A new citywide music festival in 2021 will replace the illustrated Blues Fest, Jazz Fest and Gospel Fest with a night honoring every musical tradition. (Courtesy of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events)

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday unveiled a plan to allow certain festivals and events to take place in Chicago this summer, but not the Air and Water Show or the Taste of Chicago in its usual form, even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. fades.

Taste of Chicago, which typically takes over Grant Park in mid-July, will offer take-out meals designed to showcase local restaurants at pop-up events across the city for the second year in a row, according to an announcement by the mayor. . Office.

The city’s open culture plan is the “final step in our mission to fully restore a sense of normalcy in our city by bringing back and reinventing some of our favorite summer and fall activities,” said Lightfoot.

City officials have not announced any plans for the spectacle of air and water to roar by the lake at the end of August.

In addition, the announcement from the mayor’s office made no mention of plans for Lollapalooza.

Chicago is set to “fully reopen” on July 4, Lightfoot said on Tuesday.

Leaders of the city’s cultural affairs and special events department are “currently reviewing” applications for outdoor festivals, street and arts / crafts fairs and sporting events, officials said.

“The approval of the permit is conditional on improving public health parameters,” according to the statement from the mayor’s office.

It costs the city $ 9 million a year to put on the Chicago Taste and Show of Air and Water, and the Chicago City Council has not included funds for festivals in the 2021 budget.

City officials also announced Wednesday that they will be hosting a musical series that would only admit fully vaccinated Chicagoans in a bid to encourage residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The first event will take place on May 22 at the Silver Room in Hyde Park and will feature DJs Ron Trent and Duane Powell.

Participants should bring their CDC vaccination card and corresponding photo ID. Tickets will be available at noon Monday at silverroom.com.

The deadline to get vaccinated and attend the event is Saturday, officials said. The Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine will be offered between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday at Apostolic Faith Church, 3823 S. Indiana Ave. and everyone trapped will receive a ticket to the event.

Additional events in the Protect Chicago Music series will be announced shortly, officials said.

Grant Park Music Festival will take place this year after being suspended in 2020, starting July 2-3 with the Grant Park Orchestra saluting Independence Day and ending August 20-21 with a performance of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.3 in the Pritzker Pavilion, officials said.

A new music festival throughout the city, Chicago in the air, will take place from August 19 to September 19. This festival will replace the Blues Fest, Jazz Fest and Gospel Fest with a night honoring every musical tradition born and perfected in Chicago. The events were virtual last year.

The Gospel Music Showcase will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on September 3, the Jazz Music Showcase will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on September 4, the House Music Showcase will take place on September 5: 30 a.m. September 11 and the Blues Music Showcase will be held September 18 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The American Ballet Theater is also scheduled to perform at Grant Park at 7:30 p.m. on July 8, and the Millennium Park musical series will take place from August 2 to September 13.

Open air farmer’s markets will also reopen, including Daley Plaza Market on May 27 and Maxwell Street Market on June 6, officials said.

Pride in the park will take place at Grant Park from June 26-27. This celebration of Chicago’s LGBTQ community will replace the typical parade in Lakeview and Boystown, officials said.

The art fair of the old town will take place from June 12 to 13 and the Southport Art Fair will take place July 10-11, officials said.

Chicago’s Goodman Theater will reopen in August with performances by “School Girls; Or, naughty African girls play ” while “Othello” will be played at Court Theater starting July 8 and ending August 8. Plans call for the reopening of Broadway in Chicago with performances of “Six” at Water Tower Place in October.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association will resume concerts on May 27, orchestra officials said on Tuesday.

The city will also offer 100 grants between $ 5,000 and $ 30,000 to fund free concerts and events, live and in person, that “activate the streets, plazas and parks of Chicago,” officials said. More information is available online at chicago.gov/music.

The city will also host two vaccination events for members of the Chicago arts community from noon to 7 p.m. on May 20 at the Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave., and from noon to 7 p.m. May 21 at the Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]