It’s summer’s last call, so take advantage of all the sunshine you can this weekend with these Labor Day Weekend festivals.
Chicago Jazz Festival
Sept. 1–4
Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St.
Free Admission
The 38th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival returns this weekend with jazz’s best and also up-and-coming musicians. What started as a tribute to the late Duke Ellington in Grant Park has transformed into the one of the world’s free and most extensive gathering of different jazz musicians from around the world.
You can catch over 40 performances during the four-day festival from avant-garde to Latin that are all worthy of your time. Special this year is a performance from Orbert Davis’ entitled “Soul Migration” that was commissioned to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of The Great Migration. Other featured performers include Oliver Lake, Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, The Bad Plus, and Candido’s 95th Birthday Celebration featuring M.F. Production’s Latin All Stars.
North Coast Music Festival
Sept. 2–4
Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph St.
Three-day tickets from $179 and single-day tickets from $60
It’s summer’s last stand with the North Coast Music Festival. Union Park is transformed into what some consider to be the better of the trio of music festivals that take over Chicago every summer. With this year’s lineup it’s easy to see why. North Coast Music Festival will hit all genres with a lineup that features Odesza, Grouplove, Bassnectar, Logic, Zedd, Umphrey’s McGee, Sleigh Bells, and much more.
Cider and Sliders Fest
Sept. 3—4
4800 N. Elston Ave.
$5 gate donation
New to the festival circuit this year is North Mayfair’s Cider and Sliders Fest. Enjoy cider and wine sampling, live music, craft beers, arts and crafts for kids, and delicious sliders. Though rarely talked about, North Mayfair is a wonderful neighborhood known for its architecture and part of the area is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Written By Joel Mora
Joel Mora is editor at Concierge Preferred. Born and raised in Miami, Fl., Joel has slowly ate, drank, and explored his way up north refining all his senses to prepare for the stampede of delicious dining, notorious nightlife, stellar shopping, and captivating culture that calls Chicago home. In the wild he’ll be the red-bearded Cuban with a Lagunitas IPA in his hand.
