Good times, crazy crowded!…read more Honorable mentions: -Watching people who have been drinking since 11am finally reach their breaking point -too white crew (they played the 90's old school stuff) -Free stuff (La Croix, etc) Not so honorable -$5 donation, I paid it and yet by the time I made it to their 3rd "bouncer" I was getting the evil eye like I was trying to sneak in. -$5 Miller light -mini dogs mixed into the huge crowd. sure they're cute but i'm not sure how safe this is. Words of wisdom: -Go after the sun goes down -BYOB or bring cash -you can hear from pretty much anywhere so don't try THAT hard to get close -Make friends with people who live in the apartments with balconies over looking the fest grounds. They seemed to have a great view and i'm sure cheaper drinks and snacks.

The five star aspect of this festival is a given…read more *Great Neighborhood *Miller Lite, no tickets to purchase them *Great Bands, the same rotating ones that people all of a sudden love to hate on *Top Talent *Great Weather The one star aspects: -Too many strollers -9PM Curfew on Sunday -Too many strollers -Least diverse of all the festivals -Too many strollers This is this festival in a nutshell. Don't get me wrong, I'll be back every Summer, if it sticks, but heed the negatives. And being here is better than watching the disappointing neighborhood baseball team these days. Ay yi yi....

Early Morning, April 4 (or actually July) Gay guys sing out…read morein the Chicagoland Sky Equal at last, it took all our lives But they could not take our Pride! In the name of love Parade in the name of love Being in Chicago for the Pride Parade was a real experience. It messes with traffic and messes with homophobic people of which there are plenty - especially in the rich suburbs of Chicagoland but I'll tell you what. This is one of the best Pride festivals and parades that you'll ever see. Some of the cops were making questionable statements about some of the people marching, which wasn't much fun to listen to. The whole area of town where they March is a very LGBTQ-friendly area to begin with and one of the coolest parts of town. It's a place where I hang out a lot anyway when I'm in Chicago. The third great city of the US makes a real effort and the buildings downtown are adorned with the rainbow flags and even though the already awful traffic of the weekend is made more awful, it's well worth coming in and checking it out for yourself. We loved every second. I didn't like that all the gay clubs around here closed really early or were not even open on the night of the parade and as I said, some of the cops that were hanging around after the parade was over were making unfortunate remarks and being a little bit stereotypical. BOSE is pretty stereo typical too. But in a good way.

June is nothing without Pride! I love celebrating and enjoying the marvelous performers. I have…read moreheard always wanted to explore Chicago's Pride festivities. I am glad I had the opportunity to check out the festival the week before the parade and concert. I enjoyed seeing all the people celebrating with joy and supporting local LGBTQA+ artists. There were great performers in 3 different stages at each side of the street. The festival was free with a $15 donation option. One can enter and exit as pleased as long as they kepy the sticker we receive upon entering. This was a family friendly event, so it was great to see families and little ones enjoying the festivities. The only draw backs were that the festival was a bit overcrowded and wished there were room to walk around and chances to sit and relax. We couldn't find many places and at times saw individuals with physical disabilities struggle getting around the crowd. Overall, It was a fun event to explore. I look forward to next year's festivities and catching the parade!

I love this pride fest. Located at Naper Settlement, It's only $10 a person for general admission…read moreand $15 if you want closer proximity to the nighttime performances. -such as Jody Watley who was one of the performers this yr. It's very family friendly. There are a lot of middle schoolers and high schoolers here. A lot of parents supporting their lgbtq kids. Families of all kinds. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. I was pressed for time, but wish I could have stayed all day. It had such a happy vibe. We were sitting by ourselves eating our corn dogs and funnel cakes, and a big group of kids in rainbow attire and pride flags pinned to their backs, called out to us to join them. I loved that. Last yr's was bigger. There were way more booths and way more food venders. It made me a bit sad. They clearly didn't feel they got enough support last yr to justify the cost of being a vender here again. Whether you have lgbtq loved ones or not, please show your support for this community by coming here. You don't need to wear rainbow clothes or have a pride flag on your house to enter. Your presence alone tells people that there is space for them in this world. Just show up

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!

After leaving the South Side Pride event across the street, I just had to see what all of the tents…read moreand crowds were about. A festival with African and Caribbean food and culture? Yes, that's a great idea. The entry was $30 per person which granted you access to a live concert, food venders, and more merch than you can possibly imagine. -clothing, jewelry, drums, woven baskets etc.. for as far as you can see. We ate so much amazing food and I shopped jewelry. I'd have stayed for the music but you have to bring your own seating and I was wearing a dress. -Sitting on the ground wasn't really an option. The event takes place annually over 4th of July weekend. Attending this is one of my favorite spontaneous decisions for 2024.

Pros: Delicious carribean food. Jerk chicken, ox tail, also…read moregood portion size. Ability to find parking in the area. It's supposed to be a bad neighborhood, but it felt safe, not very crowded, easy, and free parking. It's worth visiting just for the food! Neutral: They sell a lot of beads, interesting essential oil blends, and carribean beach style clothing, so if you are into that, it's fun. I'm more of an online shopper. Con: There was an entry free, $30 or $35. I found it excessive. Then again, I'm not a hip hop or house fan, so I could not comment on the quality of the bands. It did not sound bad to me, so if it's for the music, then it's fine. Tip: Bring a lawn chair. Hardly any comfortable places to sit. Lack of picnic beaches or covered areas. Tip: Bring a lawn chair or picnic blanket. There were no places to sit & eat

How can you not like North Coast?!…read more This is hands down my favorite festival in Chicago. I was going even before they switched over from Union Park in Chicago to Seatgeek Stadium in Bridgeview/Summit. I will say the change at first sucked since it's easier to get down to the city, but truly after going here a few times this location is great! Very spacious, no sound bleed, and there are a lot of hotels in the area that a lot of attendees stay at. Two years ago I stayed at a nearby hotel which was great. This year my friends and I drove back and forth each day; it was fine, but I recommend staying somewhere nearby or within walking distance to avoid the clusterhell of Ubers after the fest ends! Ubers cannot get to the grounds, so you'll have to walk a while to get out of the area to connect with one. There are a lot of random drivers offering rides there, too, but you've got to be careful accepting rides from them since they're random people. I always make sure they have the Uber/lyft sticker and will ask them to pull up their profile. The one bad part of North Coast is the getting out of the fest after it ends. The parking lot is a total nightmare and finding an Uber is impossible since police close off a lot of roads within the residential areas, which sucks for residents, Ubers, and the attendees! But that's not the fest's fault, plus it's a nightmare after every festival ends trying to get out. The lineup for North Coast never disappoints, and the pricing is incredible. I think I paid around $250 for a 3-day pass which is such an amazing price. The employees and security here are always super nice and fun. It's more of a lowkey festival compared to other Chicago fests which I prefer. They have various drinks, food trucks, and retailers. I love the merch here so much! You already know I'll be going next year!

This festival was awesome…read more The good ---the musical artists. Being able to face one way and see Lupe Fiasco in concert and when his set ends being able to watch Nas & Damian Marley...wow! It was just amazing!!! Added bonus, I love Mayer Hawthorne! --how close you can get to the stage! I've never been so close to a music artist before. The people in the front could reach out and touch Lupe or Nas and everyone pays the same price for the ticket. Love it. --the atmosphere. Everyone is having so much fun!!! As one of the only sober people there, the entire grounds reeked of weed and everyone was passing it around openly...which led to a lot of people having fun... but also a lot of crazy dancers obviously on something a bit stronger & also some rude people. I loved being able to bring chairs/blankets/whatever and just chill earlier in the day for Mayer Hawthorne. The bad --the food options. I had a very overpriced plate of what they called Pad Thai that was $11 for some pretty gross food. I know, I know, the festival isn't about the food but goodness. They need more food options more readily available and better options. --they need more bathrooms! --the parking. There is none. Zero. We parked over a mile away. I wish there was some type of solution to the parking problem. --after the last show it's madness. As expected tons of people are leaving but it's dark and everyone is high or drunk so at the very least I need to bring a flashlight. --It was odd going to a lounge/bar to pick up our will call tickets. Not sure what was up with that. If groupon offers tickets again and they have another sweet lineup, I'm down!

I'm only giving it 4 stars since my rating is based completely on the festival entertainment and…read morenot much else. However, it may be a sign that I've hit too many festivals this summer, but at quick glance there seem to be many of the same stands I've seen at others. As always the hideous outfits and odd people did not disappoint (senior citizen lady (who thought she was a lot younger) dressed in all hot pink and couple "waltzing to MJ tracks). Our group hung out at the center stage all night (kudos to the fest for having 3 stages to choose from). The fest served beer and Sangria. In my opinion the beer and sangria stands shouldn't have been so close to each other it got really packed with people trying to squeeze through the sangria line to the beer line! The port-a-pottie situation was a bit of a bummer, they could've used more stalls, a few friends went to the potties and then to grab a drink/snack and they were gone so long I began to think they left! We went to hear Who's Bad, a Michael Jackson cover band, who should not be missed. This was the second time I've seen them and they don't disappoint. They get the crowd going with all of your MJ faves. My favorite part about cover bands is you don't get stuck listening to newer, unknown tracks like you sometimes have to when you see the real deal - they just stick to the hits! I'm glad we decided to stick around for 16 Candles because they were awesome and Who's Bad was the perfect band to get us in the 80's classics mood. Everyone totally got into them, dancing and singing along. When they did Sunglasses at Night they had flashing, light-up sunglasses. The only negative was it seemed they ended rather abruptly, they finished a song, said goodnight and were done without any advance warning. Bottom line - great time and 16 Candles closes the show again on Sunday!

I feel like a proud papa watching this festival grow over the years. For you festival junkies,…read moreheading into 2011 this is clearly one of the Top 3 in the city. A decade ago this wasn't the case. Former giants such as Old St. Pat's (does this still exist?), Sheffield Garden Walk, and Taste of Randolph are now moving over for this All star extravaganza. All the big names play this gig: Hairbangers Mike & Joe Too White Crew Sixteen Candles Maggie Speaks Wedding Banned And with the vast layout, there is plenty of room for beer vendors and the lines are never long. For you non-junkies, if a few a Summer does the trick for you, make this one of them. Basically, anything in Lakeview is a can't-miss, that alone makes it worth the trip. Thanks Rock Around The Block, looking forward to 2011 already!

Two-time attendee, both summer and winter. I can honestly attest that this is a great festival to…read morevisit if you're a beer enthusiast. I've long been the type to continually try new crafts so the idea of having 60 (winter) and 120+ (summer) breweries at my disposal is a welcome thought. For the numbers, that's roughly 120 crafts in the winter and close to 250 in the summer. No..you won't (*you shouldn't) try to drink them all, even if you buy the early entry pass, but you can knock down a significant number of them in the four hours they're open. Regarding the different seasons: Summer is held in downtown Naperville at the Settlement. I prefer this one over the winter because it's larger, there are more vendors (both beer and other alcohols), they employ music acts on stage, there are more games and places to sit..and hey..it's summer. Even when it was 100 degree's last year it was fun. Winter was excellent as well. You can't judge the fest by the weather, you have to accept what mother nature gives you. In our case this year, that was near 40 degree temps in late February. Can't ask for much better than that in Chicagoland. The setup was an easy flow but the tents, which are necessary given the possible weather conditions, make for cramped quarters. The lines were never long, but getting to them usually meant maneuvering around idle drinkers. The winter doesn't provide a music act and the food/games/non-beer vendors are far less. Still..60 brewers in the dead of winter is a pretty awesome selection. Can't wait for the next one. Cheers!

Summer session was terrible. A lot of the booths were having trouble with their taps and kegs. Not…read moreworth the money.