The nonprofit Rogers Park Business Alliance is excited to host Chicago’s only chalk art festival Chalk Howard Street on Saturday, August 24, from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. The family-friendly festival presenting large-scale optical illusions returns to transform the street surface into a canvas for national, local, and first-time chalk artists along Howard Street between Paulina and Ashland, east of the Howard Red Line “L” stop. This free-admission festival features live music, lion dance, kids drawing, vendors, food and drinks, while offering striking and immersive street art experiences as well as street chalk squares available for public purchase. Chalk Howard Street is sponsored by Howard Street/Jarvis Square Special Service Area #19. For more information on the festival, visit chalkhowardstreet.com.
Chalk Howard Street 2024 features nationally renowned 3D street artists Amanda-lee Harris, Randy Segura, Holland Winslow, and Zach Herndon as well as 2D street artists Asia Bell, April Tolliver, Heather Drost, and Andrew Vickers, who will create vivid and interactive chalk drawings for art enthusiasts and festival attendees. Chalk Howard Street will also offer a limited amount of 4’x4’ street chalk squares available for purchase to individuals, families and groups who wish to have a creative space and draw their own chalk art. Each square is priced at $25 and includes chalk supply. To register and purchase street squares in advance, visit chalkhowardstreet.com.
The live music lineup includes Chicago Tap Theatre (11 a.m. – 12 p.m.), DJ BVAX (12-3 p.m.), Bryan Cee (3-3:45 p.m.), Dan Kusaya (4-4:45 p.m.), Lester Jay (5-5:45 p.m.), Southside Soul Kings (6-6:45 p.m.), and Carla Prather (7-7:45 p.m.).
Additional programming this year includes: artist group Paint the City creating a mural and inviting festival attendees to paint along; Chalk n' Play kids area; Loyola University student-led activities; and Freddie's Modern Kung Fu lion dancing and drumming at 1642 W Howard Street.
Vendors of art, food, retail and nonprofits include @briightlyart, Anomalous Territories, Badou Senegalese Cuisine, Bridging the Gap Collective, Bourbon & Spark, Caseras Sabor Real, Chicago Tap Theatre, Cobbler Lane Designs, Chicago Flavas, Comfortably Queer, Depart with Art, Eclectic time boutique, Gianna Bakes Cakes LLC, Gigi’s, Happy Faces, Kika's Jewelry Boutique Inc., Made w/Love Organic Vinegar, Muijistudio, Offbeat Macarons & Sweets, LLC, Onigiri Kororin, OuroHermetica LLC, Rachel Bard, Serendipity Chicago, Smita Creation, Somos Arte NFP, TeMi Beads, Terra and Talia, Wallock International Group LLC / BWYB Products, Urban Tables.
Howard Street Chicago, located on the edge of Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood and suburban Evanston, offers an unexpected, eclectic city experience. It is alive with an engaging personality represented by its vital diversity, welcoming nature, and entrepreneurial spirit. Howard Street is home to an international array of cuisine options, creative art shops, and multiple theaters, and offers easy access to the beach and Lake Michigan. Howard Street/Jarvis Square Special Service Area #19 is a business improvement district managed through Rogers Park Business Alliance and by a team of Commissioners representing local businesses. For more information, visit www.howardstreetchicago.com.
Rogers Park Business Alliance is a nonprofit organization that has served Chicago’s diverse Rogers Park neighborhood for more than 30 years. RPBA works to cultivate and sustain a thriving economic environment in Rogers Park, serving businesses and residents with a variety of public events and business initiatives. RPBA programs include the GROW/PROGRESANDO entrepreneurial training program, the Illinois Small Business Development Center at RPBA, annual Best of Rogers Park awards, Chalk Howard Street Festival, Taco Crawl, and the Glenwood Sunday Market farmers market. For more information, visit RPBA.org.
Photos: courtesy of Rogers Park Business Alliance.