It was more like a neighborhood block party with some carnival rides and games than it was a…read moreOktoberfest. Spent about an hour there since it was just me and my husband and had done everything. The beer wasn't too expensive and they did have some good music. Not really the Oktoberfest German experience you would really want.

The Berwyn Oktoberfest is a blast! Sure, it's not a real Oktoberfest, it is more of a HUGE block…read moreparty like the other reviewer said, but what makes it great is that there are so many local restaurants and vendors. This is a true community festival that has retained its character. The music acts are also great and they have ample seating and security for the event. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the event, especially from the Mayor and his presence. They had a great 80s band last year that really got the crowd going! Look forward to this festival every year as a 30 something year old.

The food and the vibe is amazing!…read more The organizers need to provide more tables and seats. For the size of the event, the few tables they had were not enough definitely.

Fun and vibrant street festival capping off the end of the summer festival season. I grew up in a…read moreheavily Greek neighborhood. It tastes me back to my childhood to enjoy the culture on display and especially the food. The Athena restaurant is a great spot in the area to dine in but every restaurant pretty much has a stand. The platters are pretty amazing. You can smell the grilled meat especially the lamb blocks away. I can honestly eat food like this daily.

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!

Worth a trip to Chicago Local groups in ethnic parade…read morethrough historic neighborhood. Great food in church hall after Mass. August 15 every year

I been going to this Croatian fest for at least 40 years my dad went there before me. My dad and…read moremother where born in pola Istria when it was Italy know it is Croatia I been there 18 times and still Jerome does a great job Mass Procession food entertainment and of course Ceviche. You won't be disappointed great fun

Every year, since the early 70's it seemed we had djs showcasing popular urban music. This year,…read morethey didn't even have a House music venue. I don't know if they are justifying it by saying, it keeps the gangs out but the gangs no longer really follow House music trends. Plus, they still had gang fights. As I walked my bike through the festival it felt alienating. On tv they called it America's largest latino fest and that's a lie.

The last time we visited Chicago a few years ago, we attended and really liked the Tacos y Tamales…read morefestival. This year we found we'd missed that event, but Fiesta del Sol, supposedly the largest Latin festival of its kind in the USA, would be happening during our trip instead, and both of those events take place in the exact same area of the Pilsen neighborhood. We took an Uber here on Saturday afternoon to check it out, eat some authentic Mexican food and enjoy the music and folkloric performances. This festival features streets lined with vendors selling food and merchandise, they had 2 performance stages with live bands, a grassy area with a DJ spinning, and a 2 block-long section that was set up like a carnival midway with games of chance, thrill rides and amusements. Visiting Fiesta del Sol was a good way to spend a few hours, enjoy some good food and entertainment and best of all, admission was completely free. Do know that the food at some booths is better quality than others and if I were to attend this festival again, I'd walk around and look at everything before deciding where and what to eat. Some vendors, for instance, were cooking their meat and preparing items fresh, including one stand that was grilling steak and turkey legs over an open wood fire, while others had pre-cooked everything and were taking items out of a cooler and reheating them as customers ordered - and to us, the pre-cooked options lacked flavor. Another thing to note is that Fiesta del Sol was a "dry" event with no alcohol sales. Even booths selling things like pina coladas and micheladas were selling non-alcohol versions. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but those planning to have a cold beer while enjoying the music on a hot summer day or to come and party it up with a few drinks, won't be able to do that here.

The University of Chicago Folk Festival is a long-time event--I think it's been held for almost…read moreseven decades, with the exception of the first couple years of the pandemic. It's a combination of folk arts, workshops held by performers or others, concerts, and so on. There are dances held during the workshop days often with music from the concert performers. You can join a sea shanty sing, or learn a new way of playing your instrument, how to become a storyteller, and so on. The workshops during the day are free but the concerts at Mandel Hall have a charge. The schedule is a mess. There's no break between most events, which causes so many problems I just cannot understand their insistence on maintaining this mode of scheduling. A workshop is scheduled 12:30-1:30 and another from 1:30-2:30 in the same room. How is this logistically sound? You have to get the prior presenter out, which could take several minutes depending upon what gear they have to pack up. Folks leaving & entering simultaneously for two workshops. I've been to workshops that were 10+ minutes off schedule for this reason and sat through programs I thought were within 20 minutes of finishing so as not to miss the one following, only to find out it was actually closer to 40 minutes from ending (annoying since I wasn't interested in the topic and would have attended another workshop during that hour if I'd known they were so far behind). It doesn't help that sometimes the volunteers overseeing a workshop don't give a time call or when asked how much time remains they aren't assertive in saying time's up/one minute left/etc. Changing the schedule to add breaks would add less than an hour to the schedule, and/or they could change the start and end time for the day. A quilting workshop by the Lakeshore Quilting Guild is one I was excited to attend. This was the reason I attended this year; unfortunately, the workshop was quite a dud. It started 15 or so minutes late due to the scheduling issues mentioned above. There was little instruction. I've never quilted before and once set up they just sat at the front--it took someone asking when we were starting for them to hand that person a paper with patterns, tell them to pick out squares, and provide information on what we were doing there. But what do we do with the squares once we have them? It wasn't very well planned and that was disappointing because I had been ready to join the Lakeshore Quilting Guild to learn this craft and maybe make something small. Based on this experience it seems like they're only really looking for experienced quilters, not newbies. It would have been better if they'd welcomed us and told us what we were doing, how to use the patterns, how they wanted us to arrange them and then bring them up for sewing; if there'd been Guild members helping attendees from the start rather than standing at the front waiting for people to come to them at first. When they got overwhelmed by people lining up to get help sewing they realized they should maybe do something besides play with their phones or stand around. I know, I should cut them some slack, since I'm not sure they've ever participated in the festival before. ETA: Camille saved the quilting day! She set up a second sewing machine and helped me sew my square together. She was very welcoming, asking me my name; if I did fiber or other domestic arts; and invited me to their meetings (they meet twice per month, once via zoom and once in person). I also went to the end of the Piedmont Blues workshop, which was well attended. Most folks watched but I did see a few with guitars in the audience. Immediately after in the same room was the Huateco fiddle workshop, providing some instruction on a style of music from a region in Mexico, and that was pretty cool. That's the workshop I had actually wanted to listen to in there and the performer was really proficient. One of my favorite aspects are the jam sessions that just pop up. I stumbled onto two whilst I was there on different floors. I only got a chance to listen to one, really, but the players were fantastic! I could have listened to them for an hour or more. The festival is ADA-compliant... ish. Noyes Hall has entrance ramps on the west (Woodlawn) and east (Kimbark) sides of the building, but the UCFF site doesn't say anything; I combed the website and found nothing saying there were special entrances for folks can't use the stairs. The students who are working at the desk in the building, completely unrelated to this specific event, also apparently don't know where the stair-free entrances are because when I asked she had to call someone to find out. That front entrance also has three black stairs once you enter the doors which are hard to see especially when you're leaving, so be careful there. Overall, it's an enjoyable event with some room for improvement even decades in. The concerts held on Friday and Saturday are great.

I attend this festival every year no matter what - it is the only pleasant thing about Chicago in…read moreFebruary! And THIS year, my band (The New Mules) is booked! What an awesome treat! Check the web site for all the other great bands too. Usually the first weekend in Feb., but this year it's Feb 12-14, so get ready to feel the love! :o) There are ALL KINDS of music / dance at this thing, but to give you a taste: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCSu0UVeBYY

A little taste of all the AH-mazing restaurants the area has to offer. Games, DJ, music, drinks,…read moredesserts-- it's a party in the neighborhood! I enjoyed exploring. It was a welcoming, peaceful experience and I had a great time.

Aug 15-18 2019 version of the Little Italy festival has lots of great entertainment, food, vendors,…read morecarnival barkers, people watching, and attitude. What it doesn't have any of... parking. There is one street in that neighborhood that isn't zoned for permits, and that's the street they're blocking off for the event. So a pro-tip is to find the street behind the little italy public library and park there, or in their lot. The festival itself has fun music acts that remind you of the old country or (what you think it might be like from the Godfathers) or really kitchy things like boy bands and wrestlers. There's a row of carnival barkers that is quite fun, and really the music and food programming is very good and the alcohol even seems reasonably priced. Lots of area businesses feature themselves, which is more rare than it should be, and there were lots of kids having fun, etc. Overall, the festival gets 5 stars, EXCEPT... This year they are hosting the gelato festival. This is a touring gelato competition or something making a stop in chicago for this event, and the gelato is really really really good. Very good. Gelato festival riff... But here's the thing. The festival started tonight (thursday) and the gelato people are a mess. They have no idea what they are doing and the crowd has no idea how to get to the gelato. so there's just a permanent herd waiting to get gelato and not realizing that unlike the rest of the festival (which thankfully just takes cash) this bizarro mini-festival only takes tickets from booths that aren't marketed as ticket booths, or via an app that they don't tell you where to find or from a website that seems not to exist. (here it is:https://gelatofestival.com/en/world-master/chicago/ ) Anyways, go to the booth and give them 10 bucks. It gets you three gelatos. If the lines are crazy and such just go to a stand where the attendant is working (my wife waited 10 minutes at a gelato stand that nobody was operating, having taken a smoke break after serving 10 guys from India who sampled everything and then left) - and order three things. They don't label anything, so you'll have to ask the attendant what each thing is, or just be brave and point. They want you to rate the gelato and such but really they can't even serve the gelato properly, they're all a mess. So I would give the gelato festival folks like... 2 stars. Except the actual gelato is good. They need to do crowd control, tell people how to get the gelato, etc. But in its delicious disarray, I guess the gelato festival is the very epitome of Italy.

Attended the 2017 event yesterday and had a blast! I loved how this was just in downtown Oak Park…read moreso you got to walk around the downtown and also try great beers. I also loved the fact that even if you didn't have a ticket, you could walk around. One of my friends isn't a beer drinker, but she still got to hang out with us as we wandered. I also loved the variety of beers that were there. Obviously, tons of IPAs but there were also stouts, amber ales, double IPAs, sours, and more! Great variety. Also loved that a few ciders made an appearance. I love finding a good cider! The food options were intriguing and covered quite the range of drink cravings. Also loved the water coolers where I could fill up my water bottle. It's important to stay hydrated while day drinking! Was kind of confused about how the drinking wasn't supposed to start until 3? I arrived shortly after 2pm and was able to check in, get my glass, and start drinking. I'm not complaining because it meant I had more time to explore and pace myself, but it was kind of confusing. Overall this was a fun event! Easy to get to (right off the Harlem stop on the Green line)! And well run! Definitely hope I can make it next year!

Now in its 7th year, the Oak Park Micro Brew & Food Review was a pleasure to be involved in. I…read morevolunteered at the event, which benefits Seven Generations to promote healthy eating in schools, and sustainable communities. While I had a fun interactive volunteering job of pouring cider and beer to happy review-goers, others made sure this was as close to a Zero Waste festival as possible. 74 breweries were a part of the 2014 review, with some taking part in a Replicale challenge, which gave them very specific guidelines for a red or amber ale. The 4-hour festival allowed plenty of time to drink and get your money's worth, and it takes place on the streets of downtown Oak Park, so you can take the Green Line in and not drive! (If you don't already live in lovely Oak Park). I "Untappd" so many beers I lost track, especially since so many of the Replicales weren't even on the grid yet. My favorite Replicales were by Lake Effect and Dryhop Brewery. My favorite regular brews were by Lake Effect, the Blind Pig, and Virtue Ciders. The festival had plenty of bathrooms, water stations to fill up your water bottle or wash out your tasting glass, but as far as being a "food review", a little more could be done to provide more, and more affordable food options. (ie. the $7 "half bratwurst" was more like ballpark prices!) This is definitely a festival to consider if you love Craft Brews in the summertime!