Raw States
Chicago Humanities Festival
Chicago, IL · Arts & Culture
- When
- September 14 – November 14, 2026
- Where
- Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N Lincoln Ave · Chicago · IL
- Cost
- Not confirmed
- Status
- Confirmed from the organizer's published schedule
Chicago Humanities Festival is a citywide series of talks and performances with authors, artists and public figures, spread across venues in Chicago and Evanston each fall. The 2026 edition opens September 14 at the Old Town School of Folk Music and runs into mid-November. It has run since 1989 and is one of the largest public humanities programs in the country.
The history within reach
Chicago's German-American community throws its Oktoberfest along Lincoln Square's namesake avenue, with beer tents, oompah bands, and bratwurst stands run by DANK Haus and area German clubs.
- Von Steuben Day Parade0.9 mi
Chicago's Von Steuben Day Parade marches down Lincoln Avenue and Irving Park Road through the Lincoln Square neighborhood each September, celebrating the city's German American heritage.
- Essanay Studios1.1 mi
The Uptown studio produced early American film, including Charlie Chaplin's 1915 pictures, before the industry moved west..
Andersonville's Swedish heritage anchors this street festival along Clark Street, one of Chicago's oldest neighborhood festivals at 60 years running.
- Uptown Theatre1.2 mi
Uptown Theatre is the largest movie palace ever built in the United States, 'an acre of seats in a magic city', dark since 1981 and awaiting restoration..