CHICAGO — July 24, 2025 — One of the world’s largest music festivals, Lollapalooza, returns to Grant Park next weekend from Thursday, July 31 through Sunday, August 3, bringing four days of high-energy performances, massive crowds, and major street closures to the heart of downtown Chicago.

Paul McCartney is bringing his celebrated Got Back tour back to North America for a new leg of performances in fall 2025, with the tour culminating in two back-to-back nights at Chicago’s United Center on November 24 and 25.

CHICAGO — July 6, 2025 — Chicago will welcome its first all-women tattoo festival, Tattoo Lady Fest , from September 5–7, 2025 , at Loft on Lake in the West Loop. The three-day event will feature 18 women tattoo artists from around the world and offer live tattooing, music, vendors, and raffles benefiting local nonprofits.

Chicago residents hoping to watch fireworks on July 4, 2025, will have to look beyond the city limits. This year, no fireworks are scheduled in downtown Chicago on the holiday itself.

Four newly reconstructed CTA Red Line stations are set to open on Chicago’s North Side on Sunday, July 20, 2025 , marking one of the largest simultaneous station openings in recent CTA history. The new Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn, and Bryn Mawr stations are part of the $2.1 billion Red & Purple Modernization (RPM) Phase One project.

Juneteenth, now a federal holiday, marks the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and has become a day of celebration and reflection across the United States, including Chicago.

Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, IL — June 3, 2025

Pride Month, celebrated every June across the United States, honors the LGBTQ+ community’s resilience, history, and progress. While its origins trace back to the Stonewall Riots of 1969 in New York City, Chicago has played a central and enduring role in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and visibility—especially through its iconic Boystown neighborhood.