Haven’t already nailed down plans for the Summer Solstice? We've got a fittingly mystical option for you: Head to Bucktown for Tarot Esoterica, a festival hosted by beloved Chicago curiosity shop Sideshow Gallery with three full days of art shows, tarot workshops, local vendors, live DJ sets and more. The best part? It's all free and open to the public.
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The weekend kicks off on Friday, June 20 with the Tarot Esoterica Ball & Art Show from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Along with tarot-themed works from more than 30 artists on view, the evening will welcome attendees to dress up as their most compelling tarot card and participate in a costume contest, enjoy readings by special guest Glam Witch and dance the night away to supersensory tunes spun by Petra Steele.
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The festivities continue on Saturday, June 21 when, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., guests can peruse the Tarot Esoterica Market, stocked with preternaturally cool wares from the likes of Acid Queen Jewelry, Witchy Woman World Apothecary, Laetitia Barbier Antiquities, and many more purveyors.
Three tarot readers will be available to walk you through your card pulls or, for an even more dialed-in experience, you can attend a workshop: "Tarot for Love" with Jacob Mayfield is scheduled for noon to 2 p.m. and "Rising from the Ashes" with Wayfinder will happen from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. There will also be tarot-themed flavor tattoos from Revolution Tattoo as well as live music by Molly’s Midnight Villains.
For the final day, June 22, festivalgoers can attend "Fire Walk with Us," a tarot ritual with Laetitia Barbier from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Guests can also purchase $55 tickets for a tarot tea party at Into the Feral (2914 W Belmont Ave), kicking off at 11 a.m. with a tasting of The Feral Herbalist's tarot-inspired teas, a lesson on tea magic and a card reading with Sideshow Gallery co-owner Anne Elliott.