Chicago Travel Group

If there’s one thing Chicago knows how to do, it’s throw a great festival. Whether you like to get Moshy with it, or you’d rather close your eyes and dreamily dance the night away, there is a Chicago Music Festival in 2011 for you. Check out the guide we’ve already set up for you, grab some friends and come show us your moves!

FEBRUARY

Riot Fest
Can’t wait til the summer season for the festivals to start? This event will be just what you need to shake up your winter blues. And believe it that Riot fest is the complete opposite of Blues. Riot Fest will be a week long in Chicago, and held at different indoor venues throughout the city, with different bands being featured each night. So hit up one, or hit up all of them. The bands featured tend
to be on the Punk side, so don’t forget to pack your hair gel and keep that Mohawk looking good all night long.
February 5-11, 2011
Various Theatres, Chicago

JUNE

Chicago Blues Festival
Some of the most amazing Blues artists in the World- Ray Charles and B.B Kings once graced the stages. Three days lakeside at Grant Park. Five stages to pick your musical poison from. And it’s FREE. Need we say more? Chicago Blues Festival is the largest Blues Festival in the world, and Chicago’s largest music festival. The music begins at 11am, but arrive early to get good seats- they get snatched up quickly!
Dates: June 10-12, 2011
Location: Grant Park, Chicago

Taste of Chicago
If Taste of Chicago was a Pizza, the music would be the Pepperoni. The base of the Taste is the food- it’s the World’s biggest Outdoor food fest. Add in the amazing music, and you have no excuse if you don’t make it to the Taste. Come check out over 300 menu items and 70 restaurants, including famous Chicago haunts such as Lou Malnatis Pizza, and plenty of beverages to wash down your tasty snacks. Wander on over to one of the free concerts, and dance the night away.
Dates: June 25-July 4, 2011
Location: Grant Park, Chicago

Summerfest
Ok, so technically Summerfest is in Milwaukee, but it’s a short drive from the city and the best way to start off your Summer Music Festival fun. Summerfest is the largest Music Festival in the World, 11 days long, 11 stages big, and over 800 bands played in 2010. The 2011 lineup hasn’t been released, but last years lineup included everyone from O.A.R. to Carrie Underwood. You and the 100,000 friends you didn’t know you had will all be there, so don‘t miss out- because you will be sitting at home alone.
Dates: June 29-July 10, 2011
Location: Summerfest Grounds, Milwaukee

JULY

Ravinia Festival
Ravinia Festival is Chicago’s Sound of Summer. The summer calendar for 2011 is jam packed with the
best of the best, no matter what your music flavor, so check it out. The music will give you an eargasm for
sure, but with Ravinia it’s even more about the atmosphere. Pack some bread and cheese, BYOB, bring
some blankets and arrive early. Set up your picnic on the lawn overlooking the stage, meet your fellow
music lovers, and enjoy the Chicago Summer breeze. The day will turn into night, and soon you will be
swaying your hips under the stars. The Metra runs for free to Ravinia shows, so be safe and opt to take the
train.
Dates: July 7- August 19, 2011
Location: Ravinia Park

Warped Tour
Pop, Rock, Punk, Hardcore, SKA, Hip-Hop, you will find it all at the Warped Tour. If you like to mosh it up and boogie it down, come get crazy with us at this Punk-Heavy Marathon. Some of 2011’s lineup will include Unwritten Law for some head banging and Hellogoodbye for some gyrating of the hips with the cutie next to you. This Music Fest is approximately 10 stages and 100 bands, but is just 1 day in each city, so don’t blink or you’ll miss it.
Date: July 9, 2011
Location: First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Tinley Park Illinois

Pitchfork Music Festival
This will be the 6th year of the Pitchfork Music festival here in Chicago, and each year more and more bands are added to the lineup. Some of the 2011 lineup will include Modest Mouse, Broken Social Scene, and LCD Soundsystem. A show not to be missed, grab your tickets early because they tend to sell out quick.
Dates: July 16-18, 2011
Location: Union Park, Chicago

AUGUST

Mayhem Festival
This festival is sponsored by Rockstar Energy Drink, and if that doesn’t give you a hint about the mood here sit down and ponder it for a minute…because come August, you wont be doing any sitting at this traveling Metal Fest. Assembled by the mastermind behind Vans Warped Tour, there will be plenty of stages, plenty of Thrash and Death Metal, and plenty of liquid courage to help you keep your feet moving into the wee hours of the morning.
Date: August 5, 2011
Location: First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Tinley Park Illinois

Lollapalooza
Ah, sweet Lollapalooza. Our chance to squish ourselves in between the bodies of 1,000s of other hot sweaty Chicagoans, all for the love of music. And then the after parties. Oh, the after parties…almost as fun as the festival itself. Be warned, you will get no sleep for the 72 hours of this “Jam” packed weekend. It would be a musical sin to miss Lollapalooza, which used to be a traveling festival, but now it is firmly placed in Chicago. This means the people, rather than the bands, have become the travelers. On that note, get your 2011 tickets yesterday rather than tomorrow, or you will be crying alone at home.
Dates: August 5-7, 2011
Location: Grant Park, Chicago

SEPTEMBER

Chicago Jazz Festival
This Labor Day weekend festival has graced our lakeside park for over 30 years. There is no admission fee to the Jazz Fest, just a love for the sweet sounds of the saxophone and maybe a sighting of Mr. Burgundy playing the “Yazz Flute”! So get your patent leather shoes, pack a lawn chair and come on down to Millennium Park.
Dates: September 2-4, 2011
Location: Millennium Park, Chicago

Northcoast Music Festival
End your Summer Concert Tour right by snatching up some tickets to Northcoast Music Festival. Only in its second year, and with an amazing turnout in its first, Northcoast is on the upswing towards being one of the best when it comes to music bliss. Just like its sister Lollapalooza, there will be some pretty sweet after (and after-after) parties, so make sure to grab plenty of Redbull- which will be plentiful seeing as they are the sponsor of the weekends musical haven. Look for bands like the Chemical Brothers, Moby, and
The Disco Biscuits.
Dates: September 2-4, 2011
Location: Union Park, Chicago

What festival are you looking forward to most? Let us know in the comments section below.