Chicago Blues Festival
Perhaps no other city is more associated with the blues than Chicago, having been a predominant center of blues recording in the 1950s. Featuring more than 70 international, national and local artists, the Chicago Blues Festival is the largest free blues festival in the world and pays tribute to this American tradition-where it's been and where it's going.

For four days in late spring every year, the lakefront in Grant Park is packed with blues musicians and enthusiasts from all over the world. Attendance numbers range around the 750,000 mark. Blues-lovers can also enjoy a wide variety of food and merchandise vendors ensuring that this beloved festival hails something for everyone.

While daily performances run on several different stages, many also delight in the array of street performers who join in on the action near the Festival entrance or along Michigan Avenue. The action continues at night-time throughout the Chicago club scene. Past performers of the Chicago Blues Festival include Bonnie Raitt, Otis Rush and Buckwheat Zydeco.