FESTIVALS AND MUSIC EVENTS

NBC 5 Chicago rounds up a packed season of music, food, films, and neighborhood block parties across the city.

The Chicago festival has posted its full four-day schedule, with more than 150 artists spread across eight stages and only limited tickets left.

A sprawling new guide organizes the season’s must-see U.S. festivals by month, with dates, locations, lineups, and ticket status.

The Labor Day Weekend festival at Union Park will add a new stage area and feature both global dance acts and Chicago house pioneers.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — If you have spent a summer in Chicago, you already know what I am about to say. No city does festival season like this one. The lakefront, the neighborhoods, the venues — it all comes together between May and September in a way that makes Chicago feel like a different city entirely….

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — I have covered a lot of festivals over the years. Coordinated backstage logistics at enough of them to know the difference between a lineup built to sell tickets and one built to actually deliver. Lollapalooza 2026 feels like the second kind — and as someone who has watched this festival grow into…

CHICAGO — Chicago will become the global center of jazz this spring as the city hosts the 15th Annual International Jazz Day, a month-long celebration of performances, education, and community programming culminating in a globally broadcast All-Star Concert at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on April 30, 2026. The announcement was made Tuesday at the…

CHICAGO — Chicago will take center stage in the global jazz world in April 2026, as the city hosts the 15th Annual International Jazz Day, an event created by legendary pianist Herbie Hancock and recognized by the United Nations. The month-long celebration will include performances, educational programs, and community events across the city, culminating in…

UNITED STATES — A powerful winter storm sweeping across large portions of the country is forcing theaters, performing arts centers, and live entertainment venues to cancel or reschedule performances, as snow, sleet, freezing rain, and extreme cold create hazardous travel conditions. As the storm continues to evolve, theaters nationwide are prioritizing safety for audiences, performers,…

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS — Award-winning stage and screen icon Mandy Patinkin is set to take the stage at the Walton Arts Center on Thursday, January 29, bringing his latest live concert experience, “JUKEBOX,” to audiences for a one-night-only performance alongside pianist Adam Ben-David. The concert marks another stop in Patinkin’s long-running tradition of intimate, emotionally driven…