City of Chicago Announces 2016 Festivals, Events and Exhibitions

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is pleased to announce the 2016 dates of its marquee festivals, events and exhibitions (highlights only, subject to change). Admission is FREE. For information and updates, visit cityofchicago.org/dcase, or join the conversation on Facebook (Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events), Twitter and Instagram (@ChicagoDCASE).

NOTE TO MEDIA: Media requesting credentials to cover music festivals, Millennium Park summer music series, the Chicago Air and Water Show and Taste of Chicago must submit requests in advance, no later than two weeks prior to the event. Please visit the press room at cityofchicago.org/dcase to select the festival you wish to cover.

LAKEFRONT FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

18th Annual Chicago Kids and Kites Festival
May 7, 2016
A favorite family event and a harbinger of springtime in Chicago, the festival provides free kite kits for children to build, decorate and fly (while supplies last) along with other family activities such as face painting, balloon artists and the Big Kite Candy Drop (weather permitting).
Cricket Hill in Lincoln Park (Lake Shore Dr. and Montrose Dr.)

Chicago Memorial Day Parade
May 28, 2016
The City of Chicago's Memorial Day Parade honors all men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.
State St. from Lake St. to Van Buren St.

31st Chicago Gospel Music Festival
June 3-4, 2016
The Chicago Gospel Music Festival showcases the best in local, national and international Gospel music performers.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.) and Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.)

33rd Annual Chicago Blues Festival
June 10-12, 2016
During three days on five stages, blues fans prove that Chicago is the true "Blues Capital" at the world's largest free blues festival.
Grant Park (Jackson St. & Columbus Dr.)

20th Annual Chicago SummerDance
Fridays-Sundays, June 24-September 11, 2016
Swing, waltz, cha-cha...or simply enjoy the music at the largest annual outdoor live music and dancing series in the United States. Dancers of all ages and skill levels are invited to take part in introductory, one-hour dance lessons by professional instructors followed by live music and dancing.
Grant Park, Spirit of Music Garden (601 S. Michigan Ave.)

36th Annual Taste of Chicago
July 6-10, 2016
Taste of Chicago is the nation's premier free outdoor food festival showcasing the diversity of Chicago's dining scene, alongside concerts and other activities for the entire family.
Grant Park (Jackson St. & Columbus Dr.)

58th Annual Chicago Air and Water Show presented by Shell Oil Products US
August 20-21, 2016
Featuring military and civilian flight aerobatics, historic aircraft, simulated water rescues and parachute teams, the Chicago Air and Water Show is one of the largest and longest-running free admission events of its kind.
North Avenue Beach (1600 N. Lake Shore Dr.)

38th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival
September 1-4, 2016
A favorite Labor Day Weekend tradition, the Chicago Jazz Festival showcases free live performances by Chicago's vast jazz talent alongside national and international jazz legends and artists.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.) and Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.)

18th Annual World Music Festival Chicago
September 9-25, 2016
Enjoy global grooves by award-winning artists from around the world at the free, city-wide, multi-venue World Music Festival Chicago that has presented more than 750 artists and ensembles from over 80 countries since it began.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.), Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.) and other citywide locations

3rd Annual Fifth Star Awards
September 14, 2016
Celebrate Chicago's creativity at the Fifth Star Awards, a free awards show honoring legendary Chicago artists and cultural institutions with live performances and video tributes.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.)

103rd Annual Christmas Tree and Holiday Celebrations
November 22 - December 2016
Celebrate the holiday season at the official Chicago Christmas Tree Lighting on Tuesday, November 22, sing holiday favorites at Caroling at Cloud Gate on Friday evenings and visit Santa Claus in his shop at the Millennium Park Welcome Center.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.)

ARTS AND CREATIVE INDUSTRY EVENTS

2nd Annual Lake FX Summit + Expo
May 13-15, 2016
The Lake FX Summit + Expo is the region's largest free conference for artists, creative professionals and entrepreneurs. The event welcomes thousands of individuals, businesses and organizations for keynotes by industry leaders, professional development panels and workshops, networking opportunities, music and film showcases, the Expo resource fair and a marketplace featuring local artisans.
Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.) and other locations

3rd Annual Fifth Star Awards
September 14, 2016
See information above.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.)

21st Annual Chicago Artists Month
October 2016
Chicago Artists Month highlights the creativity of artists throughout Chicago with over 300 opportunities to meet artists, see their work and make your own.
Citywide

FAMILY EVENTS

Juicebox
1st & 3rd Fridays (Chicago Cultural Center) and 1st & 3rd Saturdays (Garfield Park Conservatory), 11 a.m.
Winter, Spring & Fall
With engaging music and dance performances in a kid-friendly setting, the free Juicebox programs are geared for toddlers, but enjoyable for the whole family.
Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.), Garfield Park Conservatory (300 N. Central Park Ave.) and other locations

18th Annual Chicago Kids and Kites Festival
May 7, 2016
See information above.
Cricket Hill in Lincoln Park (Lake Shore Dr. and Montrose Dr.)

103rd Annual Christmas Tree and Holiday Celebrations
November 22 - December 2016
See information above.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.)

EXHIBITIONS

Present Standard: 25 Latino Artists
January 30-April 24, 2016
Guest curated by Edra Soto and Josue Pellot, Present Standard features 25 contemporary Latino artists with Chicago connections and their works that play with the manifold meanings and forms suggested by the "standard" - as either a flag or a pennant, a measuring tactic or a guiding principle, or a potent symbol of national identity.
Chicago Cultural Center, Michigan Avenue Galleries, 1st Floor (78 E. Washington St.)

Librería Donceles
January 30 - April 24, 2016
Conceived by New York-based artist and educator Pablo Helguera, Librería Donceles is a traveling Spanish-language bookstore. Originating in Brooklyn in 2013, the second-hand bookstore has traveled to Miami, Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle and draws attention to the dearth of access to books in Spanish.
Chicago Cultural Center, Garland Gallery, 1st Floor South (78 E. Washington St.)

Strandbeest: The Dream Machines of Theo Jansen
February 6-May 1, 2016
In the first major American exhibition tour, Theo Jansen's wholly distinctive kinetic creations blur the lines of art, engineering, science and performance. Celebrating the thrill of the Strandbeest's locomotion as well as the processes that have driven their evolutionary development, the sculptures are accompanied by artist drawings, videos, daily performances of the Strandbeests' movements, a display of "fossils" as well as photography by Lena Herzog.
Chicago Cultural Center, Sidney R. Yates Hall and Exhibit Hall, 4th Floor North (78 E. Washington St.)

Carlos Rolón/Dzine: I Tell You This Sincerely...
April 9-July 3, 2016
A Chicago native, Carlos Rolón, also known as Dzine, is recognized for his elaborately crafted paintings, ornate sculptures and custom works. This solo exhibition will feature his signature works that address his own biography by melding memory and the imaginary with carefully crafted, hybrid works.
Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago Rooms, 2nd Floor North (78 E. Washington St.)

Paul Catanese: Visible from Space
July 9 - September 27, 2016
Erupting from a thought experiment about creating drawings on Earth that could be visible from the moon, artist Paul Catanese creates what will become both operating theater and theater of operations while he embraces the scientific, military and pedagogic connotations of these terms.
Chicago Cultural Center, Sidney R. Yates Hall, 4th Floor North

Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis
September 17, 2016 - January 8, 2017
The first comprehensive overview of the art of Norman Lewis presents this pivotal figure in American art, a participant in the Harlem art community, an innovator of Abstract Expressionism and a politically-conscious activist. Covering the 1930s to 1970s, the 90 paintings and works on paper process chronologically and thematically around six motifs.
Chicago Cultural Center, Exhibit Hall, 4th Floor North (78 E. Washington St.)

FILMS

Millennium Park Summer Film Series
Tuesdays, June 21-August 30, 2016
Grab a seat in the pavilion or bring a picnic for the Great Lawn and enjoy the free outdoor movies at Chicago's architectural gem, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
Millennium Park, Jay Pritzker Pavilion (201 E. Randolph St.)

MUSIC

Wired Fridays
1st & 3rd Fridays, noon
Winter (Chicago Cultural Center), Spring (Millennium Park) & Fall (Chicago Cultural Center)
Wired Fridays feature original Chicago House music along with various other electronic dance music (EDM) genres from local, world-­famous DJs in a mid-­day dance party setting.
Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.), Millennium Park Wrigley Square (201 E. Randolph St.) and occasional other locations

31st Chicago Gospel Music Festival
June 3-4, 2016
See information above.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.) and Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.)

Millennium Park Summer Music Series
June 6-August 25, 2016
Grab a seat in the pavilion or bring a picnic for the Great Lawn and enjoy the free music taking place all summer long at Chicago's architectural gem, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
Millennium Park, Jay Pritzker Pavilion (201 E. Randolph St.)

Chicago Blues Festival
June 10-12, 2016
See information above.
Grant Park (Jackson St. & Columbus Dr.)

Chicago SummerDance
Fridays-Sundays, June 24-September 11, 2016
See information above.
Grant Park, Spirit of Music Garden (601 S. Michigan Ave.)

38th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival
September 1-4, 2016
See information above.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.) and Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.)

18th Annual World Music Festival Chicago
September 9-25, 2016
See information above.
Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.), Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.) and other citywide locations

Caroling at Cloud Gate
Fridays, November 25-December 23, 2016
Bundle up and get ready to belt out some holiday classics at these festive events that are part concert, part sing-along. Local choral groups lead hundreds of celebrants in song. Following Caroling at Cloud Gate, head a few steps down to the McCormick Tribune Plaza for a spin on the McCormick Tribune ice rink in Millennium Park.
Millennium Park, Cloud Gate sculpture (201 E. Randolph St.)

THEATER, DANCE AND PERFORMANCE

OnEdge
February 19-March 4, 2016
The OnEdge performance series spotlights experimental dance, theater and genre-defying performances from national and international artists and companies. Performances include Bronx Gothic by Okwui Okposkwasili, Yellow Towel by Dana Michel, My Voice has an Echo In It by Temporary Distortion and Mon, Ma, Mes by Jack Ferver.
Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Randolph St.), Links Hall (3111 N. Western Ave.) and other locations

SpinOff
November 2016
A celebration of contemporary dance created by emerging and established artists from the Midwest, Spinoff features Chicago and world premieres as well as excerpts from works-in-progress.
Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.), Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.) and Links Hall (3111 N. Western Ave.)

RECREATION

Millennium Park Summer Workouts
Wednesdays & Fridays, June 1-September 3, 2016
Jump start your weekend with tai chi, yoga, pilates and Zumba classes on Millennium Park's Great Lawn.
Millennium Park, Great Lawn (201 E. Randolph St.)

McCormick Tribune Ice Rink
Mid-November 2016-Mid-March 2017
Swish, twirl and glide at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink, a Chicago winter tradition for over a decade that draws over 100,000 skaters annually. Skating is FREE and open to the public, with skate rentals available for a fee.
Millennium Park (Michigan Ave. between Washington St. and Madison St.)

MARKETS

Chicago Farmers Markets
May-October, 2016
Daley Plaza Farmers Market opens May 12, 2016
Across Chicago at locations downtown and throughout the city's neighborhoods, the markets managed by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) sell fresh fruits, vegetables plants and flowers. Some neighborhood markets also feature music programming, prepared foods and local artisan (non-food) vendors.
Daley Plaza (50 W. Washington St.) and citywide locations

Maxwell Street Market
Sundays, Year Round, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
A Chicago tradition of bargains and bargaining with an international flavor, the Maxwell Street Market offers an eclectic mix of merchandise - from tools to tires, plus fresh produce, furniture, clothing, rare find and collectibles - plus some of the best Mexican and Latin street food in the city.
800 S. Desplaines St.

Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to enriching Chicago's artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago's non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City's future cultural and economic growth, via the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City's cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors. For more information, visit cityofchicago.org/dcase.