The 46th annual Taste of Chicago festival returns to Grant Park on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, with free admission and a fully cashless system.
The five-day event runs daily from 11 a. m.
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to 9 p. m.
through Sunday along Columbus Avenue, moving back to July after recent September editions due to the NASCAR Chicago street race.
More than 80 local food vendors will participate, ranging from long-standing institutions to first-time pop-ups. Vendors will only accept credit card payments for food samples.
New attractions include a Ferris wheel, a drone show, and the Chef's Stage. The festival is entirely ticket-free this year.
Daniel Will, owner of Daniel's Test Kitchen, will introduce his global comfort food menu for the first time on Friday.
"I like to say that my food represents my travels, my ethnicity, my personality and my upbringing," he said.
Will began cooking weekly meals for housemates in San Francisco before moving to Chicago and expanding through the Boxville outdoor marketplace.
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"I was cooking Filipino food one weekend, Burmese food the next, a vegetarian meal another week," he added.
Legendary local establishments like Eli's Cheesecake have maintained a continuous presence since the event's inception.
"We're always proud to celebrate our birthday with the Taste," said president Marc Schulman.
The company's signature dessert debuted during the first Taste of Chicago in 1980. This year, they offer classic slices and frozen chocolate-dipped cheesecakes on a stick.
Family-owned neighborhood eateries also participate. Anabel Duarte, co-owner of Ponce Restaurant, said, "It's generational recipes passed down.
We just continue our mother's legacy."
Duarte and her sister Elba Jasso manage the Belmont Cragin Puerto Rican restaurant founded 28 years ago by their mother, serving traditional roasted pork, pigeon peas, and plantain sandwiches.
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Meanwhile, the Windy City Smokeout country music and barbecue festival opens outside the United Center on Wednesday, prompting commuters to prepare for heavier traffic and crowded trains throughout the weekend.
