Community events in Wrigleyville? Does that neighborhood they really need any, given that Major League Baseball schedules 81 “events” each year, with a few major summer concerts thrown in (recent appearances include Billy Joel, Foo Fighters and AC/DC) at the ballpark for which the neighborhood is named?
Of course, they do. Wrigleyville shares the larger Lakeview community with neighborhoods such as Boystown and the Southport Corridor, and each celebrates and vibrates with energies all its own.
Here are some of those ways:
PorchFest Lakeview — Local musical acts performing on the front porches of homes within two blocks of the Southport-Lincoln-Wellington intersection in South Lakeview. The event debuted in 2018 and returns on June 2. Centered around the terrace of St. Alphonsus, the day also includes kids events, craft beer and food trucks.
Southport Art Festival — Returning July 13 and 14 to the intersection of Waveland and Southport, this popular, low-key festival has a great neighborhood vibe as artists working in a variety of media — oil, acrylic, watercolor, wood, glass, metal and more — display their creations in an intimate, tree-lined setting.
Northalsted Market Days — Billing itself as the largest street festival in the Midwest, the long-running Market Days event brings its brand of fabulousness to a six-block stretch of Halsted Street in Boystown on August 10 and 11. This year, some 200,000 revelers are expected to enjoy four stages of entertainment, more than 200 unique vendors, DJs, dancing and more. Founded in 1980, Market Days is a fixture on the social calendar of the first officially recognized gay village in the United States.
Pride Fest/Chicago Pride Parade — While more than 1 million spectators are expected to line the Boystown route of the 50th Chicago Pride Parade on June 30, Pride Fest commences a weekend earlier with its celebration of diversity, equality and the LGBTQ community. The festival, on Halsted Street from Addison to Grace, will include three stages offering live music, DJs and drag shows, as well as a pet parade, food and drink, arts and crafts vendors and more.
Lakeview Taco Fest — Now in its seventh year, Taco Fest has clearly staked out a tortilla-lined niche on a festival calendar dotted with events that can sometimes seem like the same vendors and acts have simply been transported to a different intersection. Southport, between Addison and Roscoe, contains all the deliciousness on September 14 and 15. Last year, D.S. Tequila Company, at 3352 N. Halsted St., won “Best Taco” for tortillas stuffed with the likes of coffee-rubbed steak and tequila shrimp. This year, more than a dozen restaurants are expected to vie for the title. The fest also features Mexican wrestlers, specialty beer and taco pairings, live music and more.
Living Your Fest Life
If living amid all these festivities appeals to you, you’ll have plenty of options from which to choose. Whether your sights are set on a posh high-rise overlooking Lincoln Park and Lake Michigan, an apartment near Wrigley Field or a brownstone near the Music Box, check out all our available rentals.