CHICAGO — September kicks off with Labor Day parades and a variety of festivals this weekend, from the city’s flagship house and techno music festival to the Chicago Jazz Festival to Villapalooza in Little Village.
There’s also the West Loop Art Festival with six blocks of art displays and activations and Taste of Polonia celebrating Polish culture in Chicago.
For folks looking to enjoy the final weeks of summer, there’s also Bike the Drive along the lakefront and a Fulton Market walking tour.
All Weekend
Chicago Jazz Festival
Thursday-Sunday
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. (Thursday) and Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St. (Friday-Sunday)
A Labor Day weekend tradition, the Chicago Jazz Festival is back with four days of local and international jazz performances. Headliners include Amina Claudine Myers, Catherine Russell, Kenny Garrett and the Sounds from the AncestorsandSpanish Harlem Orchestra.
Admission is free. Find the full schedule and learn more here.
Taste Of Polonia
5-10:30 p.m. Friday, noon-10:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, noon-9:30 p.m. Monday
Copernicus Center, 5216 W. Lawrence Ave.
Taste of Polonia features four days of Polish culture with live music, dance performances, authentic Polish and American food and drinks, beer, family activities and more.
Single day tickets are $10 and four-day passes are $45. Buy them and learn more here.
ARC Music Festival
Friday-Sunday
Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph St.
ARC Music Festival is back this weekend with Grammy-nominated brother duo Disclosure, dance musicians Carl Cox B2B Green Velvet, grime pioneer Skepta, Chicago-born electronic visionary Honey Dijon, Grammy nominated hitmaker Dom Dolla, Belgian techno powerhouse Charlotte de Witte and more.
Tickets for the 18+ fest start at $199 for one-day passes. Buy them and learn more here.
West Loop Art Fest
10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday
Along Fulton Street, from Aberdeen to Peoria streets
The sixth annual West Loop Art Fest brings six blocks of art displays in various mediums, including jewelry, ceramics, painting, drawing, embroidery and woodwork, interactive art, children’s crafts and live music to Fulton Market. Featured artists include Dora Moreno, Yuemin Xin, Atelier Adesso, Bosphorus, Carillo Art, Janvier, One Man One Garage, Puzzle Mist, Steve Bines, Yahaart and more.
Admission is free. Learn more here.
Friday
Techno Truck Pop-Up
3-6 p.m. Friday
235 N. Ashland Ave.
This pop-up party features a dance floor and lineup of techno DJs, including Kalzone, Ezra Jermale and Vela-Fi. It’s hosted by No Request Radio Chicago, Party Club and The Get Down Chicago.
Admission is free. Learn more here.
Guild Row’s Annual Clam Bake
6-11 p.m. Friday
Guild Row, 3130 N. Rockwell St.
Guests can enjoy all-you-can-eat seafood at Guild Row’s 4th annual Clam Bake. There will be two kinds of clams plus mussels, shrimp, corn on the cob and sausage prepared by Guild Row co-founder Jim Lasko and Chicago Magazine food writer John Kessler. There will also be drinks and live music by bluegrass band Hayward.
Tickets are $75. Buy them and learn more here.
Saturday
Labor Day Parade & Eddie Fest
Noon Saturday
The parade starts at 107th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, heading south and ending at 112th Street
A longstanding tradition, Chicago’s Labor Day Parade features local businesses, schools, unions and community groups. It culminates with Eddie Fest, a celebration of workers and Chicago’s labor movement, featuring food trucks, live music, bounce houses, archery instruction, a mobile exhibit of state parks, prizes and more.
Learn more here.
Villapalooza
Noon-10 p.m. Saturday
La Villita Park, 28th and Sacramento
Villapalooza is an annual grassroots music festival bringing music, art, food vendors and family activities to Little Village. This year’s performers include Amira Jazeera, Sycksyllables, Flores Negras, Sinful El Pecador, DJGreedy, Ballet Folklorico Xochitl and La Kombi.
The fest is free and open to all ages. Find the full lineup and learn more here.
The Promontory: Jollof Festival & 10th Anniversary Party
2-7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave.
The Promontory is hosting two parties for a full day of celebrations Saturday.
First up is Jollof Festival, where attendees can taste different varieties of jollof, a one-pot rice dish native to countries in West Africa. There will be dishes fromGhana, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Senegal. Tickets are $25-55. Learn more and buy them here.
There’s also The Promontory’s 10th anniversary bash, a night-long dance party that continues until 3 a.m. It’s free to attend with RSVP.
Chicago Fire FC Game & Jason Derulo Show
7:30 p.m. Saturday
Soldier Field, 1410 S. Museum Campus Drive
Catch a home soccer game against Inter Miami CF plus a post-game show by the “Whatcha Say” singer.
Tickets start at $49. Buy them and learn more here.
Sunday
Fulton Market Industrial Corridor Walking Tour
11 a.m. Sunday
Morgan Station (Green/Pink Lines), 958 W. Lake St.
Walk between Fulton Market’s historic red-brick warehouses while learning all about the neighborhood’s history, architecture and development, including the generations it spent providing fresh produce and processed meats.
The tour is hosted by Chicago for Chicagoans, a pay-what-you-can tour group by and for Chicago residents. Learn more and register to attend here.
Bike The Drive
6:30 a.m. Sunday
DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Thousands of bikers will take to DuSable Lake Shore Drive this weekend for the 24th annual Bike the Drive, which closes the major street to car traffic. The event is produced by and benefitsActive Transportation Alliance, a nonprofit working to improve walking, biking and public transit in Illinois and neighboring states.
Cyclists can start from the main event grounds at Grant Park or enter the event via Bryn Mawr Avenue, Fullerton Avenue, Oakwood Boulevard and the Museum of Science and Industry.
General admission is $68-78. Youth admission is $18. Learn more and register here.
‘The Sandlot’ 30th Anniversary Meet & Greet
2-8 p.m. Sunday
Sluggers, 3540 N. Clark St.
For the first time ever, the cast of the coming-of-age sports movie “The Sandlot” are coming together for a meet and greet. To celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary, fans can meet the actors, get an autographed photo, see a screening of the movie and enjoy an appetizer buffet and a free drink.
Tickets are $150 and will benefit Smash SMARD, a nonprofit that helps kids with Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Respiratory Distress (SMARD). Buy tickets here.
Monday
WOOGMS Labor Day Parade
11 a.m. Monday
At Wellington and Pine Grove avenues in Lakeview
Everyone gets to march in this “Do-It-Yourself” Labor Day Parade. A decades old Lakeview tradition hosted by The Wellington Oakdale Old Glory Marching Society (WOOGMS), Chicagoans and their pets are invited to march, bike and scooter along with the crowd.
Learn more here.
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