The Logan Square Arts Festival has always been a fun, family-friendly thread in Chicago’s cultural fabric.
The festival, which gathers a lineup of more than 20 musicians from around the country, and also features local restaurants, artists and businesses, will return to the Illinois Centennial Monument Park Friday-Sunday. The fest debuted in 2009.
Last year, the event raised more than $12,000 for Logan Square Preservation, a community organization dedicated to “neighborhood beautification and educating citizens about the architecture history of Logan Square,” according to its mission statement.
“I am Logan Square,” a non-profit arts organization, starts planning the fest in December. Geary Yonker, one of the producers, refers to the planning as a “second job” for the committee members, but he considers it a “labor of love.” “It’s a testament to the hard work and creativity of the people in the neighborhood,” he says.
More than 40,000 people attended last year — families dominated the scene in the park and after 7 p.m., younger, more exuberant crowds hang around for the nighttime performances. Revolution Brewing Company, an independently owned brewery in Chicago, will serve craft beer at the festival all weekend, and host post-fest afterparties at venues around Logan Square.
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Logan Square Arts Festival is known by local artists as a great opportunity to mingle with the community and promote their art. Keep an eye out this year for a series of miniature monuments that artists will be creating in the park throughout the weekend. Janice Aponte, an artist stationed at Workshop 4200 in Logan Square, has participated in the festival since it began as a small gathering of artists by the Milwaukee Ave. train station. Aponte says the people are the best part of the celebration. “It’s a neighborhood supportive of the arts,” she says. “Even when it was pouring rain one year during the festival, people just popped open their umbrellas and came for us (the artists).”
Fresh faces are added to the lineup each year. Chicago synth-pop band Pixel Grip will be playing at the festival for the first time, in front of their largest crowd yet. Jonathan Freund, the band’s synth player, says the band will incorporate performance art by OrB BoX, a Chicago hip-hop dancer, during their performance.
Mexican coffee shop and café Cafe Con Leche will be serving homemade empanadas and tacos, including their “taco de cochinita pibil,” a yucátan-style shredded pork taco, nighttime manager Waldo Andrade says. Like Aponte, Andrade says the best part of the festival (besides the excellent business promotion) is chatting with the families of the neighborhood. Paulie Gee’s, the Radler, and Estrella Negra restaurants will be serving food at the festival as well.
As it falls on the days immediately following the summer solstice, the Logan Square Arts Festival is a great place to spend the first official weekend of summer. Per the advice of Aponte, if you choose to attend, make sure to say “Hi” to the artists in the booths as you look at their work — they’d love to chat.
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What: Logan Square Arts Festival
When: June 22-24, Friday 5 p.m.-10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Where: Illinois Centennial Monument, 3150 W Logan Blvd, Chicago, IL 60647
Tickets: Free, suggested $5 donation to Logan Square Preservation