The Taste of Chicago Has Been Pushed Back To September

The Taste of Chicago is back for 2023. One of the city’s most popular summer events is on the Chicago Spring and Summer Festival and Events calendar, but with one very notable difference – it won’t be during the summer. The iconic event, which typically takes place in early July, will take place from September 8 to 10 this year.

Why The New Date

COVID-19 forced the Taste of Chicago to pivot into an all-virtual event in 2020. The following year, a series of community pop-ups served as the new version of the Taste of Chicago. Last year, the event returned to Grant Park and followed a scaled-down format. This year, the free event will fall back to the format most Windy City residents are used to – dozens of local restaurants all banded together offering free bites, live music, and family-friendly activities. 

According to Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Taste of Chicago got bumped deeper into the 2023 calendar because of NASCAR. The Chicago NASCAR street race is slated for Grant Park from July 1 to 2. Taste of Chicago pop-ups are planned throughout the summer to keep the event front and center. They will occur on June 24 at Humboldt Park, July 15 at Pullman Park, and August 5 at Marquette Park. 

What They Had To Say

City officials claim the date change to accommodate the NASCAR event will be good for the Taste of Chicago. In an announcement, they state, “Moving this iconic event to the tail end of summer will prolong our vibrant festival season and spur additional tourism and economic activity downtown.” At one point, Taste of Chicago was looking to move to Navy Pier during the usual July dates but that did not happen. 

Alderman Brendan Reilly (Ward 42) and Alderman Brian Hopkins (Ward 2) both blasted Mayor Lori Lightfoot for giving the NASCAR event the green light and insisting that the Taste of Chicago take place simultaneously but at a different venue. According to Reilly, “It means that all that traffic to Navy Pier for the Taste of Chicago is going to go on Illinois and Grand, two streets that run through a neighborhood…they’re not designed for that kind of traffic volume.

As for the later date, vendors seem quite happy about the shift. Charlie Robinson, of Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs in Oak Park likes the new calendar date. “I’m thrilled that it’s going to be here in Grant Park, and that’s the only way it should be.” Robinson has been a Taste of Chicago vendor since the first event was held in 1980. “I don’t really think changing the date was going to be important because a lot of folks want to come out and be a part of Taste of Chicago, and they are going to come regardless of what date it’s going to be.”

Politics Force The Date Change

Food vendors, like Robinson, are still somewhat puzzled as to why City Hall fudged dates in the first place. “I don’t know how, what happened, why they decided to move the date, bring NASCAR in before Taste (of Chicago), and it was a major mistake.” Robinson does state that regardless of the date, “we’re going to make it work” adding that Grant Park is the “home and place for Taste of Chicago.” That being said, Robinson indicates he is disappointed that city officials chose to “lock up” Grant Park for three years of NASCAR. “I just think Taste (of Chicago) should have had priority over any other event.”

Taste of Chicago Set To Move Ahead

Although the Taste of Chicago website has updates to reflect the change in dates, there is just basic information on it at the moment. It will be updated once more news is available. The event is described as including a long list of food vendors from throughout the city that “will dish out not just tastes of Chicago classics – like hot dogs, pizza, cheesecake – but also bites that represent the international influences tied to the city’s history as a melting pot of cultures.”

Another great element of the annual Taste of Chicago is live music. The event website explains that a diverse mix of national and international artists appearing in nightly concerts. The Main Stage is near Buckingham Fountain. The full schedule of performers is not yet available. Another part of Taste of Chicago is SummerDance. The local dance community joins together to present different dance styles daily including many that originate in the Windy City.

How To Get There

If you are new to the area or have never been to Grant Park, you will discover a few street closures to accommodate the event. These include the following:

Columbus

Closed from Monroe to Balbo, and Balbo to Roosevelt 

(Balbo will be open to traffic)

Congress

Closed from Columbus to the Congress Parkway semi-circle

Jackson

Closed from Michigan to Jean Baptiste Point du Sable Lake Shore Drive

Other Events Fill The Seasonal Calendar

Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events has filled spring and summer with plenty of activities throughout the city. They include:

May

Chicago City Markets (various locations) to October

June

Chicago Gospel Music Festival, Millennium Park on June 3

Chicago Blues Festival, Millennium Park from June 8 to 11

Chicago House Music Festival and Conference

  • Conference, Chicago Cultural Center on June 23
  • Festival, Humboldt Park (boathouse lawn) on June 24

Millennium Park Summer Music Series

  • Jay Pritzker Pavilion Mondays/Thursdays June 22 to August 21

July

Millennium Park Summer Film Series

  • Jay Pritzker Pavilion Tuesdays July 11 to August 29

August

Chicago Air and Water Show, North Avenue Beach and lakefront from August 19 to 20

SummerDance Celebration, Millennium Park on August 27

Chicago Jazz Festival, Millennium Park, and citywide from August 31 to September 3

September

Taste of Chicago, Grant Park from September 8 to 10

World Music Festival Chicago, citywide from September 22 to October 1

Final Thoughts

In the words of Alderman Reilly, the fact that the NASCAR event has bumped Taste of Chicago from July to September is much better than other possibilities. “It is a far superior option than moving the event to a space-constrained and traffic challenged venue…I’m glad the administration listened to reason and made the wise choice to keep the Taste of Chicago in Grant Park, where it belongs.”

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