Food, music and games are set to take over Grant Park this week as the Taste of Chicago comes back for its 33rd year. Families won’t get lost in the crowd at the nation’s largest food festival; There are lots of activities, events, food and more designed with them in mind. Here is our guide to enjoying the Taste family style.
Is your family visiting the Taste of Chicago this week? We have a guide to enjoying the event family style without getting lost in the crowd.
Tickets for most of the Taste’s concerts are sold out, but Radio Disney is throwing a free concert on Saturday, July 13 at
11 a.m. that families can still catch. IM5 and Chloe and Halle will take
the stage at the Petrillo Music Shell. If the kids get hungry while
dancing to their favorite tunes, multiple food trucks will be close
by.
Restaurant vendors have made it easy for families to trymultiple foods at the Taste. They are offering “Taste of” portionsof select foods for 1-5 tickets per item. The smaller samples aregreat for little hands to enjoy snacks such as fresh fruit fromDominick’s, pizza from Connie’s and Italian ice from TuttoItaliano. See what’s available before you go by viewing the event’s brochureonline.
Families have a village all their own at the Taste. The event has a special
spot where kids and parents can play games, create crafts with
local museums or even get their faces painted. There is also a
convenient diaper changing station with free diapers from
Dominick’s. Admission to this area is free and it’s located at the
intersection of Jackson Blvd. and Columbus Drive.
The Taste will have special family-friendly hours on Saturdayand Sunday. The event opens at 10 a.m. on these days, an hourearlier than during the week, so families can make their way arounda little easier before afternoon, evening and concert crowds. Formore information on hours and prices, visit the Taste of Chicago’s website.
Children ages 0-12 can run wild at the Taste by participating inthe Fleet Feet Sports Kids’ Dash. The races are structured by age
and distance. The infants and toddlers can race in a 15-foot crawl
or 20-yard dash while the tweens race in a quarter mile run. If
families don’t wish to compete in the structured races, they can
race each other or the clock in an open area close by. The races
are on Saturday, July 13 from 10:30-noon.
