Music festivals in Chicago

Summer months packed with rock, jazz and blues
Noteworthy for: Lollapalooza is the biggest music festival in the US.

Chicago has always had a strong music scene – from the blossoming of blues and jazz in the 1920s to the explosion of rock, grunge and alternative acts from the 1980s onward. When the snow melts away, summer music festivals are where Chi-town gets its groove on.
Lollapalooza is a rock and alternative music festival held in Grant Park in the first week of August, featuring big names in rock, indie, hip hop and electronic music.

Pitchfork, a celebrated online music magazine, holds its own festival of up-and-coming and avant-garde acts around mid-July in Union Park.

The Chicago Blues Festival is held in early June, featuring the city’s finest blues musicians and others from around the world, who play free shows in Grant Park.

Similarly, the Chicago Jazz Festival, which takes place over Labor Day Weekend, showcases some of the world’s finest jazz musicians at free shows in Grant Park.