The second summer of small-scale, city-sponsored beer festivals will start and end with a bang, opening beside Wrigley Field and closing along the Chicago Riverwalk.
In between, Friday Night Flights will stop in four corners of the city, each event featuring a brewery lineup reflecting the neighborhood where it is held.
The kickoff event, at Gallagher Way — aka the grassy lawn west of Wrigley Field — will feature more than 25 local breweries and food from Big Star and Smoke Daddy (both of which opened Wrigleyville locations this spring).
Advance tickets for Friday Night Flights — a collaboration between Choose Chicago and the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild — cost $15 for 10 3-ounce pours, or $20 at the gate.
“I, for one, can’t wait to get back out this summer to try some of the latest goses, stouts, hazy IPAs, krieks and everything else our neighborhood brewers are crafting,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel (most definitely, actually) said in a statement issued by the city.
All events, including the Wrigley Field kickoff, are 6-9 p.m. Others include:
June 29
Milwaukee Avenue Corridor, 2521 N. Kedzie Blvd.
July 20
31st Street Beach, Pier 31 at 31st Street Beach.
Aug. 3
Ravenswood Corridor, 4700 N. Ravenswood Ave.
Aug. 17
West Loop/Loop, 1102 W. Kinzie St.
Sept. 14
Chicago Riverwalk, between LaSalle and Franklin streets.
More information and tickets are avilable at www.chicagofridaynightflights.com.
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