The Taste of Chicago is among the most popular annual public festivities in the city.

The Taste of Chicago is the world's largest food festival, held annually for two weeks in Chicago starting the last week of June. A food festival is a Festival, usually held annually that uses Food, often Produce, as its central theme. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The event is the largest festival in Chicago. ^[1] Every year, millions of Chicagoans, and tourists from around the world flock to Grant Park to enjoy the variety of food prepared by Chicago's most popular restaurants. Grant Park (originally named Lake Park is a large Park (319 acres or 1 Events also include live music on multiple stages, informational and family oriented pavilions, and nightly film performances. Musical acts vary from established and emerging local artists, to nationally known artists like Carlos Santana, Moby, and Kenny Rogers. For the Costa Rican football player see Carlos Santana (footballer; for the Mexican academic see Carlos Santana Morales. Richard Melville Hall, also known as Moby (born September 11, 1965 in Harlem, New York) is an American DJ Kenneth Ray "Kenny" Rogers (born August 21, 1938, in Houston Texas) is an American Country music Singer-songwriter All performances are free. July 3rd (Independence Eve) is by far the event's most attended day. The Chicago Country Music festival occurs simultaneously with Taste of Chicago.

On July 3rd the city holds its Independence Eve fireworks display. A firework is classified as a low explosive pyrotechnic device used primarily for aesthetic and entertainment purposes This takes place at dusk off the downtown shore of Lake Michigan, and is often ranked among the most impressive Independence Day pyrotechnic displays in the nation. Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. The term "pyrotechnics" can also be used for Fireworks events The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

In 2005, the Taste attracted about 3. 5 million people with over 70 food vendors. Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an In order to purchase food and beverages, one must purchase 'Taste Tickets'. Beer and wine can also be purchased.

Popular local food staples at Taste include Chicago-style pizza, Chicago hot dogs, barbecued ribs, Italian Beef, Maxwell Street Polish Sausage, cheesecake, and a variety of ethnic and regional foods. Chicago-style pizza is a deep-dish Pizza style developed in Chicago. A Chicago-style hot dog is a steamed or boiled all-beef Hot dog on a Poppy seed bun which originated in the U barbeque block party Kansas cityjpg|thumb|right|275px|A barbecue on a trailer at a Block party in Kansas City. An Italian beef is a Sandwich of thin slices of seasoned roast beef dripping with meat juices on a dense long Italian-style roll, believed to have originated A Maxwell Street Polish consists of a grilled all-beef Polish sausage topped with grilled Onions and yellow mustard and the optional sport Cheesecake is a large family of sweet Cheese -based Custard pies Cheesecakes are generally made with soft fresh cheeses The city's diverse variety of cuisines is well represented.

It is recommended that visitors use public transportation: the CTA, Metra or Pace, to get to the Taste, as parking in the immediate area is extremely difficult to find, and very expensive. A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois. Metra (officially known as the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation) is a Regional rail system that serves the city of Chicago Illinois Pace is the suburban bus division of the Regional Transportation Authority in the Chicago area Rides are also available such as a Ferris Wheel and the Mayor Daley " Jump to Be Fit".

The 2006 Taste of Chicago was the best 10-day event ever for attendance and sales. A record total of 3. 6 million people visited the festivities that year. Attendance for the previous record 10-day event, in 2004, was 3. 59 million, with $12. 33 million in revenue. [1]

In 2007, for first time in its history, the Taste of Chicago was marred by a salmonella outbreak that affected over 700 people and required the hospitalization of 12. Salmonella is a Genus of rod-shaped Gram-negative enterobacteria that causes Typhoid fever, Paratyphoid fever The outbreak was reportedly traced to hummus served at the Pars Cove booth. For the biological matter in soil see Humus; for the band see Humus (band. ^[2]

History

Mayor's Office Festivals of 2007

The first Taste of Chicago was held in the summer of 1980, the idea of then-mayor Jane Byrne and Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Lois Weisberg. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Jane Margaret Byrne (born May 24, 1934) was the first and to date only female Mayor of Chicago. Lois Weisberg (born 1925 is the Commissioner of Cultural Affairs in Chicago Illinois. At its inception, it was a one-day event held on the Fourth of July, along downtown Chicago's North Michigan Avenue (also known as the Magnificent Mile). The next year, The Taste of Chicago was moved to Grant Park and was greatly expanded in size and scope, growing to a 10-day event with more food vendors, as well as musical performances.

ChicagoFest, started by mayor Michael Bilandic, was the precursor to the Taste of Chicago. ChicagoFest was a summer music festival in the city of Chicago,started in 1978 by Mayor Michael Bilandic. Michael Anthony Bilandic ( February 13, 1923 – January 16, 2002) was an Illinois Politician who served as the After Bilandic's tenure in office, newly elected Mayor Jane Byrne attempted to end the festival, as well as many other programs associated with the former mayor. Jane Margaret Byrne (born May 24, 1934) was the first and to date only female Mayor of Chicago. Many Chicagoans disapproved of Mayor Byrne's attempt to stop the festivities (although attendance at ChicagoFest had begun to wane). She and her successor, Mayor Harold Washington, dedicated more time and energy to promoting the Taste as the city's premier summertime festival, making the new event more significant than the waning ChicagoFest and slowly phasing ChicagoFest out in the process. Harold Washington ( April 15 1922 – November 25 1987) was an American Lawyer and Politician who became the Mayor Washington finally put an end to ChicagoFest when in 1983 it was moved from Navy Pier to Soldier Field, and was an attendance failure. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Navy Pier is a long Pier on the Chicago shoreline of Lake Michigan. Soldier Field (formerly Municipal Grant Park Stadium) is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago Illinois, and is currently home to the NFL

Popularity has spawned numerous offshoots and equivalents throughout the country (and beyond), such as the Tastefest in Detroit, the Taste of the Danforth in Toronto, Taste of Addison, Taste in Dallas, Taste of Madison and in Austin. The CityFest formerly TasteFest is an annual five-day street Food festival that occurs near Independence Day weekend in the New Center district of Taste of the Danforth is a yearly festival held in Toronto Ontario, Canada, in the Greektown area along Danforth Avenue for a period of three Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario Madison is the capital of the US state of Wisconsin and the County seat of Dane County.

References

External links

• Mayor's Office of Special Events This page is produced by the City of Chicago.