Best Fall Festivals Coming To Chicago
St. Alphonsus Oktoberfest
St. Alphonsus Catholic Church
1429 W. Wellington Ave.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 525-0709
oktoberfestchicago.org
Dates: Sept. 23-25. 2016. at 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday
Feel good ethnic vibes with German food, music and beer at St. Alphonsus's fall festival in Lakeview. Rated among the best Oktoberfests in the country by several magazines, the church's festival spills from its German Beer Hall on Friday and Saturday nights onto the parking lot where Bavarian music emanates from two stages. The fest is also for families. There are Kinderfest activities on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.. Entry is a $5 donation to benefit the church (active military exempt).
Midway Plaisance
1130 Midway Plaisance
Chicago, IL 60637
(415) 260-5606
www.hydeparkjazzfestival.org
Dates: Sept. 24-25, 2016 at 1 p.m. to 12: a.m. Saturday
1 to 7 p.m. Sunday
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival, started 10 years ago to bring music lovers to the neighborhood, is anticipating about 20,000 jazz fans descending on its approximately dozen venues. Outside, there are two stages on the Midway Plaisance. Inside venues are all over Hyde Park, ranging from the Rockefeller Chapel on Woodlawn and the DuSable Museum of African History at 56th Place to the International Houses at 59th Street and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts on 60th Street. Among the jazz artists performing are the Orbert Davis Sextet and the Willie Pickens Quartet.
Edgewater Arts Festival
1030 to 1140 W. Granville Ave.
Chicago, IL 60660
(847) 677-8273
www.edgewaterartists.com
Dates: Sept. 24-25, 2016 at 11a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Arts Festival is a fun Edgewater neighborhood event that has expanded to include anyone in the Chicago area who enjoys art, food and music. Enjoy the beer garden while listening to music from one stage, or walk further to get food while catching a band on another stage. In true community fashion, the event also shows off local talent in a talent show, student performances and a children's art section. You can gain entrance to the event with a $5 donation.
Related: Best Art Fairs In Chicago
Lincoln Park
311 N. Second St.
St. Charles, IL 60174
(800) 777-4373
www.scarecrowfest.com
Dates: Oct. 7-9, 2016 at 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Lincoln Park hosts what looks like a scarecrow convention every fall. Bring the camera or take a selfie. More than 100 of these figures take up residence in the park waiting to be judged about mid-afternoon of the festival's last day. They're comical, fearsome, solitary and grouped as families, but all are handmade, and each is more impressive than that last. There are vendors in the park and good downtown restaurants to try after you're done gawking at the scarecrows. Bands provide a festive mood, and a children's area has activities for the youngsters.
AMC River East 21
322 E. Illinois St.
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 683-0121
www.chicagofilmfestival.com
Dates: Oct. 13-27, 2016
Chicago presents film events throughout the year, but its big festival comes in the fall when it shows more than 200 full-length and short films produced around the world from Argentina to Vietnam. It's a treat that movie buffs look forward to every year. Films are chosen from thousands of submissions and from screenings at other film festivals. General admission is $11 for members and $14 for nonmembers. Membership information is on the CIFF site and comes in different categories. The bargain cost is $8 for anyone viewing a film before 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Special films such as Oscar contenders cost $17 for members and $20 for nonmembers.
Related: Best R&B Concerts Coming To Chicago
