We’re officially in the thick of summertime Chi. August in Chicago is the best month of the year to hit up the beaches, dine al fresco and soak up all the fantastic free programming in city parks. But it’s also jam-packed with a new slate of street festivals, theater and comedy shows, new restaurants and art openings. Enjoy the hottest month of the year with our guide to 56 of the most exciting August openings in Chicago.
RECOMMENDED: Our complete August events calendar
THINGS TO DO
Aug 2: The MLS All-Star game kicks off at Soldier Field, where the best American players face off against Real Madrid.
Aug 4–6: Slasher flick enthusiasts will have a scream at the Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Convention in Rosemont.
Aug 4–6: Grab your djembe and join a drum circle, or just jam to the live main stage shows at Jeff Fest Arts and Music Festival in Jefferson Park.
Aug 5–6: The first-ever Taste of Korea Chicago Festival will feature a K-pop dance contest, DJs, a karaoke contest and more.
Aug 5: Taste all the most delicious new craft beers all in one place at the Welles Park Craft Beer Festival in Lincoln Square.
Aug 5, 6: Edgewater throws its annual family-friendly EdgeFest, featuring festival food and locally-crafted goods available for purchase.
Aug 10–20: Road trip down to Springfield for the Illinois State Fair, which offers ten days of fried food, butter sculptures and grandstand performances.
Aug 11: The popular, boozy bazaar Sauced Night Market makes its debut at House Of Vans, with free admission.
Aug 11–13: Indulge yourself in one of Chicago’s finest pastimes at the Chicago Hot Dog Fest, which features eats from the best sausage vendors in the city.
Aug 11–13: Celebrate traditional Japanese culture at the Ginza Holiday Festival at the Midwest Buddhist Temple in Old Town.
Aug 11–13: Listen to Cuban music, learn to dance and and dig into authentic cuisine at Festival Cubano in Riis Park.
Aug 12: Get a team together and play in a charity kickball tournament, the Chicago Kickout, with Chicago Sport and Social Club.
Aug 12: Bronzeville’s annual Bud Billiken Parade steps off for the 88th year, this time with Chicago’s own Chance the Rapper serving as grand marshal.
Aug 18: Celebrate the robust Rogers Park art scene at the Glenwood Ave Arts Fest, which features locally made arts and crafts from over 100 vendors.
Aug 18–20: With a huge kids section (complete with magic shows and jugglers), Edison Park Fest is a great outing for the whole family.
Aug 18–20: Take in a bocce ball tournament, a meatball-eating contest and more celebrations of Italian-American culture at Festa Italiana.
Aug 19, 20: Watch pilots from the U.S. Navy and Army dazzle the crowds at North Avenue Beach at the annual Chicago Air and Water Show.
Aug 21: Adler Planetarium hosts a giant block party for the solar eclipse, complete with trivia, food trucks, telescope viewing and more.
Aug 24–27: Nerd out to your heart’s content out at Wizard World Chicago Comic Con in Rosemont—just don’t forget to dress up for the occasion.
Aug 25–27: Dig into your favorite four-wheeled eateries all in one spot at the Logan Square Food Truck Social, with music programming curated by the Empty Bottle.
Aug 25–27: Taste of Greektown is back to for another year of celebrating Greek food, music and dancing.
Aug 26, 27: Discover your new favorite piece of art at the Bucktown Arts Fest, which features work from over 200 artists as well as live music, food and drink.
MUSIC
Aug 3–6: Chicago's biggest summer festival, Lollapalooza, takes over Grant Park for four days, with Chance the Rapper, Lorde, the Killers and more than 150 other artists on the lineup.
Aug 3: Before they headline the second night of Lolla, consummate pop punks Blink-182 play an intimate show at Metro—good luck scoring a ticket.
Aug 4: Gap-toothed Canadian singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco gets the slackers rocking at Concord Music Hall.
Aug 4: The Dark Knight and The Lion King composer Hans Zimmer trots out selections from his classic cinematic soundtracks with the help of a band.
Aug 7: Guatemalan singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno (who co-wrote the Parks & Rec theme) performs a free show at Pritzker Pavilion.
Aug 8: Guitarist Dustin Wong and Japanese experimental artist Takako Minekawa join forces to perform dreamy, looping compositions at the Empty Bottle.
Aug 11: For the fourth summer in a row, Billy Joel carts his piano back to Wrigley Field for a career-spanning evening of hits.
Aug 11, 12: The revived Million Tongues Festival brings San Francisco psych outfit Heron Oblivion, Japanese punk guitarist Narita and more experimental acts to the Empty Bottle.
Aug 16: Expect indie darlings Belle and Sebastian to tease material from the group's forthcoming record during this show at the Chicago Theatre.
Aug 16, 18, 19: Fans are loving the 24 karat magic of Bruno Mars so much that he's performing three nights at the United Center. If that's what you like, you should probably be there.
Aug 20: Hip-hop's reigning poet-laureate, Kendrick Lamar, returns to the United Center for his second stop in Chicago on the DAMN. tour.
Aug 24: Political punks Green Day will be swinging for the fences when the trio visits Wrigley Field. Don't be an American Idiot and miss 'em.
Aug 25: While she probably won't bring her drones, the first Lady Gaga show at Wrigley Field promises to be every bit as exciting as her Super Bowl halftime show.
Aug 26: Atlanta country and Southern rock act Zac Brown Band closes out summer concert season at Wrigley Field with some twangy ballads.
Aug 31: Commanding vocalist and songwriter SZA brings her silky, confessional R&B to Concord Music Hall.
ART
Aug 4–Oct 4: In the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art's new exhibition "Domestic Disturbances," a group of artists consider the meaning of a home and how the place we live can reflect our selves
Aug 4–Aug 31: Lincoln Square's Gallery19 hosts "Kill the Messenger," displaying the results of a juried photo competition based around the themes of isolation and fear.
Aug 19–Apr 1: The first of a three-part exhibit, "I Am You" kicks on the Museum of Contemporary Art's 50th anniversary celebration with pieces by Pop Art sculptor Marisol and Iranian filmmaker Shirin Neshat.
THEATER & DANCE
Until Sept 17: Mercury Theatre takes on every hippie’s favorite musical, Hair.
Aug 9–Sept 17: New musical Trevor follows an imaginative teenage boy in the ‘80s as he comes to terms with being gay.
Aug 11–Sept 16: Cult favorite 1998 musical Shockheaded Peter, a gleefully grotesque “nasty picture book,” plays at the Athenaeum Theatre.
Aug 18–Sept 30: Steppenwolf hosts the Chicago premiere of Robert O’Hara’s 2015 comedy, Barbecue.
LGBTQ
Aug 12, 13: Pride Month may be over, but the annual Boystown street fest Northalsted Market Days is back for more queer celebrations.
Aug 19: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Joffrey Ballet and Giordano Dance Chicago come together for Dance For Life, which benefits the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
COMEDY
Aug 2–30: Sketch group Huggable Riot brings their 12th sketch revue, Judgmental Institutions, to the Annoyance Theatre mainstage.
Aug 6–20: Improvisers create scenes based on monologists’ experiences with mental illness at Sad Clown.
Aug 12–Sept 30: Sketch duo OPIE runs its second full-length sketch show, Volume 2, at iO.
August 17–19: Pittsburgh-based musical comedy The Trouble With Dead Boyfriends spoofs Twilight and other YA books for one weekend at MCL.
Aug 17–20: The Chicago Musical Improv Festival takes over iO for a weekend of impromptu tunes from groups all over the country.
KIDS
Aug 3: Take the kids to the Chicago River to watch over 50,000 yellow rubber ducks splash around in the water at the Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby, which raises money for Special Olympics Illinois.
Aug 3–6: Tote your music-loving family to Lollapalooza's kid-friendly zone, Kidzapalooza, for live tunes, skateboarding demos, hip-hop workshops and a music video tent.
Aug 12, 13: Kite Festival, a two-day, family-friendly fest at the Chicago Botanic Garden, offers stunt kite performances from the pros, kite-making workshops and lots of public fly time.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS
Aug 3: Los Angeles import Katana opens its doors in River North, giving Chicagoans one more way to get their sushi and robata fix.
Mid-August: French bakery Vanille Patisserie will bring its jaw-dropping tarts, macarons and cupcakes to Hyde Park later this month.
Note: Restaurant and bar openings are subject to change and can be delayed; call ahead before setting out.
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