"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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Year of Creative Youth
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Presented by
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The Year of Creative Youth is a citywide initiative to celebrate Chicago's young artists and the mentors who inspire them! Check out the Year of Creative Youth website for more arts events and programs featuring and for young Chicagoans all year long:
cityofchicago.org/yocy
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Teens in the Park (T.I.P.) Fest Auditions
Saturday, August 4, 12-2pm
Jefferson Park, 4822 N. Long Ave.
Youth ages 13-24 years old (as of September 23, 2018) are invited to audition for Mayor Rahm Emanuel's T.I.P. Fest (Teens in the Park) 2018! T.I.P. Fest is the largest platform for Chicago's young artists to showcase their work, connect to resources and celebrate one another's talents. New this year, T.I.P Fest will be part of the City of Chicago's Year of Creative Youth Festival, September 22 in Millennium Park! Visit the T.I.P. Fest Audition page for more audition dates and info.
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FEAST Festival at Homan Square
Saturday, August 11, 4-7pm
Homan Square Park, 3559 W. Arthington
AMFM presents FEAST, an arts, music and food festival where everybody eats! The festival is hosted by Chicago curators and features a diverse platter of emerging artists and musicians coming together to raise awareness about food and spotlight the amazing talent this city holds. This event is presented as a part of the City of Chicago's Year of Creative Youth and Night Out in the Parks.
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Arts in the Dark Lantern Procession on the Riverwalk
LUMA8
Tuesday, August 14, 8:30-9:15pm
Chicago Riverwalk, Between Franklin and Wells at Wacker Dr.
Part of 2nd Tuesdays on the Riverwalk, LUMA8 is partnering with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events to present monthly Arts in the Dark Lantern Processions featuring illuminated creations made with After School Matters and other area Chicago arts organizations. Procession begins between Franklin and Wells and goes east to Lake Shore Drive.
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Teen Beach Bash at Rainbow Beach
Saturday, August 18, 1-5pm
Rainbow Beach & Park, 3111 E. 77th St.
Enjoy DJ, music, entertainment, fun, food & interactive games at the
Beach Bash! For teens ages 13 to 17 years.
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Year of Creative Youth Exhibition
Opens Saturday, August 25
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., Michigan Avenue Galleries, 1st Floor East
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Chicago Air and Water Show
Saturday & Sunday, August 18-19, 10am-3pm North Avenue Beach, 1600 N. Lake Shore Dr.
Presented by Shell Oil Products U.S. and the City of Chicago is the largest FREE show of its kind in the United States. The show can be viewed along the lakefront from Fullerton to Oak Street, with North Avenue Beach as the focal point.
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SummerDance Celebration
Saturday, August 25, 12-9pm Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St.
Let's get moving at this full day of participatory dance competitions, lessons, social dancing and showcase of local dance companies!
Featured youth program: Dance Downs in the Park at Cloud Gate stage, 12-1pm. The NEW SummerDance Downs in the Parks is a performance series hosted by Shkunna Stewart and The Era Footwork Crew. Dance Downs are historic black Chicago talent showcases inspired by modern dance styles like bopping, Chicago footwork, online dance challenges and TV shows like Bring It and America's Got Talent. Finalists from the Dance Downs in the Park series will compete at Cloud Gate.
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Alexis Rockman: The Great Lakes Cycle
Through October 1 Chicago Cultural Center, Exhibit Hall, 78 E. Washington St.
This multi-faceted project explores the past, present and future of North America's Great Lakes - one of the world's most emblematic and ecologically significant ecosytems. Painted in Rockman's signature, meticulous but visionary hyper-realist style, the works in the exhibition are anchored by five mural-sized (72" x 144") oil paintings, each exploring a theme that emerged during Rockman's field research and engagement with lake experts.
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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.
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Pixar Movie Matinee: Up
Saturday, August 4, 1-2:45pm
Kelly Branch Library, 6151 S. Normal Blvd.
Join for a special family screening of the Pixar movie
Up! This program is supported by the Museum of Science and Industry's
The Science Behind Pixar exhibit. This interactive exhibit showcases the science, technology, engineering and math concepts used by the artists and computer scientists who help bring Pixar's award-winning films to the big screen.
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Back to School Water Festival
Tuesday, August 14, 2-4pm
Sherman Park Branch Library, 5440 S. Racine Ave.
Planned by teens, this
event will highlight water conservation and why it is important to our communities. There will be giveaways, refreshments, games, activities, and fun!
This program is part of the 2018 Teen Summer Challenge: Imagine Doing More! #ImagineAtCPL #CPLTeens
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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 August, but be sure to check out their
website (or
download the app!) for a full listing of events!
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ArtSeed at North Mayfair
Wednesday, August 1, 11am-1pm
North Mayfair Playlot Park, 4533 W. Carmen Ave.
ArtSeed visits playlots across Chicago to bring storytelling, music, movement, and nature play rooted in neighborhood stories. Young people and their families are invited to explore the histories and legacies of Chicago based artists and imagine the creative possibilities in their own neighborhood.
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SummerDance in the Parks
Wednesday, August 1, 6-9pm
White (Willye B.) Park, 1610 W. Howard
In collaboration with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, patrons will enjoy a free dance class and then dance the night away.
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Melanin Voices at Humboldt
Saturday, August 25, 4-6pm
Humboldt Park, 1440 N. Humboldt Blvd.
A g Thing! presents, Melanin Voices, a series performance collective of poetry and live literature purposed to showcase the local, unsung voices in literature and highlight the narratives illuminated from their writings. These largely scripted shows, inclusive of poetry, short stories, vignettes, fiction, and non-fiction work of various Chicago artists, are weaved together to create a beautiful narrative.
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Red Theater's The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity
Theater on the Lake: Summer Theater Festival
Wednesday, August 7-Friday, August 10, 7-9pm and Thursday at 2-4pm
South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Dr.
Admission is FREE, advance reservations strongly encouraged
How does one pursue the "American Dream" in a country that refuses to offer opportunity indiscriminately? A flashy American satire set in the professional entertainment wrestling world, we follow Puerto Rican wrestler Macedonio Guerra as he rises from the bottom of the pecking order. In this interactive physical comedy, Mace talks directly to the audience as fans in his arena.
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Chicago Hot Dog Fest
August 10-12, Friday and Saturday: 11am-9pm; Sunday: 11am-8pm
Chicago History Museum, 1701 N. Stockton Dr.
Free admission, $5 suggested donation
Take a bite out of Chicago history at the sixth annual Chicago Hot Dog Fest, presented by the Chicago History Museum! The Fest returns to Lincoln Park this August to include a full lineup of bands, hot dog and city history speakers, and the star of the event: Vienna Beef hot dogs prepared in various regional and ethnic styles by the city's top hot dog vendors.
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