Taste of Chicago  >  Grant Park  >  Plan Your Visit

Entrance into the festival is FREE admission.

Entrance gates are at Jackson Drive west of Columbus Drive, Ida B. Wells east of Michigan Ave, and Columbus Drive & Balbo Drive.

All gates have magnetic scanners and a bag check.

If you have no bag (no bag of any size - even fanny packs count as bags) there is a magnetic scan without bag check line.

Public Transportation
For travel information, visit www.transitchicago.com

Parking
If you are driving, park at Millennium Garages. Visit www.millenniumgarages.com for details & to pre-purchase parking discounts.

Biking
Bike parking is available on the perimeter of Grant and Millennium Parks. Visit the Chicago Bicycle Program for maps, safety, and other information.

All food and beverage vendors take credit cards. Very few vendors take cash. Unlike previous years no Taste tickets will be sold.

Pick up a map for all the food and beverage vendor locations, stage lineups and more at the INFO BOOTH or from a DCASE staff person.

Check out all the FREE experiences at Taste of Chicago including the Taste Main Stage concerts, Goose Island Stage, SummerDance Stage, Kids Area and more.

Please note: There is no seating at many of the Taste of Chicago 2024 stages. There are designated seating areas for eating or resting marked on the event map, available onsite.

Plan to stay overnight, visit Choose Chicago to book a hotel room.

American Sign Language interpretation will be available for Taste Main Stage concerts. Best seats to see the ASL are audience front right.

The Main Stage will have a seating area for people with disabilities near the front of right portion of the stage.

The reserved seating area is first come / first serve - no reservations. DCASE will have security at the Main Stage to ensure the space is used for its intended purpose.

A minimum of 72 hours advance notice is required. To request a reasonable accommodation, please contact DCASE at DCASEAccess@cityofchicago.org.

Each Taste of Chicago booth has an accessible counter. Food trucks may not have accessible height windows. Wheelchairs are not available to borrow at Taste of Chicago.

Transportation
Transportation drop off and pick up location: For Paratransit and vehicles transporting people with disabilities, the drop off and pick up location is at the southeast corner of Balbo and Columbus.

Parking locations: Accessible parking is available in Millennium Garages (5 S. Columbus Drive.) Please visit Millennium Park Garages for details & to pre-purchase parking discounts.

Restrooms
An accessible unit will be placed on each end of the porta-potty rows. There will a hand washing station with a foot and hand pump across from one of the accessible units.

Need help? Lost? Injured? Witness criminal activity?

Look up and call 9-1-1 and give the letter/number on the pole nearest your location. "Pole Markers" attached to the light poles around Grant Park will help first-responders locate you quickly.

Medical attention is available at the First Aid Trailer located at the northwest corner of Ida B. Wells and Columbus.

1. What items are prohibited from being brought onto festival grounds?

For the safety of guests ALL attendees will walk through certified metal detectors and bags will be searched at all entrances. Attendees may be subjected to additional screenings such as magnetometer wanding and/or physical pat down. Prohibited items will be confiscated and discarded.

Prohibited From Event Grounds

• Firearms or weapons of any kind (including pocket knives, pepper spray, etc.)
• Fireworks or explosives
• Grills or open flames
• Illegal or illicit substances of any kind including drugs or drug paraphernalia
• No outside alcohol of any kind
• No glass of any kind (sealed plastic water bottles only)
• Pets (Service animals welcome)
• Skateboards, scooters, bicycles, personal motorized vehicles (exception ADA mobility devices)
• Tents, canopies, shade structures, beach/picnic umbrellas (staked or golf), flags, flag poles/sticks, totems, or lawn stakes
• Unauthorized or unlicensed vendors, marketing, solicitation, or materials including posters, banners, handbills, flyers, stickers, samples, giveaways, etc.
• Drones, hoverboards, motorized toys
• Laser pointers, balloons, and noise makers
• Professional grade walkie-talkies or radios
• Coolers or bags larger than 26”L x 15’W x 15”H
• Hammocks or items attached to trees
• Any item deemed dangerous by Security

Allowed Items Include: sunscreen lotion (no aerosol cans), strollers and childcare supplies, binoculars, beach towel (1 per person, nothing larger), rain jacket or poncho, paper fan or mini personal fans/misters, prescription medication, plastic baby bottles and milk/formula, empty plastic water bottles (no metal or glass) and water pouches, folding chairs or lawn chairs

This event is under video surveillance by the City of Chicago.

Failure to comply with the above may result in entry being denied.

2. Can I bring a folding chair and blanket into the festival? Yes

3.. Can I bring a tent into the festival? Personal tents and canopies are NOT allowed at any lakefront event.

4. Can I bring my dog with me into the festival? No. For your dog's protection and for the public's safety, all dogs (except service animals) are restricted from the festival and you will be asked to leave the festival with your dog. (This policy is supported by the Anti-Cruelty Society.)

5. Is there an admission fee to get into the festival grounds? No.

Media interested in credentials are required to complete our media credential request form.