"Free, Free, Free!" is an e-newsletter and website that provides a monthly curated list of free programs, events and activities happening throughout the city in our libraries, museums, cultural centers and parks. We encourage you to express your culture through the arts and take advantage of the many opportunities the City of Chicago provides you to engage, create and participate!
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Rahm Emanuel
Mayor
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Mark Kelly
Commissioner |
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Wednesday, July 5 - Sunday, July 9
Grant Park, Jackson & Columbus
Taste of Chicago is the nation's premier outdoor food festival showcasing the diversity of Chicago's dining community. The delicious array of food served at Taste of Chicago is complemented by music and exciting activities for the entire family. Every summer since 1980, Chicago's beautiful Grant Park on the city's magnificent lakefront has been home to the world's largest food festival.
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Millennium Park - Family Fun Festival
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Through Thursday, August 24, 10am-2pm
Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St.
Families are invited to join the fun all summer long with activities, including music and arts and crafts, for kids of all ages, at the
Family Fun Festival, June 19-August 20, 10am-2pm. The series is presented by the Millennium Park Foundation (grant support provided by Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, managed by the Millennium Park Foundation), under the tent at Chase Promenade North.
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 We are searching for Chicago's best amateur footwork and steppin' dancers! Come watch or compete in the new dance-off competitions, part of the SummerDance in the Parks program. Regional winners will compete in Millennium Park on August 26th! Registration details will be posted at
chicagosummerdance.org in the coming weeks.
Footwork Dance-Off
Saturday, July 8, 2-5pm
Garfield Park Golden Dome, 100 N. Central Park Ave.
Steppin' Dance-Off
Saturday, July 15, 2-5pm
Washington Park Refectory, 5531 S. Martin Luther King Dr.
Footwork Dance-Off
Saturday, July 22, 2-5pm
Hamilton Park Cultural Center, 513 W. 72nd St.
Steppin' Dance-Off
Saturday, July 29, 2-5pm
Austin Town Hall, 5610 W. Lake St.
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Thursdays, May 11 - October 26, 7am-3pm
50 W. Washington St.
Daley Plaza Market is the longest running farmers market in Chicago! Chicago's Farmers Markets bring vendors selling fresh fruits, vegetables, plants and flowers to neighborhoods throughout the City of Chicago. Check the website for the full schedule and to find a market near you!
City Markets Presented by
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Thursday, July 27, 7-9pm
Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St., Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!, NPR's Peabody Award-winning quiz show, is returning to Millennium Park as part of its 20th season. Host Peter Sagal and Judge and Scorekeeper Bill Kurtis will lead a panel of comedians, humorists and journalists, listener contestants and a special celebrity guest through a comic review of the week's news, all in front of a live audience at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. For more information, visit
www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me
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Sounding Bronzeville
Saturday, July 22, 1-4pm
39th at Lake Shore Drive at the Burnham Wildlife Corridor
Freestyle dance workshop and sounds of the djigeridoo.
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The Wall of Respect: Vestiges, Shards and the Legacy of Black Power
Through Sunday, July 30
Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago Rooms, 2nd Floor North, 78 E. Washington St.
Guest curated by Romi Crawford, Abdul Alkalimat and Rebecca Zorach, this
exhibition chronicles how the the Organization of Black American Culture's Visual Artists Workshop designed and produced a seminal mural for and within Chicago's Black South Side communities. The Wall was ultimately painted over and virtually forgotten after damage by a fire in 1971, but its legacy has reemerged today as one of the most significant projects in Chicago's storied public art history.
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Presented by Mayor Rahm Emanuel,
Night Out in the Parks brings over 1,000 cultural events to neighborhood parks each year. Chicagoans and visitors alike, enjoy the breadth of world-class events in every one of the city's 77 community areas. Here are a few programming highlights happening in July, but be sure to check out their
website (or
download the app!) for a full listing of events!
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Sounds of Summer w/ DJ Monty at Rowan Music
Thursday, July 6, 12-4pm
Rowan Park, 11546 S. Avenue L
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Dance in the Parks at Calumet Dance
Friday, July 14, 6-7:30pm
Calumet Park, 9801 S. Avenue G
Dance in the Parks brings professional dance concerts to outdoor venues in the parks. In its 9th season, Dance in the Parks brings an all-ages show of modern, jazz, contemporary, and tap works created and performed by Chicago artists. Each show features guest youth performers from neighborhood dance programs and ticket giveaways.
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Midsommer Flight at Touhy
Saturday, July 22, 6-8pm
Touhy Park, 7348 N. Paulina St.
Enjoy a production of Shakespeare's - "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" in the park. Midsommer Flight is a Chicago theatre collective dedicated to producing outdoor performances of Shakespeare's plays. Come out for a picnic and enjoy a free performance in the fresh air of a Chicago summer.
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Since first opening our doors in 1873,
Chicago Public Library has served all Chicagoans with free and open places to gather, learn, connect, read and be transformed. The libraries are that special third place-beyond home and work-where people come to improve their lives, nourish their intellect or savor entertainment. Their 80 locations host a variety of free events ranging from performances, arts and crafts, writing and poetry, continuing education and more. Here are a few stand-out events happening in July, but be sure to check out their full event calendar for programming at your local library!
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 The Last Dragon: A Heroic Puppet Show with Jabberwocky Marionettes
Wednesday, July 5, 2-2:45pm
Brighton Park, 4314 S. Archer Ave.
Jabberwocky Marionettes presents a theatrical fantasy comedy adventure with original music featuring hand-made table-top rod puppets and intricately manipulated marionettes.
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Writing Workshop
Tuesday, July 11, 6:30-7:45am
Edgewater, 6000 N. Broadway
Interested in getting feedback and support for your writing endeavors? Then join us! Held in conjunction with the Community Writing Project, we'll have an experienced facilitator on hand to guide a
writing feedback discussion.
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Open Mic!
Thursday, July 20, 5-7:30pm
Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St.
Have some music to perform or a poem that needs to be shared? Come check out our brand new
Open Mic. Also, learn about how you can hang out, mess around and engage in fun programs that make a positive difference both in your life and in your community as part of the Teen Services summer initiative, Elevate Your Voice!
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The MCA is making it easier to access thought-provoking exhibitions and programs by opening the museum free of charge to all visitors 18 and under. In addition, Illinois residents are free on Tuesdays. Pass it on!
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Navy Pier's 101st Birthday
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Saturday, July 15
Polk Bros Park at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave.
Navy Pier is turning 101! Join Chicago's iconic cultural destination for its official birthday celebration, featuring a full day of live music and dance performances, a community picnic and more. For more information, visit
www.navypier.com
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Department of Defense Warrior Games
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Friday, June 30 - Saturday, July 8
Locations throughout the City of Chicago
The 2017 Department of Defense (DoD)
Warrior Games will be held June 30 - July 8 in Chicago, Ill. Approximately 265 wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans representing teams from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), as well as the United Kingdom Armed Forces and the Australian Defense Force will participate in the competition.
The Warrior Games exist to provide an opportunity for athletes to grow physically, mentally and spiritually from the sportsmanship and camaraderie gained by representing their respective service teams in a friendly and spirited competition. It is an opportunity for athletes to showcase their enduring warrior spirit in the presence of their families and a grateful nation.
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