Hopefully April showers will bring May flowers and some sunshine to Chicago. May includes the opening of Chicago's beaches Memorial Day Weekend, baseball, Memorial Day, and more. Things also start to pick up at Millennium Park when the park's Crown Fountain is turned on May 1, weather permitting of course. Average temperature is 69°F (20°C) and average precipitation is 3.5".
Suggested Reading: Chicago Annual Events 2012 l Guide to the Chicago Botanic Garden l Ribfest Chicago 2012
Millennium Park's Crown Fountain - May 1, 2012: Millennium Park's Crown Fountain is turned on May 1, weather permitting. The fountain is a huge hit with kids, who seem to have a hard time avoiding getting soaking wet.
Mother's Day - May 13, 2012: Check out our handpicked list of things to do with mom this Mother's Day.
Cinco de Mayo Celebration - 2012 Dates TBD: Join thousands in Douglas Park for a Cinco de Mayo celebration that includes a festival, musical events, food booths, games, kids area, and more. For more Cinco de Mayo celebrations throughout the U.S., check out About.com's Honeymoons /Romantic Travel Guide Susan Breslow's list of Cinco de Mayo Celebrations. The official Cinco de Mayo holiday is May 5.
Chicago Green Festival - May 5-6, 2012: Engage with award winning journalists, New York Times bestsellers, actors, innovators and educational experts as they discuss today’s most pressing environmental and social issues and what we can do to create a more sustainable future.
Kimpton's Hotel Palomar "Sleeping with the Artist" - May 17, 2012: Art is back in motion at Kimpton’s Hotel Palomar Chicago. The hotel will celebrate the third installment of its “Sleeping with the Artist” rotating art exhibition with a special “Salon Series” event on May 17 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.. In partnership with Time Out Chicago, the event will unveil the works of three new locally-renowned artists whose work will take up residence in the hotel: Beth Kamhi, Doug Frohman, and Matt Glavin. The event will feature a private artist-led showing, an artist presentation, a one-night-only 10 percent discount on featured work, and a raffle. Complimentary beer, wine, and a specialty cocktail will be served. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be provided by Sable Kitchen & Bar’s celebrity chef, Heather Terhune.
99 cent Fries at Epic Burger in Honor of Chicago Hosting NATO - May 18 - 22, 2012: Epic Burger is welcoming NATO protestors with 99 cent french fries as a gesture of solidarity with “the 99%” at its 517 South State and 550 West Adams locations. In contrast with many neighboring businesses choosing to close over the May 20 and 21 conference dates, the two Epic Burger locations will feature employee-made signs in the windows welcoming protestors. Epic Burger’s sea salt-dusted, trans-fat free fries are normally priced at $1.99 per order.
Chicago Memorial Day Parade and Wreath Laying Ceremony - May 26, 2012: Honoring fallen soldiers, Chicago's Memorial Day Parade is one of the largest and oldest in the United States kicking off at noon on State Street between Lake and Van Buren Streets.
Bike the Drive - May 27, 2012: Enjoy Chicago's skyline and shoreline as you bike up and down Lake Shore Drive. The complete route is 30 mile and the Drive is closed to automobile traffic. Event kicks off at 5:30 a.m. (Suggested reading: Best Walking Tours in Chicago)
Chicago Beaches Open - May 26, 2012: Chicago's wide variety of beaches along the vast expanse of Lake Michigan officially open on Memorial Day weekend. (Suggested reading: Tips for Getting in Shape for the Beach)
Old Town Al Fresco Event - May 26 - May 31, 2012: From Monday, May 28th, to Thursday, May 31st, 15 Old Town restaurants will be offering specific patio dining specials as part of the year-long Living Old Town 2012 event series. The participants include: Angelo’s Taverna (1612 N. Sedgwick), Benchmark Tavern (1510 N. Wells), Bistrot Margot (1437 N. Wells), Catering|Chocolate (1712 N. Wells), Corcoran’s Grill & Pub (1615 N.Wells), Dinotto Ristorante (215 W. North), Einstein’s Bagels (1443 N. Wells), Kamehachi (1531 N. Wells), O’Briens Restaurant (1528 N. Wells), Old Town Pour House (1419 N. Wells), Orso’s Restaurant (1401 N. Wells), Subway Sandwiches (1529 N. Wells), Tokyo 21 Asian Pub (1400 N. Wells), Trattoria Roma (1535 N. Wells) and The Twisted Baker (1542 N. Wells). (Get to know Chicago's famous Old Town Neighborhood with our Old Town Tour.)
Another event to keep on your radar in May thanks to Chicago-based writer Tom Mullaney: Is there any Chicagoan left who, in the past three months, has not heard the amazing story of Vivian Maier, an Austrian-born, Chicago photographer who toiled for many years as a nanny to North Shore families? Her recently-closed show at the Chicago Cultural Center was a huge success. Like so many figures throughout art history, Maier received no recognition of her work during her lifetime but is now being hailed as one of the 20 Century’s greatest street photographers. It was only as the result of an estate sale shortly before her death in 2009 that a trove of 100,000 negatives and 3,000 of her prints revealed her secret, second identity. Art adviser Russell Bowmanmounts a new show of her work at his River North gallery, 311 West Superior, on April 15. An opening reception is scheduled from 5:30 to 8 p.m. By all means go and be spellbound by Maier’s astute eye which, like Weegee or Helen Leavitt in New York, captured the life and people on Chicago’s streets of the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s.
