Chicago: Festival of Festivals

Chicago has earned many nicknames: The Windy City, the City of the Big Shoulders, Second City, the City that Works, that Toddling Town, Hog Butcher to the World. One name that it probably deserves more than any other, however, is “City of Festivals.”

One of my favorites is the Chicago Blues Festival, coming up June 5–8 in Grant Park. This year’s lineup includes, among many acts:

· A tribute to Muddy Waters, performed by a number of top blues performers,

· Buckwheat Zydeco,

· B.B. King, appearing for the first time in 20 years,

· and a number of scheduled “jams” that usually deliver great surprises.

Probably the best thing about the Chicago Blues Festival is that it’s FREE, although Grant Park is a fantastic place to go to see it, too. Festival organizers expect about three-quarters of a million people during the four days, but they have been running this event for a long time, so they know how to manage. With six stages, you can get close to the acts, and you can move from stage to stage to get a taste of everything. You’ll get stepped on and bumped into, but there’s less rowdiness than you might expect, because alcohol is not allowed on the Festival grounds.

For up-to-the-minute information about the Chicago Blues Festival, go here.

Beyond the Blues

If you didn’t get enough of the blues during the day, you can extend your evening to include after-parties such as:

· House of Blues. Home to the Wayne Baker Brooks All-Star Blues Bash Thursday, June 5, from 8 p.m. until… whenever (329 North Dearborn). This scene is WILD, with wall-to-wall people, most seriously intoxicated, and the performers almost universally do everything they can to make sure that the audience has a great time.

· Hot Blues Nights. Offers several acts June 5–7, beginning at 9 p.m. in a venue that can only hold about 115 people per show (2120 South Michigan Avenue). These events are charitable, with proceeds going to support music education for underprivileged kids, and their tone is a bit sedate. But with such an intimate venue, you really get to see great performers “up close and personal.”

If You Go

I offer the following hotel recommendations because they’re diverse, but great:

· Hotel Allegro. In the North Loop theatre district (171 West Randolph), the Allegro offers a good example of the hipper, newer side of Chicago lodging.

· The Drake. On the Magnificent Mile and Michigan Avenue’s Gold Coast (140 East Walton Place), the Drake offers a more traditional, elegant hotel experience.

NOTE: This referral is not meant to be comprehensive, so please don’t write back with, “Why didn’t you include…?” The Incidental Tourist is meant to be like a friend’s recommendation and not a guidebook. We hope it’s helpful. Thank you for reading it.