Free 2-Day Maple Syrup Festival in Chicago – Mar 20-21

Bring to kids and family to see how sap is tapped from maple trees at the 28th annual Maple Syrup Festival at North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski Road on Saturday, March 20 and Sunday, March 21, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. No registration is required and the event is free for all ages.

During the two-day free maple syrup festival visitors can enjoy music and storytelling throughout the day, try tapping a maple tree, watch the sap boil and sample real maple syrup. There will be free guided nature walks to the “sugar bush” where visitors will learn more about the tapping process and enjoy maple tree tapping folklore. Read more

Free Dance Lessons at Winter Dance in February 2010

Are you ready to dance the winter away at the free Chicago Winter Dance this February in Millennium Park? You can still get free dance lessons on Feb 20 and Feb 21 as well as Feb 27 and Feb 28 and dance in a variety of styles in the warmth of the Pritzker Pavilion stage, with the stunning wintry cityscape as a backdrop beyond the retractable glass doors. Those strolling past outside are given a taste of the fun and revelry onstage by music broadcast over the speakers on the Great Lawn.

Like the always-popular SummerDance sessions, dancing will be preceded by one hour free dance lessons given by professional dance instructors. Dance styles will include Steppin’, Tango, Swing, Country Line Dancing, World/Folk, Ballroom and Cajun, with no previous experience necessary! Admission is FREE, but space is limited so please arrive early!

Location:
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Millennium Park
201 East Randolph Street – Chicago, IL

Contact:
312-742-1168
Free Dance – Winter Dance

Weekly Schedule of Dance Styles
February 6 – 28: Saturdays & Sundays
Session I: Lessons 1 – 2 pm; Open dancing 2 – 4 pm
Session II: Lessons 5 – 6 pm; Open dancing 6 – 8 pm

Saturday, February 20: Swing
Instructors: May I Have This Dance
Live music: Thomas Gunther Trio

Sunday, February 21: Ethnic Dances from Around the World
Instructors: Ethnic Dance Chicago
Saturday, February 27: Steppin’
Instructors: The Majestic Gents

Sunday, February 28: Ballroom
Instructors: Chicago Dance Latin & Ballroom School

Dancing is accompanied by recorded music unless otherwise noted. Doors open 30 minutes before the start of each lesson and admission is FREE, but space is limited so please arrive early! No reservations required.

Free Activities for the Chicago Chinese New Year – Feb 6-14

According to the Chinese zodiac, the new year—4708, the Year of the Tiger—doesn’t start until February 14, but there are lots of free events and activities in Chicago to celebrate the city’s largest Chinese cultural celebration.

The highlight of Chinatown’s annual Lunar New Year Parade, the Mystical Dragon Dance is performed using a 100-foot silk and bamboo costume. Chinatown’s Chinese New Year Parade celebrates the Lunar New Year — this year is the “Year of the Tiger”. This colorful parade marches right through the middle of Chicago’s Chinatown and features marching bands, elaborate floats, Miss Friendship Ambassador, lion dance teams, and a 100 foot long paper dragon made out of silk, paper, and bamboo. Parade steps off at 12:30 p.m. (subject to change)

WHERE:  Wentworth Ave between 24th St and Cermak Ave;
WHEN:  February 14, 2010 at 1pm,  free event.

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Happy Chinese New Year – Year of the Tiger – Come with the children and ring in the Year of the Tiger with activities, crafts, and treats for kids. Suggested for ages 6-12.

Date: Sat. February 06, 2010
Time: 2:00 pm
Location:  Independence
3548 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago 60618
Phone: 312 744-0900

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Learn a bit about Asian heritage at Navy Pier’s annual Chinese New Year Celebration. Join us in the Crystal Gardens for this free celebration of Chinese arts and culture featuring lion dancers, choral groups, folk dancers, traditional music, craft activities, and more. Navy Pier gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Chinese Fine Arts Society in the development of Chinese New Year programming.  This year’s free festivities include traditional music, puppet shows, calligraphy demos and a performance of the lion dance—a thousand-year-old ritual designed to ward off evil spirits in the upcoming year.

WHERE: 600 E Grand Ave (312-595-7437, navypier.com).
WHEN: Sunday, February 14th, 2010,  12:00pm – 5:30pm
In the Crystal Gardens
Free Admission!Click here for the event schedule.

Free Chicago Winter Dance Festival – Feb 2010

Come out in February 2010 for the free Chicago Winter Dance festival taking place in Millennium Park throughout the month of February. Bring the kids down to learn the basics of ice skating and play free interactive games on the ice during free family-friendly sessions open to all ages and skill levels. Read more

Free Admission to Brookfield Zoo – TODAY – Jan 24

Brave the weather and enjoy a great free thing to do in Chicago in January –a free day at Brookfield Zoo on Sunday, January 24.  Brookfield Zoo is inviting its guests to celebrate the dog days of winter  for the zoo’s FREEze Day. The event features free winter activities throughout the day – and free zoo admission. Read more

Free Snow Sculpting Competition – Jan 29-31

Bring the family out to see 15  professional artists in a free snow sculpting competition.  The free SNOW DAYS CHICAGO returns from 4 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 29 and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 30-31 in Grant Park (Balbo & Michigan), Chicago. Read more

Free Three Kings Day Winter Festival and Parade – Jan 6

Don’t stop the holiday festivities yet — The holidays continue with the free Three Kings Day Winter Festival and Parade celebration on Jan 6 in Chicago’s Humboldt Park.  Come on out and celebrate the beginning of a new decade with the free Annual Three Kings Day Winter Festival and Parade on  Jan. 6, 2010 at 3:30 p.m. on the corner of Campbell Street and Division Street. Look for twelve drummers drumming in the Three Kings Day parade starting at the corner of Division St. and Campbell Ave. (just west of Western Ave.).
Read more

Free Renegade Craft Fair and Trolley Rides – Dec 5-6

Come out Sunday and support the Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Sale on December 5 + 6 from 11am – 7pm at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse (1419 W. Blackhawk)! Over 150 of today’s finest indie-craft and contemporary design talents will be setting up shop this weekend for a 2-day holiday sale and event.  Those looking to shop handmade and support small business this holiday season will surely find something for everyone – from jewelry and clothing, to ceramics and stationery, with everything from bath products, housewares, posters, comics and plush objects in between – at this large-scale, free-to-attend art, craft and design extravaganza!!

Special this year: Free Trolley Rides between the Fair and a handful of Wicker Park hot spots will help keep holiday shoppers out of the cold!  Stops to catch the trolley along Division St. (between Ashland Ave. and Hoyne Ave.) include our very own Renegade Handmade, Nina, Greenheart Shop and Small Bar, who will be holding a weekend-long $3 draft drink special on PBR – sponsor of this special trolley service!

As always, the Fair is FREE TO ATTEND and other event features include free raffles of publications from Chronicle Books, items from Jenny Hart’s Sublime Stitching, papergoods from Pinball Publishing, and Faythe Levine’s Handmade Nation – both the book and the DVD documentary! Free copies of Readymade and TimeOut Chicago magazines can be found at the Renegade Craft Welcome Station and don’t forget to pop into the free-to-use photo booth provided by Magnolia Photo Booth Co. The Chicago Independent Radio Project (CHIRP) and other local DJs will be playing the jams all weekend long!

More information is available on the Renegade Craft Fair website.    (click for directions)

Lincoln Square Christkindl Market – Kids Free – Dec 4-6

Come on out and enjoy this quaint small Chicago German village for this three-day, outdoor Christmas celebration in Chicago featuring a holiday market, German food, beer and hot drinks for sale, live Christmas music, visits with Santa and more.  Kids under eighteen get free admission and adults pay only $3.

Free ZooLights Festival This Holiday Season – Nov 27

Come on out to Lincoln Park this holiday season for the free Lincoln Park Zoo’s ZooLights. With more than 1.5 million lights, this dazzling free-admission event features Santa, craft-making, live ice carving, and the wonderful opportunity to view the animals via moonlight. Open 5-9 PM Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights beginning November 27 and nightly December 18–Jan 3 (excluding December 24 & 25).  Featuring events for the whole family, like arts and crafts and tips for keeping warm in the winter, the annual festival is free to all and has even gone a bit greener this year by using LED lights this year.

The most spectacular time of year is here—ZooLights is bigger, brighter and FREE!

There will be plenty of traditional favorites and lots of new fun.

*Stop by the Kovler Lion House and take a ‘worldly’ photo with Santa Claus.

*Experience our musical light-show extravaganza on the South Lawn.

*Stay toasty by sipping hot chocolate, spiced wine or frosty beer.

*Create cool crafts and get a temporary tattoo

*Dine at Park Place Café and do your holiday shopping at Wild Things!

*Take a spin on the AT&T Endangered Species Carousel and the LPZOO Holiday Express train. (Prices vary.)

ZooLights Members Lounge Presented by the Chicago Sun-Times
The Members Lounge is exclusive and free for our members and their guests, who are invited to come in from the cold to enjoy treats, music, activities for the kids and holiday cheer for all. The Members Lounge is located on the lower level of Park Place Café. Open each night of ZooLights from 5-8 p.m. Click here to become a member now.

Volunteer
Make the season bright…volunteer at ZooLights! If you’re interested,
please e-mail us with your name, phone number and dates you can volunteer.

Free Christkindlmarket in Chicago – November-December

With free admission, great Christmas traditions as well as great shopping is part of the experience at the Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza on downtown Chicago. If you are looking for things to do in Chicago this Christmas season, stroll among booths selling toys, ornaments, jewelry, and clothing – many handcrafted by artisans – and such German specialties as nutcrackers, cuckoo clocks, beer steins, and other unique items.  Also, savor the fragrant aromas and lively sounds of a 16th century German marketplace. The Christkindlmarket is open daily November 26-December 24, and admission is free.

Visitors from all over the world come to the Christkindlmarket Chicago annually and the numbers continue to grow every year. It is so popular and loved by all that any Chicagoan will tell you that they could not imagine the city without it. It is no longer just a German tradition – it has become a Chicago institution.  Families, friends, co-workers, young professionals, suburbanites, city folk and visitors from all corners of the world enjoy Christkindlmarket Chicago. The unique shopping experience, the typical German food and drinks, the diverse holiday entertainment, and a place to enjoy the city during the winter season, makes this a preferred and popular destination.

Chicago’s largest open-air Christmas festival was first held on Pioneer Court in 1996. Inspired by the famous German Christmas Market in Nuremberg, which dates back to 1545, Christkindlmarket brings a cherished German and European tradition with international flair and local color to Chicago. By special invitation of Mayor Richard M. Daley, Christkindlmarket moved to Daley Plaza in 1997. Christkindlmarket Chicago and the City of Chicago with the Mayor’s Office of Special Events have since shared a great partnership based on mutual cooperation.

Since 1999 Christkindlmarket’s Grand Opening is a special highlight during the celebration of the City of Chicago Annual Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony which always takes place on the First Friday after Thanksgiving Day.

Popular from the very beginning in 1996, the two-week long Christmas extravaganza attracted more than 300,000 visitors in the first year. In 1997, Christkindlmarket Chicago became a four-week long event and the number of visitors quickly rose to over 500,000. Today, Christkindlmarket Chicago is the largest and most renowned German winter holiday market in the United States attracting visitors from the Chicagoland area, the rest of the country and from around the world.

The Christkindlmarket Chicago is the perfect place for teachers and professors of the German language to bring their students. At the market, students get to experience authenitc German traditions without having to travel any farther than the city of Chicago. The students will also have the opportunity to practice their language skills at the market with numerous German speaking vendors. Approximately 70% of the market’s vendors speak German as well as English. Several educational activities for students visiting the market include: scavenger hunts, interviews with vendors, or even singing German holiday songs for all to enjoy. From Kindergartners to graduate students the message is loud and clear: The Christkindlmarket is fun, fun, fun!

Dates & Times 2009

Daily		Nov. 25 through Dec. 24, 2009
Sneak Peek:		Nov. 25 – 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. – (Tree Lighting Ceremony at 4 p.m.)
Thanksgiving Day Hours:		Nov. 26 – 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Official Grand Opening:		Nov. 27 – 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. (Grand Opening starts at 4 p.m.)
Last Day:		Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve) 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Daily Hours
Sun. – Thurs.:		11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Fri. + Sat.:		11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Where		Daley Plaza between Washington, Clark & Dearborn Street

Chicago’s Free Festival of Lights – November 21

The 18th annual free Magnificent Mile Lights Festival will kick off the Chicago Christmas season with a procession led by grand marshal Mickey Mouse. Beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 21, marching bands and floats will pass hundreds of thousands of spectators huddled beneath 200 trees illuminated by a million white lights that turn the boulevard into a glittering fairyland.    The free parade culminates with a free fireworks display over the Chicago River. Throughout the day at Pioneer Court, near the river, there will be live entertainment and other activities geared to families.  If you are looking for things to do in Chicago or a visitor to the Windy City at Thanksgiving, this is a must-do / must-see event. Read more

Free Lift Ticket with Admission to Ski Show and Snowboard Expo

With the snow almost here, it time to think skiing and Shanty Creek will again be offering a free $50 lift ticket with each paid adult show admission to the 51st annual Ski Dazzle — Chicago Ski Show & Snowboard Expo Nov. 6-8, which will be held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. There are also  free ski lessons for attendees on an indoor ski school ramp.   As usual it promises lots of free entertainment and free fun for Windy City snowsports enthusiasts. It’s one of the oldest ski shows in the nation and a great time if you are asking what to do on the weekend.

The show includes over 125 exhibitor and sponsors booths showcasing the world of snow sports, resort discounts, over $2 million worth of brand-name skis, snowboards, clothing, and accessories with discounts up to 70-percent.  In addition, there is an an Action Sports Film Theater showcasing the hottest new sports action films and the latest DVDs available with non-stop action throughout the three days and a free rock climbing wall, and professionally trained instructors will be on hand to assist those new to the sport.

Tickets to the show are $12 and can be purchased and printed online so there’s no waiting in line at the Convention Center. Children (6-12) are $3; five and under are free.

Free Pumpkin Festival – October 17

Come out to the annual Pumpkin Festival on October 17 at the Eden Place Nature Preserve with free admission!  Hosted by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and Chicago Zoological Society, the fall celebration will kick off at 43rd Place and Shields on October 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will feature free admission with activities, food and music for the whole family.

At the festival, guests will get up close and personal with Brookfield Zoo’s red-tailed hawk and horned owl while learning about these species and their habitats during “keeper chats” led by the zoo’s animal keepers. Children and families will also participate in fun fall festivities including a hay ride, face painting, a jumping jack, pumpkin painting and scarecrow building, and enjoy nature exploration activities such as shoe planting, building leaf necklaces, composting and gardening. The event will also feature food from local farmer market vendors and musical entertainment.

Located in the Fuller Park neighborhood, Eden Place began in 1997 as a neighborhood clean-up project that has developed into an urban oasis for the local community which features a prairie, woodland, wetland and community garden. Today, Eden Place continues to grow with the support and recognition of local leaders and organizations who strive to raise awareness about environmental problems and help Chicago youth develop an appreciation for the natural world.

Admission to the Eden Place Pumpkin Festival is FREE. For further information about the Eden Place Pumpkin Festival, click here or call (708) 688-8000.

Chicago’s Free VeganMania – October 10

Chicago Vegan Mania — a free festival on October 10th in Chicago!  A joyous celebration of Chicago’s vegan culture, commerce, community, and cuisine with free admission for all.  Chicago VeganMania gives you a chance to watch a wide array of live music and dance, attend workshops and presentations from some of the nation’s leading vegan thinkers and doers, see the latest vegan fashion and the best vegan products and crafts, catch a vegan art show, learn Chicago’s hidden vegetarian history, watch (or join) a spectacular children’s procession, and so much more!  Also try vegan fare from about 10 local food vendors, including restaurants the Chicago Diner, Cousin’s Incredible Vitality, Soul Vegetarian and Veggie Bite at this showcase of vegan commerce, culture and community. Additional vendors showcase vegan crafts, artwork and fashions throughout the field house.

Entertainment includes live music from Darmata, SPUNN, dreamlogicc, Bryan Harrell and Circular Convention, and belly dance from Deserae, plus DJs veganinblack, Peter Propaganda and Scary Lady Sarah. Speaking at the event are representatives from EarthSave International, Mercy for Animals, the Humane Society, author Dr. Will Tuttle and others.

It’s all here, and admission is free! Plus you’ll get 5 free “Grub Stub” tickets redeemable at any food booth just for walking in the door. And come early – the first 100 people (age 16 & over) to show up will get a free swag bag loaded with wonderful vegan products.

Saturday, October 10. 2009
10am-4pm
Pulaski Park Fieldhouse
1419 W. Blackhawk
View Map

To get the latest news about Chicago VeganMania as it unfolds, visit our blog.

Bonus: The first 100 guests receive a swag bag; everyone gets five free tickets for food.

When:

October 10 : 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Price:

Free

Event Phone Number:

312-924-1801

http://veganmania.earthsavechica…

Pulaski Park Fieldhouse

Neighborhood: West Town

1419 W. Blackhawk St.

Chicago, IL 60622-2317

312-742-7559

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