57th Street Art Fair
This festival has wrapped for 2026 — it typically returns June 2027.
79th year. Chicago's oldest juried art festival, ~200 artists. Quintessential Hyde Park summer day.
- Dates: June 6–7, 2026
- Where: 57th & Kimbark
- Neighborhood: Hyde Park
- Cost: Free
How it was
This year's edition is over — the lineup, schedule, and notes below are kept as the record of 2026.
What to expect
The 79th edition of the oldest juried art fair in the Midwest, held in Hyde Park on 56th, 57th, and Kimbark between Kenwood and Woodlawn. Saturday June 6 (11 a.m.–6 p.m.) and Sunday June 7 (10 a.m.–5 p.m.) feature ~200 juried artists with paintings, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, photography, and prints. Live music programmed by Buddy Guy's Legends, food trucks, and a children's tent with hands-on art activities. Admission free.
Transit
Metra Electric to 57th-Hyde Park is a 5-minute walk and the easiest move. CTA: Red Line to Garfield then the 55 Garfield bus, or 6 Jackson Park Express bus from downtown directly. Driving works — Hyde Park has more street parking than most fest neighborhoods, but skip it Saturday morning and try the U of C garages on 55th.
Bag policy
No formal bag check — open-air fair. Some artists ask you not to touch displayed work, which is the only real restriction.
Family-friendly
Excellent. Wide tree-lined streets are stroller-perfect, the children's art tent is a real activity (not a token), and the pace of an art fair is conducive to a stop-and-snack rhythm. Restrooms are at the fair HQ at the Kimbark/57th corner. Sun cover is decent — those Hyde Park elms shade most of the route.
Local tips
- Arrive Saturday at 11 a.m. opening — the booths are fresh, artists are chatty, and the heat hasn't settled in.
- Stop at the Seminary Co-op on 57th between booths; it's the city's best independent bookstore and 30 ft off the fair route.
- The Kimbark stretch is the lower-trafficked end — better artist conversations and your pick of the shaded benches.
- Sunday's lighter crowd is the day to actually buy — artists are more open to conversation and occasional discount.
- Buddy Guy's Legends programs the stage; if you see it on the schedule, the late-Saturday-afternoon set is the highlight.
- Pair with the Smart Museum of Art (free, 5-minute walk) for a museum-and-fair afternoon.
- If you're a serious buyer, the printmakers at this fair are nationally significant — bring tube/folder for transport.