For a city that is serious about its hot dog—sans ketchup, obviously—of course there is a festival that celebrates it. The Windy City Hot Dog Festival is a three-day extravaganza spotlighting the decidedly unique Chicago-style frank: the all-beef dog is traditionally served on a poppy seed bun and topped with yellow mustard, neon-green pickle relish, chopped white onions, large tomato slices, dill pickle spear, pickled sport peppers, and celery salt. It’s not for everyone but it is for anyone, and it certainly will be when the fest takes over Portage Park this weekend.
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On Friday, May 30 (4 pm to 11 pm), Saturday, May 31 (noon to 10 pm) and Sunday, June 1 (noon to 10 pm), frankfurter lovers can flock to the northwest side of Chicago to chow down on as many hot dogs as their bellies can hold—seriously. For the brave and dedicated, a hot dog-eating contest will be held on Saturday at 3pm on the park's Main Stage. How many hot dogs do you think you could inhale in five minutes? The winner walks away with a coveted trophy and major bragging rights, so if you think you've got what it takes, you can register here.
If you don't want to competitively chow down, you can leisurely enjoy the titular tubers by helping decide who has the best frankfurter among the 2025 participating hot dog vendors. After tasting and casting your vote, the winner will be announced on the Main Stage on Sunday at 3 pm. Participating vendors include Baked Cheese Haus, Chicago Doghouse, Sausage Fest Food Truck, Tikka Masala Dogs, and many more.
The fourth annual fête includes much more than a mere hot dog-eating contest, however. Visitors can revel in live entertainment on the Main Stage each day: On Friday, see Viceroy, Fueled By Emo, and Loudernow; Saturday’s lineup includes Mariachi Los Palmeros,
Largemouth Band, Whatever Nevermind (Nirvana tribute band), RICCO! (Santana tribute band), and Journey Recaptured. Finally, on Sunday, jam out to School of Rock Chicago, XOCHI, Rearview (Pearl Jam tribute band), Too Fighters (Foo Fighters tribute
band), and KASHMIR (Led Zeppelin tribute band). Each day the festival also hosts several live acts on the Community Stage at the Six. ChickenFat Klezmer Orchestra? A Short Leap Theater Company? Ballet Folklorico de Chicago? Yes, please!
And you can bring along your furry friends, too. Do you have a dog costume perfect for such an occasion? Register for the Top Dog
Parade, held on Sunday at noon. And all of the frank-related fun above will be held this weekend at Six Corners, 4000 N. Milwaukee Avenue, at the intersection of Irving Park Boulevard and Milwaukee and Cicero Avenues.
