Food & Drink festival
Chicago , IL

Taste of River North

Confirmed2026
Photo: PattayaPatrol, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Dates
2026
Status
Confirmed
Venue
To be announced
Price
Not announced
Camping
None on site
Last checked
Aug 31, 2026

Taste of River North returns to Chicago , IL, 2026. Froligo tracks ticket prices, attendee feedback and travel details.

What to eat & drink

Build a cross-cuisine tasting route, then add the structured eight-wine session only if desired.

You must try…

  • A three-restaurant River North sampling flight
  • Eight-wine guided tasting

Chefs & restaurants

  • Avli
  • Fogo de Chão
  • Lure Fishbar
  • Seoul Taco

Watch before you taste

Food tours, crowd favourites and festival highlights.

The experience

What's special

Chicago’s River North neighborhood festival combines restaurant sampling with main-stage music, a children’s zone, dog parade and a separately ticketed wine tasting.

What people love

The compact restaurant roster spans Mediterranean, Brazilian, seafood, Mexican, Korean and Indian-influenced choices, making comparison practical in a single visit.

Music & entertainment

Lineup not yet announced. Email me the day it lands.

Getting there

How do I get to Taste of River North?

Public transit 2
CTA Blue Line (from O'Hare / ORD)~40-45 min ORD to the Grand/River North area · $5.00 one-way from O'Hare (airport-origin fare)

The Blue Line 'L' runs 24/7 direct from inside O'Hare to downtown with no transfer. Get off at the Grand (Blue Line) stop at Grand & Milwaukee, about a half-mile, 10-minute walk east into the River North street-fair footprint on Wells Street, or a short onward bus/rideshare hop

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CTA Orange Line (from Midway / MDW)~25-30 min MDW to the Loop, plus a short connection into River North · $2.50 standard CTA fare (Ventra card/app)

From Midway, the Orange Line 'L' runs into the Loop in about 25-30 min (service roughly 5am-11pm). From a Loop stop, River North is a short walk north across the river or one quick CTA bus/rideshare connection to Wells Street

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Taxi & rideshare 1
Uber / Lyft and licensed taxis~25-45 min from O'Hare, ~20-30 min from Midway · Roughly $35-55 from O'Hare, or $25-40 from Midway, depending on traffic and demand

Rideshare and taxi pickups use the designated curbside zones at both airports. River North is a central, easy drop-off; on fair days the closed blocks of Wells Street mean the last block is on foot

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By train

No direct passenger rail to the venue was found. Use the airport transfers or shuttle options above.

🅿 Parking

No on site parking. Use nearby lots or transit. Cost Roughly $20-45 for a River North garage/lot, cheaper if prepaid. Prepay via SpotHero. This is a River North street festival on Wells Street with no dedicated event lot, attendees use the neighborhood's many commercial garages and lots, most within a few blocks. Prepaying a River North garage through SpotHero (or a similar Chicago parking app) is the reliable way to lock in a spot and price on a busy summer weekend. Given the density and strong CTA coverage, transit or rideshare is usually easier than driving into River North

🚙 Car hire

Compare car hire

Car hire isn't needed for this festival, it's a walkable downtown Chicago street fair with 24/7 Blue Line service from O'Hare, Orange Line from Midway, and dense rideshare/taxi coverage, and parking a car in River North is an added cost. It suits only visitors combining the trip with wider regional travel

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Live price search coming soon.

Where

Camping & Accommodation

Where can I stay near Taste of River North?

Budget stays 1
Found Hotel Chicago River North

613 N Wells Street, essentially next door to the fair footprint on Wells Street; a zero-minute walk

≈ $120-200 / night approx, book direct with the hotel

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Mid-range hotels 1
ACME Hotel Company

15 E Ohio Street, roughly a quarter-mile / 5-minute walk from Wells Street

≈ $180-300 / night approx, book direct with the hotel

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Luxe hotels 1
The Godfrey Hotel Chicago

127 W Huron Street, roughly a third of a mile / 6-7 minute walk from the fair

≈ $250-420 / night approx, book direct with the hotel

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Airbnb & private camping
Airbnb

River North and the surrounding Near North Side have a large short-term-rental supply of high-rise condos and apartments. Expect summer-weekend pricing at or above Chicago's already-high peak-season baseline during the mid-July festival, central, walkable units near Wells Street book up first

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Hipcamp

There is essentially no Hipcamp inventory in downtown Chicago itself; listings begin well out in the exurban and rural areas beyond the metro, within a 60-90 minute drive, only relevant for a visitor who wants a camping trip rather than a downtown stay

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Pricing

Pricing not yet announced

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