10 things to do around Chicago: Taste of Chicago, Lit Fest and the big annual art fair in Lakeview

Chicago Tribune staff, Chicago Tribune
Updated ·3 min read

Some of Chicago’s big annual events may shift around a bit — we’re looking at you, Taste in September — but we treasure them anyway. This a big weekend for several, plus a new one by the Harris Theater in Millennium Park.

Taste of Chicago

This year’s edition of Taste of Chicago is in Grant Park this weekend, with some 35 vendors and 15 food trucks and music spread over three stages, plus Chicago Sings Karaoke and a full schedule from Chicago SummerDance. Musical headliners include Doug E. Fresh, Proyecto Uno and Whitney.

11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 8-10 around Buckingham Fountain at Jackson and Columbus; free, more information at www.chicago.gov

Printers Row Lit Fest

The 38th annual Lit Fest will be spread out over Plymouth Court and surrounding venues, with speakers including 2023 Pulitzer Prize winners Toluse Olorunnipa and Robert Samuels, as well as authors Dave Eggers, Jonathan Eig, Eve Ewing and former Tribune writers Julia Keller and Monica Eng. Plus blocks of book vendors and book stalls, all presented by the Near South Planning Board.

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 9-10 on Dearborn between Polk and Ida B. Wells Drive; free, more information at printersrowlitfest.org

Lakeview East Festival of the Arts

This festival, celebrating its 18th year, will showcase more than 150 juried artists and their paintings, sculpture, photography, furniture and jewelry. The event will also include demonstrations, entertainment stages and family activities. Performers include Jose Valdes and the Mambo All Stars, Pretty the Wolf, Trippin’ Billies and The Beaus.

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 9-10 (additional hours for live music) along Broadway, Belmont and Hawthorne; free, more information at lakevieweastfestivalofthearts.com

‘Picasso: Fifty Years Later’

Timed to the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death in 1973, a worldwide celebration of his work is popping up all over the place. “Picasso: Drawing from Life” runs November through next April at the Art Institute, and this weekend a new exhibit “Picasso: Fifty Years Later” opens at the Elmhurst Art Museum. Three galleries will show works by Picasso, his contemporaries and artists he influenced.

Sept. 9 to Jan. 7, 2024, at the Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 S. Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst; timed tickets $18 at elmhurstartmuseum.org

Historic Logan Square Housewalk

This event, hosted by Logan Square Preservation, highlights 13 houses and gardens in across the neighborhood. Volunteer docents will lead tours of each location. This year’s properties are grouped into four walkable clusters and a trolley will be available to shuttle participants between groups.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 9, Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church, 2614 N. Kedzie Ave.; tickets from $30 at loganchamber.org

Run for the Parks

The Chicago Parks Foundation presents this 5K, which takes place on the paved pedestrian pathway of the Lakefront Trail. Walkers, runners and manual wheelchair participants of all paces can participate. Afterward, there will be a party featuring pancakes, refreshments and a DJ.

8 a.m. to noon Sept. 10 at Burnham Park at 31st Street Beach, 3155 S Lake Shore Drive; 5K entry is $40, tickets to just the post-race party are $20 at chicagoparksfoundation.org/run

Bryn Mawr Block Party

Explore the North Park Community Market, enjoy live music and dance performances, and participate in family-friendly activities at this block party. There will be a bounce house, inflatable basketball, an inflatable slide and an obstacle course.

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 10 on Bryn Mawr Avenue between Kimball and Sawyer; free, more information at hnpca.org/blockparty

Asian Pop-Up Cinema

This biannual Asian film festival kicks off with a screening of the Japanese film “Yudo,” where two estranged brothers inherit a bathhouse in a small town. The heartwarming comedy is a lighthearted celebration of Japanese bathing culture. The film will be shown in Japanese with English subtitles.

7 p.m. Sept. 8 at AMC Newcity 14, 1500 North Clybourn Ave.; tickets $5-$13 at eventbrite.com

Field Museum ID Day

A favorite oddball event returns to the Museum Campus. If you’ve got a so-and-so or something-something and you want to know what it is, the Field Museum’s scientists and experts will tell you. Bring in (clean, dry) animal bones, fossils, rocks or seashells, or photographs of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and insects. (Just nothing that’s alive or was recently, please; also no cultural items or human remains.) Admission to the museum is free for the day.

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 9 in the Field Museum’s main hall, 1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive; 312-922-9410 and www.fieldmuseum.org

Harris Fest: Music + Dance in the Park

This first event of its kind will be presented by the Harris Theater, with more than 20 local music and dance companies performing in Millennium Park, included on the Pritzker Pavilion stage in the evening. Ballet, jazz, contemporary dance, classical music, opera and more.

10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St.; free, more information at www.harristheaterchicago.org