling coyote: we tried 1/2 slab rib dinner(they claimed their ribs are more tender than a mother's love! It was tender but Chicago BBQ had more flavor) Rasta joes: tried their 1/2 slab ribs and Jalapeno cheese cornbread (had flavor like Chicago BBQ but not as tender as howling coyote) Porky chicks BBQ: we tried the Big porky- had most meat and very tender and they gave generous portions, sauces were good too!

Very nice art fair with lots of unique jewelry, paintings, pottery, woodwork, stained glass and…read moremore. On a hot June day it was blessedly shady in Burlington Park, and still pleasurable to roam and browse despite the weather. But damn, this fair makes Naperville and Geneva's art fairs look cheap! So budget accordingly... I still managed to find a cool porcelain vase for my tiny ceramics collection for $20. Worth checking out next year if you are near Hinsdale!

Before I had a chance to buy something, I had already spent $20 on parking and admission. Maybe…read morethey couldn't find suitable grounds to set up the fest, but such a small fest seemed to be too pricey...even before you had a chance to spend money on food. The food seemed to be limited to a handful of popular Polish dishes. The entertainment was rather flat. The Perla tall boy beers tasted like a Miller or Bud. Overall, I expected more Polish cultural influence, rather it felt like a normal Chicago neighborhood fest with just a plethora of deep fried pierogi stands.

This is now the Pierogi Fest now and not the Southside Polish Fest…read more Well all I can say, as a first generation Polish American, is that I was highly disappointed with this fest. I came here with my girlfriend expecting a Polish surrounding and there was none. So let's review a few things here. 1st - There were no Polish people here like I was expecting. This was a very Americanized fest. I came here for culture. Chicago has the 2nd most population of Polish immigrants well over a million and all I heard was English spoken. 2nd - The food here was actually not bad, but not a lot of vendors. I had the Polish plate from Alex Deli and Grill. The sausage, pierogi, potato pancakes, and stuffed cabbage were amazing!!! 3rd - I was always an Okocim beer drinker, but they were not there. The only Polish beer there was Perli. And I was actually impressed! I bought a 4 pack of it on my way back home. I heard the Taste of Polonia at the Copernicus Center in Chicago is a lot better and Polish Authentic. I will definitely be there in September.

It was abnormally warm this year...so didn't feel much like fall. We were wearing tank tops and…read moresundresses and taking pictures with scarecrows and pumpkins lol. Love this event and look forward to it every year!

Line up was excellent, especially on Friday. They made it very easy to see every band playing, even…read morethe ones at a different stage. The place was clean because there were people picking up the garbage at all times, even in the bowl. There isn't anything bad I can say about this weekend, oh, except Slayer not playing on the main stage. WHAT????

Excellent music festival with a great assortment of artists both rock and metal. Assortment of…read morebooze is fantastic. The only really problem I have with this festival is the stairs from Toyota Park will kill your legs if you don't have VIP passes for the express lane in the back. The access from Main to Blackcraft is what keeps Chicago Open Air from a 5 star review.

DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY…read more Im sorry I purchased tickets to this event. $10 per person to get into a parking lot. LAME. The name is completely misleading. Taste of Pierogi? Where? There was a bbq tent, an american fare tent, 3 polish food tents, an ice cream vendor & a elotes tent. THATS IT as far as food. We tried the pierogi & all three tents & all tasted the same. No variation on flavor or preparation. Polish sausage tasted like cheap store bought brands. Potato pancakes were good. Bland sauerkraut. Good selection of carnival rides for kids but you can find that anywhere in the city during the summer & not pay to get in. Beers/alcohol was only $5 & they had 2 stages for live music.