Chicago never disappoints in terms of culture and fun, and Andersonville's Midsommarfest is the perfect example, and a true must. June 12-14 was a weekend hard to forget, thanks to this annual street festival. But this June was special, as Midsommarfest noted its golden anniversary ( 50 years ).
Marcos, from San Antonio, told Windy City Times he was looking for "drinks, shopping and fun," and he was not disappointed. With five stages, savings from local shops, and dozens of stands all over Clark Street, the big crowd could not just get enough from this neighborhood.
People could find anything: clothes, art, antiques, real estate and information about human rights. They would walk around with pizza, kebabs, beer, wine, mojitos, sangria and even chocolate-covered strawberries in their handsand it seemed that all attendees had smiles on their faces. On the stages, people enjoyed the performances of bands such as 16 Candles, The Congregation and Little Queens. And among the fun activities there was a hula-hoop show, a climbing wall, a pet parade and face-painting.
Even though the festival honored the Swedish heritage of Andersonville, it mixed harmonically multicultural elements, along with music and costumes from the '60s that paid homage to 1965, the year this festival was held for the very first time. The donations will support cultural and commercial activities in Andersonville for the rest of the year.
Text by Sebastian Saenz; photos by Paul Hirsch