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June 23 to 25
Friday
Logan Square Arts Festival
Beer by Revolution Brewing, cocktails by the Whistler, and music by Air Credits—the side project of ShowYouSuck and the Hood Internet—are all part of the effort to replant trees lost to the emerald ash borer. 5 p.m. logansquareartsfestival.com
Saturday
Stravinsky’s The Firebird
The Grant Park Orchestra toasts the Russian composer’s breakthrough ballet. Also on the bill: David Schiff’s jazz ode to the piece. 7:30 p.m. grantparkmusicfestival.com
Sunday
Chicago Pride Parade
Plan to show up early to Broadway and Montrose and stay late at the city’s rowdiest parade. Noon. chicagopride.gopride.com
June 30 to July 2
Friday
Chicago Tap Theatre
This year, the annual story-driven show reboots 2016’s Changes, a suite dedicated to the music of David Bowie. 7:30 p.m. chicagotaptheatre.com
Saturday
Chicago Fire vs. Vancouver
Catch former Bayern Munich soccer star Bastian Schweinsteiger while you can—he signed just a one-year contract with Chicago. 6 p.m. chicago-fire.com
Sunday
Chosen Few Picnic
The one-stop shop for old-school Chicago house turns 27 this year. Come to Jackson Park for the great DJs and stay for the display of killer dance moves. 10 a.m. chosenfewdjs.com
July 7 to 9
Friday
West Fest
Chicago house legend Derrick Carter appears alongside the expected indie fare (Cymbals Eat Guitars, Woods) in West Town. 5 p.m. westfestchicago.com
Saturday
Ruido Fest
Back for its third year, this Pilsen festival boasts Spanish-language alt-rock, punk, hip-hop, and more. Headlining Saturday: Molotov, Julieta Venegas, and Los Amigos Invisibles. Noon. ruidofest.com
Sunday
DuSable Arts and Crafts Festival
Music, food, and book signings, curated by Chicago’s museum of African American history. Noon. dusablemuseum.org
July 14 to 16
Friday
Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2
The Grant Park Orchestra performs the buoyant piece with esteemed soloist Andrew Tyson. 6:30 p.m. grantparkmusicfestival.com
Saturday
After Fest Jazz Jam and Party
Pitchfork Music Festival and Solange Knowles’s label host this Hyde Park after-party promising surprise guests who will entertain late into the night. pitchforkmusicfestival.com
Sunday
Windy City Smokeout
Crayfish, whole roasted hogs, and mountains of ’cue. Need we say more about this gluttonous West Town event? 10 a.m. windycitysmokeout.com
July 21 to 23
Friday
Dirty Butterfly
Theater on the Lake presents the story of a voyeur and his troubled next-door neighbor. 7:30 p.m. chicagoparkdistrict.com
Saturday
Chicago Craft Beer Festival
Whether you’re a hops head or a lager lover, this Lincoln Park event has the brews for you. Noon. chicagoevents.com
Sunday
Andrew Bird and Esperanza Spalding
Equally innovative, the folksy pop violinist and jazz bassist share a bill that promises one of the best musical events of the summer. 7 p.m. ravinia.org
July 28 to 30
Friday
Mozart’s Symphony No. 36
Though played less often than many of the German composer’s other 40 symphonic pieces, the “Linz” Symphony is one of the weightiest and most impressive. 6:30 p.m. grantparkmusicfestival.com
Saturday
Tour de Fat
Belgian beer, bratwurst, vaudeville acts, games for adults at every turn, and a scenic Northerly Island setting. What could be better? How about a full-length set from hip-hop giants the Roots—for $20. 4 p.m. newbelgium.com
Sunday
Wicker Park Fest
With rockers Jeff the Brotherhood and hip-hop collective Doomtree taking the stage, this West Side stalwart has something for every kind of indie fan. Noon. wickerparkbucktown.com
August 4 to 6
Friday
Debussy’s La Mer
With Lolla seizing Grant Park for the weekend, its orchestra moves indoors to the Harris, performing this piece with star oboist François Leleux. 6:30 p.m. grantparkmusicfestival.com
Saturday
Black Harvest Film Festival
Opening night of the four-week fest that puts the lens on black issues and the African diaspora. Last year it featured both cult favorites, like Purple Rain, and shorts by local filmmakers on the rise. Various times. siskelfilmcenter.org
Sunday
Evanston + Vicinity Biennial
Five winners from last year’s biennial present work in this juried exhibition, one of the largest of its kind in the Midwest. 1 p.m. evanstonartcenter.org
August 11 to 13
Friday
Ron Funches
The former South Sider and star of the late NBC show Undateable has a penchant for laid-back, meandering stories about leaving Chicago for Oregon, where he says the news focuses on blackberries rather than black bodies. 7:30 p.m. thaliahallchicago.com
Saturday
Bud Billiken Parade
The biggest and longest-running African American parade in the country, which kicks off with a marching band and ends with a picnic in Washington Park, enlists Chance the Rapper as grand marshal this year. 10 a.m. budbillikenparade.org
Sunday
Leslie Odom Jr.
The sultry-voiced Hamilton star (he originated the role of Aaron Burr) tours behind his self-titled jazz album. 8:30 p.m. ravinia.org
August 18 to 20
Friday
Pilsen Fest
The historically Mexican enclave puts its best Latin musicians, artists, and chefs center stage. 6:30 p.m. pilsenfest.com
Saturday
Air and Water Show
For the best views of both sea and sky at the annual extravaganza, snag a spot at the north end of North Avenue Beach, the center of all the action. 10 a.m. chicagoairandwatershow.us
Sunday
Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest
A reflection of Rogers Park, the diverse neighborhood in which it’s held, this annual event hosts artists and musicians from around the globe. 10 a.m. glenwoodave.org
August 25 to 27
Friday
The Fly Honey Show
If you think August is hot, summer’s last month has got nothing on this late-night burlesque marathon at Den Theater in Wicker Park, run by the interdisciplinary arts collective the Inconvenience. 10:30 p.m. theflyhoneyshow.com
Saturday
Midnight Circus in the Parks
Catch this eclectic ensemble of acrobats, aerialists, and eccentrics in an intimate setting as it kicks off its eight-park, 18-performance season at Gately Park. 3 p.m. midnightcircus.net
Sunday
A Persephone Pageant: Burnt Root
The experimental company Walkabout Theater brings its blend of dance, drama, and acrobatics to a story about the earth and its dwindling resources. 4 p.m. chicagoparkdistrict.com
September 1 to 3
Friday
African Festival of the Arts
The Washington Park event has sections dedicated to Nubia (fine art), Cush (wearable art), and Timbuktu (fabrics and fashion), as well as a food court with traditional dishes from all over the Dark Continent. 10 a.m. aihusa.org
Saturday
North Coast Music Festival
Outkast’s Big Boi, STS9, and Damian Marley headline the second day of the three-day Union Park fest, summer’s last rager. 1 p.m. northcoastfestival.com
Sunday
Chicago Jazz Festival
Closing out the four-day event is the jubilant New Orleans jazz-funk group Rebirth Brass Band who have kept crowds dancing since they first took the stage in 1983. 8:30 p.m. jazzinchicago.org