Los Lobos
Los Lobos

The 30th Taste of Chicago comes to Grant Park from Fri 6/25 till Sun 7/4, serving food from more than 50 restaurants and hosting music on four stages: the Petrillo Music Shell (northeast of Columbus and Jackson), the Taste Stage (Columbus and Balbo), the Best Buy Stage (Jackson and Lake Shore Drive), and the Fun Time Stage (southwest corner of Columbus and Jackson). The big names at Petrillo include a wide assortment of old-school hip-hop and R & B artists, mid-90s alt-rock staples, snoozy singer-songwriters, and even contemporary indie darlings, among them Salt-n-Pepa, Bell Biv Devoe, Gavin Rossdale, Los Lobos, Mat Kearney, Emily Osment, Trey Songz, Rob Thomas, the Steve Miller Band, and Passion Pit. The Taste Stage has a local focus and a theme to each day’s bookings, like Americana and folk on Fri 6/25 (bands include the Lost Cartographers, Jon Drake & the Shakes, and the Shams Band) and garage rock on Sat 6/26 (with White Mystery, the Yolks, Mannequin Men, Johnny & the Limelites, and more). Other themes include ethnic and world music on Mon 6/28, a day of Old Town School of Folk Music ensembles on Fri 7/2, and a Rabbit Factory Soul Revue featuring Ralph “Soul” Jackson and Renaldo Domino on Sat 7/3. The Best Buy Stage hosts a range of mostly local acts from 11 AM-6 PM every day, and the Fun Time Stage provides family-friendly entertainment like music, dance troupes, fitness programs, and storytelling. Dominick’s Cooking Corner features cooking demonstrations and book signings from Food Network hotshots Mario Batali and Giada De Laurentiis as well as local chefs like Jimmy Bannos Jr. of the Purple Pig, Justin Large of Big Star, and Andrew Brochu of Kith & Kin. The Family Village presents programs by Working Bikes, the Shedd Aquarium, Brookfield Zoo, the Adler Planetarium, Art Girl Pottery, and more. Admission and all concerts are free. Food and drink are sold only by tickets, which cost $8 per dozen at the festival (Dominick’s is selling them for $6 per dozen through Thu 6/24). Festival hours are 11 AM-9 PM except on Sat 7/3 (11 AM-7 PM) and Sun 7/4 (11 AM-6 PM). For more info, call 312-744-3370 or visit tasteofchicago.us.