Summer on Southport

I had so much fun at the fest last night! The weather was perfect. I loved the band, Wedding Banned. They really played to the crowd. Granted the fact that my nephews were out well past their normal bedtime, the band «kept it clean». It was a good crowd last night but there was enough room to breath and dance to the music. I only wish that I got there earlier. I liked this fest so much better than the way too crowded Wicker Park Fest!

Trippin’ Billies, low cover, and giant margaritas for $ 6 on a gorgeous Saturday night on Southport.
I came. I saw. I conquered.
Successful festival indeed.

Summer on Southport returned in 2010 after a hiatus of a year or two. It’s one of the medium-​sized fests and kind of has a family oriented vibe. Was it a triumphant return? Sure, why not?
The props I have to give to SOS are that it wasn’t overly crowded, there were plenty of portable outhouses, it didn’t feel dirty like some fests feel and it was only five bucks. There was plenty of room to move about without getting that gross feeling you get at some fests.
As for the bands, they had Too White Crew and Trippin’ Billies performing the night we went. That’s a lose-​lose scenario. Too White Crew is like nails on a chalkboard, while Trippin’ Billies is just flat out boring DMB covers. We opted for the lesser of two evils — Trippin’ Billies. It seriously sounded like they played the same song for 90 minutes. Generic. But they’re great if you wear flip flops, long cargo shorts and your hat backwards.
Managed to make it through the fest to 10 p.m. without an ex sighting. Miracles do happen. But then, afterward, at the first bar within the confines of the fest, bam! Immediate ex sighting. Big City, small world. Ding, dong. End of Summer on Southport. Hello, Richard’s.
Three stars.

The five star aspect of this festival is a given.
*Great Neighborhood
*Miller Lite, no tickets to purchase them
*Great Bands, the same rotating ones that people all of a sudden love to hate on
*Top Talent
*Great Weather
The one star aspects:
–Too many strollers
–9PM Curfew on Sunday
–Too many strollers
–Least diverse of all the festivals
–Too many strollers
This is this festival in a nutshell. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be back every Summer, if it sticks, but heed the negatives. And being here is better than watching the disappointing neighborhood baseball team these days. Ay yi yi…

One of my favorite fests of the summer.
Summer on Southport is always well-​organized — stuff for the kiddies and families during the day, fun bands playing drunk people music at night. The layout is done so it never seems too crowded, and the beer tents are nicely positioned by the stages.
Good times as usual.

I thought this thing was well organized/​had good music/​great food-​some reasonable, some Bullshit prices… overall one of the better streetfests! GTFJD

As I get older, I have lost my taste for the overcrowded Street Fairs full of drunken hipsters who are over-​served on overpriced Beer. But Summer on Southport has restored my faith in these events. The event is laid out perfectly. The fair was three blocks long so there was plenty of room to walk around. It was your typical Neighborhood festival with local merchants peddling everything from Sun Glasses to Dog training services. The only black mark was the food. There were only 3 or 4 food vendors at this fest. None of it really looked appetizing, so my wife and I ate outside the festival. The one thing that impressed me about Summer on Southport is there were plenty of clean Port-Let’s on site. Not only were they clean, they had sinks with water and paper towels on the inside. This might sound like a trivial thing, but if you are going to spend 4 hours outside, you at least want to have a usable restroom. Hat’s off to the organizers of Summer on Southport for not skimping on the Portable Crappers.
The band we saw was top notch. Too White Crew is a talented group of musicians who cover the early Rap scene of the 80’s and 90’s. They sound great and look like they have the time of their life on stage. They are a fun band to experience.
Depending on the bands that are playing, I wouldn’t hesitate to go back to Summer on Southport. It looked like they had something for everyone. My wife and I enjoyed a beautiful summer evening with great music and awesome people watching.

Good times, crazy crowded!
Honorable mentions:
–Watching people who have been drinking since 11am finally reach their breaking point
–too white crew (they played the 90’s old school stuff)
–Free stuff (La Croix, etc)
Not so honorable
-$ 5 donation, I paid it and yet by the time I made it to their 3^rd «bouncer» I was getting the evil eye like I was trying to sneak in.
-$ 5 Miller light
–mini dogs mixed into the huge crowd. sure they’re cute but i’m not sure how safe this is.
Words of wisdom:
–Go after the sun goes down
–BYOB or bring cash
–you can hear from pretty much anywhere so don’t try THAT hard to get close
–Make friends with people who live in the apartments with balconies over looking the fest grounds. They seemed to have a great view and i’m sure cheaper drinks and snacks.

Yet another great Chicago neighborhood festival, Glad it’s returning this year. Last year, I was practically left in the lurch when this event was absent. This is ANOTHER fun Summer event.

Join UNICOI ART STUDIO at the Chicago Parent Magazine booth at the Summer on Southport festival. Stop by 3700 N. Southport on July 28^th & 29^th from Noon — 5pm each day. Your child can bring a friend and enjoy the outdoor summer fun.
They’ll make FREE paper bag puppets to take home. Sign up for art classes too. For more information on the classes and other services, including birthday parties, go to
. The studio is located in Roscoe Village at 2059 W. Belmont.
This fest has a children’s area and just gets bigger each year. There are games and other entertainment, including face painting, balloons, etc. for the kids. They’ll love it! The adults will enjoy live music, plenty of food & drinks, and a variety of merchandise vendors.