Navy Pier has released its summer calendar of events, including summer fireworks. According to the announcement Thursday, Navy Pier is bringing back both its weekly fireworks displays on Wednesdays and Saturdays and a day-long Fourth of July celebration on Monday, July 4, concluding in a lakefront fireworks show.
Fireworks for the Fourth of July: Our list of all the Chicago and suburban fireworks shows for 2022 (published June 17, 2022)
Also on the calendar: A Navy Pier 5K run. The Live on the Lake! summer music series and a movie series. Plus Chi-Soul Fest, the SailGP boat race competition and Navy Pier Pride in June, Bastille Day in July and LatiNxt in August.
MAY
Navy Pier 5K (Sunday, May 15): A 5K running race completely contained on the Pier. A Kids Dash for ages 2-12 accompanies the run.
Free Family Day at Chicago Children’s Museum (Friday, May 19): For children through age 10, with live music, crafts, mosaic making with guest artist Norma Rios Sierra and more. Admission to the museum will be free and parking will be discounted.
Live on the Lake! (Saturdays and Sundays, May 28-Sept. 4): The summer weekend music series returns with live performances by Chicago-area bands and national acts in the Navy Pier Beer Garden. Styles from rock to reggae.
Wave Wall Moves (Saturdays, May 28-Aug. 27): Partnering with See Chicago Dance, a weekly showcase of Chicago’s dance companies at the Wave Wall Platform.
Wave Wall Wax (Saturdays, May 28-Sept. 3): DJ series live at the Wave Wall Platform.
Summer Fireworks (Wednesdays and Saturdays, May 28-Sept. 3): Navy Pier’s summer fireworks displays return every Wednesday and Saturday.
JUNE
Pier Dance Lessons (Thursdays in June): Free dance lessons on the Polk Bros Performance Lawn City Stage. A different style of dance will be taught each week.
Skyline Sessions (Thursdays and Fridays, June 3-Aug. 26): An outdoor concert series on the Wave Wall Platform.
Pier Fitness: Rush Hour Workouts and Sunset Yoga (Tuesdays, June 7-Aug. 30): On the Polk Bros Performance Lawn City Stage.
Chi-Soul Fest (Saturday, June 11, and Sunday, June 12): Annual two-day festival celebrates Black Music Month with the biggest artists from Chicago’s soul scene in the Navy Pier Beer Garden and the Polk Bros Park Performance Lawn.
SailGP (Saturday, June 18, and Sunday, June 19): A global freshwater racing competition, SailGP. Teams from around the world race F50 catamarans — highly technical hydrofoiling boats. Led by champion Jimmy Spithill’s United States SailGP Team. Tickets, including VIP Packages, are on sale now at navypier.org/events-and-public-programs/sailgp
Wiggleworms (June 24-Aug. 26): The Old Town School of Folk Music presents its popular live music and movement program for young audiences at the Polk Bros Park Lake Stage.
Navy Pier Pride (Saturday, June 25): A day of family-friendly activities pier-wide to celebrate Pride Month, including storytelling, concerts, dance and crafts.
JULY
Fourth of July (Monday, July 4): A daylong celebration ends with the fireworks show.
Joffrey Academy’s “Rita Finds Home” (Saturday, July 9, and Sunday, July 10): The Joffrey Academy’s family-friendly project with the Miami City Ballet. On the Lake Stage in Polk Bros Park.
Water Flicks (Mondays, July 11-Aug. 29): The outdoor film series returns with a theme of families, titles include “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” “Mi Familia,” “Rent,” “Are We There Yet,” “Minari” and Disney’s “Encanto.”
Bastille Day (Wednesday, July 13): Celebration of France’s independence holiday, with French cuisine and live performances.
Fresh Fest! (Thursday, July 14-Friday, July 15): Annual young-performers’ showcase, featuring musicians, dancers and spoken word artists on the Wave Wall performance platform and Polk Bros Park Performance Lawn.
Water Colors (Fridays, July 15-Aug. 26): Chicago’s jazz scene will take center stage at the Lake Stage in Polk Bros Park.
Rhythm World (Wednesday, July 20): Annual tap showcase of local dancers on the Lake Stage in Polk Bros Park.
AUGUST
LatiNxt (Saturday, Aug. 6-Sunday, Aug. 7): Fourth annual celebration of the cultural diaspora and its ever-evolving styles with the next generation of Chicago’s Latin music artists.
Noche Caribeña (Saturday, Aug. 13): The Puerto Rican Arts Alliance returns with its music and dance celebration of Caribbean sounds on the Lake Stage in Polk Bros Park.
SEPTEMBER
Bitter Jester Music Festival (Monday, Sept. 5): The 16th annual summer-long Bitter Jester Music Festival rounds up its “Best Of” bands for a six-hour concert at the Navy Pier Beer Garden on Labor Day. Half the members of any competing band must be under age 21. Prizes for the winning bands include paid, professional gigs.
Also at Navy Pier
“Stories of Survival: Object. Image. Memory.” will run April 7 through June 30. This exhibit, in partnership with Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, showcases more than 60 personal artifacts brought to America by Survivors of the Holocaust and other genocides. Exploring the relationship between objects, their meaning to the original owner and subsequent significance, each artifact is paired with photographs by documentarian Jim Lommasson.
Bands, more events and full lineups can be found at navypier.org