Magnificent Mile’s First Annual Art Festival
I like to think of summer in Chicago as a festival, market, and fair season with farmers markets, art festivals, vintage fairs, music festivals and so much more. I definitely enjoy going to as many as I can. Recently I attended the first annual Magnificent Mile Art Festival. I actually found out about this festival from the local news. I find that it’s a really good place to discover local happenings in Chicago. There are also a lot of Chicago Instagram accounts that share these things too! Usually events are free and open all day, so you have plenty of time to get there.
The Magnificent Mile Art Festival was located on North Michigan Ave, outside the John Hancock Center. There were probably about 70 artist’s booths. It included a wide range of art, from jewelry, watches, water colors, glass pieces, and even clothes. Not only that, but a wide range of styles too. From graphic pop art, hyper realism, and everything in between. A lot of the actual artists were there too, which is great because you get to meet the person behind the art. Everyone was super friendly and so willing to talk about their pieces. The other nice thing was that a lot of these artists are locals. It was a great way to meet people and make connections.
My family and I drove from the suburbs to go and we all loved it. As there was so much variety everyone had something of interest. I definitely enjoyed myself a lot. As an artist I love getting to see other types of art and meeting other artists. It also is so nice to be downtown without a backpack. We had such a fun time going in and out of the different displays and commenting on what we did and didn’t like. It being on Michigan Avenue meant that there was a lot to do and see afterward as well. We enjoyed wandering around the area. That is one of the best things about doing anything in Chicago. There is always a shop you can tuck into. We of course checked out the Water Tower Place and then grabbed a bite to eat.
I love doing these day trips downtown as it is always fun exploring. The Magnificent Mile Art Festival was vibrant, bustling, and unique. With so many different artists present there was something for everyone. I recommended adding this to your list of art festivals for next year.
~Sienna