Get your appetite prepared because the Taste of Chicago will return to downtown Chicago's Grant Park July 11th through 15th. 2018 will feature the 38th annual Taste of Chicago, and it has turned into a gigantic event. Last year's Taste featured food from 66 restaurants and food trucks from across Chicagoland and garnered a record-setting 1.6 million attendees. It's easy to understand its popularity when considering Chicago is one of the food capitols of the world, attendance is free (the food isn't), and live music plays throughout the event. Be aware that food and beverage tickets are sold in strips of 14 for $10. Taste portions are available at each vendor for between 1-6 tickets. This year's Taste of Chicago will feature restaurants that will be at the event all five days, with a small sample including Chicago's Hot Dog, Churro Factory, Dia De Los Tamales, Lou Malnati's Pizzeria, Texas de Brazile, Fudge Pot, and more. For a full list, click here. Who doesn't love a good food truck? A variety of mobile cuisines will be offered this year including The Cajun Connoisseur, Cheesie's Pub and Grub, Da Lobsta, and Giordano's. Check out the full food truck list here. Finally, a diverse group of pop-up restaurants will be satisfying taste buds all five days. The group will include the likes of Dinky Donuts, Inc., Pork & Mindy's, Puffs of Doom, and Seoul Taco. Check out the list of pop-ups here. While you're waiting to get hungry after your first, second, or third round of food, you should check out the music lineup scheduled for this year's event. All performances are free, but you'll need to buy a ticket if you want a seat for performances at the Petrillo Music Shell stage. Ticket-only performances include Brandi Carlile, Juanes, Black Star, The Flaming Lips, and George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. Alternatively, free performances at the Bud Light stage occur continuously throughout Taste of Chicago. For information on all music performances and opportunities to buy Petrillo Music Shell concert tickets for the stars listed above, check the link here. Taste of Chicago is an event not to be missed, so make reservations now before it's too late!
