You may have heard about one of the festivals happening in Chicago this weekend: a small, obscure series of concerts called Lollapalooza. But for those who missed the few minutes of ticket availability, you're not out of luck. There are plenty of other opportunities to get your groove on elsewhere with Wrigleyville Summerfest, Edge Fest and Festival Cubano.
Edge Fest
When: 12 p.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday
Where: 5900 N. Broadway at Thorndale Avenue in Edgewater
Cost: $5 suggested donation
Why you're going: You love cover bands as much as you hate your cholesterol. With This Must Be the Band (a Talking Heads tribute band) and Too White Crew (an old-school hip-hop tribute group) on Saturday and '80s cover band 16 Candles on Sunday, you'll be able to sing along to every song all weekend long, whether the people around you appreciate it or not. Meanwhile, you'll be clogging your arteries with bacon-themed offerings from Edgewater restaurants, including Broadway Cellars' Elvis ice cream sandwich (peanut butter cookies with banana ice cream and bacon bits), Dumpling House's bacon shish kabob and Genoa's cheese-and-bacon chips.
Wrigleyville Summerfest
When: 12 p.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday
Where: 3300 N. Seminary Ave. at School St. in Wrigleyville
Cost: $5 suggested donation
Why you're going: Because it's Wrigley, dude! You remember when Dave Matthews Band killed it at Wrigley and this will be just like that-only outside the field and with DMB cover band Trippin Billies playing Sunday night. Or maybe you just want to sing in front of random drunk strangers with karaoke courtesy of Trader Todd's. And there's more: Mad Science, Sanctified Grumblers, the Dan Harvey Band and Dot Dot Dot (all playing Saturday) are on the schedule, as well as classic cover band Mike and Joe. AH Catering will serve empanadas and arepas, but don't forget Baba Pita's kabobs and falafel.
Festival Cubano
When: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Where: Riis Park, Fullerton and Narragansett avenues in Belmont Central
Cost: $5 pre-order one-day, $8 pre-order two-day, $10 at the door
Why you're going: You live for all things Cuban. You're not afraid to embarrass yourself with the free mambo and salsa dance lessons, or you're ready to groove in the festival's salsa contest. The food should be a pretty big draw too, with mostly Cuban and Caribbean fare such as roast pork and Cuban-style rice. But let's be honest, you're really going for the music. Salsa, timba, mambo, Cuban pop, Spanglish rap and house music are all represented at this fest. Headliners include Issac Delgado, Jose Alberto "El Canario," Celia Cruz All Stars and Tito Puente, Jr.
Lollapalooza
When: 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Sunday
Where: Grant Park
Cost: Sold out
What you're eating: You already have every minute of every day planned so you don't miss any of your favorite acts, but don't forget the food. This musical marathon requires as much energy as a real marathon, and the granola bars you shoved in your bag won't cut it. Hit up The Smoke Daddy's stand for pulled pork sandwiches and homemade barbecue chips for lunch and the Suzy's Samosa booth for butter chicken with mint-jalapeno chutney made by Season 2 "MasterChef" winner Suzy Singh. Then, find room for the Pork of July hot dog from Franks 'N' Dawgs, made with pork sausage and topped with pulled pork and coleslaw. If you're a burger and/or Black Sabbath fanatic, hit up the Kuma's Corner booth to devour the Iron Man cheeseburger or the Hand of Doom pepper-jack burger.
Harry Huggins is a RedEye intern. redeye@tribune.com | @redeyechicago