This site uses cookies for analytics and to improve your experience. By clicking Accept, you consent to our use of cookies.

"Chicago Cultural Alliance" logo
  • ABOUT US
    • ABOUT
    • COALITION STATEMENT
    • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
    • CCA Blog
    • BOARD OF DIRECTORS
    • OUR TEAM
    • OPPORTUNITIES
    • Privacy Policy
  • OUR MEMBERS
    • ABOUT OUR MEMBERS
    • CORE MEMBERS
    • PARTNER MEMBERS
    • JOIN THE ALLIANCE
  • MEETING THE MOMENT
  • ACTIVATING HERITAGE
  • PROGRAMS
    • ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS
    • ACTIVATING HERITAGE 2026
    • JOURNEY CHICAGO
    • ARCHIVES CRAWL
    • WORLD DUMPLING FEST (2024)
    • MOSAIC 2025 Gala
  • CALENDAR
  • MEMBERWIRE LOG-IN
  • DONATE
20 events found.

Cultural Festivals and Fairs

  1. Events
  2. Cultural Festivals and Fairs

Events Search and Views Navigation

Event Views Navigation

  • List
  • Month
  • Week
Today
  • September 2022

  • Mon 19
    September 19, 2022 @ 11:45 am - 1:00 pm

    Peace Day Chicago

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Daley Plaza 50 W. Washington St, Chicago, IL, United States

    Peace Day brings together communities and cultures as a vital step towards building peace in Chicago and the world. The interactive World Peace Flag Ceremony accompanied by world music gives […]

    FREE
  • Fri 30
    September 30, 2022 @ 6:00 pm - October 1, 2022 @ 8:00 am

    Ragamala: The Annual, All-Night Celebration of Indian Classical Music: World Music Festival Chicago

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    • Music, Film, and Theater
    Chicago Cultural Center 78 E Washington St, Chicago, IL, United States

    Friday, September 30 - Saturday, October 1, 2022 Ragamala: A Celebration of Indian Classical Music - Celebrating 10 Years! Chicago Cultural Center, Preston Bradley Hall 78 E. Washington St., 3rd […]

    FREE
  • October 2022

  • Fri 7
    October 7, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 6:00 pm 69th Annual Chicago Powwow

    69th Annual Chicago Powwow

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Schiller Woods West - Grove 2 Irving Park Rd, Schiller Park, IL, United States

    Join us as we celebrate the American Indian Center's 69th Annual Chicago Powwow! This event is open to the public!

  • Fri 7
    October 7, 2022 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

    Malmoe Opening Ceremony

    • Alliance Events
    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    • Exhibitions and Gallery Events
    • Member Events
    Korean Cultural Center of Chicago 9925 Capitol Dr, Wheeling, IL, United States

    The Korean Cultural Center of Chicago and the Chicago Korean Education Center will co-host an opening ceremony for the ‘Malmoe, Protect the Hangul’ education box at the museum on Friday, […]

  • Sat 8
    October 8, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 6:00 pm 69th Annual Chicago Powwow

    69th Annual Chicago Powwow

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Schiller Woods West - Grove 2 Irving Park Rd, Schiller Park, IL, United States

    Join us as we celebrate the American Indian Center's 69th Annual Chicago Powwow! This event is open to the public!

  • Sat 8
    October 8, 2022 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

    Journey Chicago: Bomba at the Powwow

    • Alliance Events
    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    • Dance
    Schiller Woods West - Grove 2 Irving Park Rd, Schiller Park, IL, United States

    This event is part of Journey Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Alliance's annual citywide festival of cross-cultural events. Sharing a cultural experience through song & dance @ AIC 69th Annual Chicago […]

  • Sun 9
    October 9, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 6:00 pm 69th Annual Chicago Powwow

    69th Annual Chicago Powwow

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Schiller Woods West - Grove 2 Irving Park Rd, Schiller Park, IL, United States

    Join us as we celebrate the American Indian Center's 69th Annual Chicago Powwow! This event is open to the public!

  • Sun 9
    October 9, 2022 @ 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

    Journey Chicago: A Taste of Two Cultures

    • Alliance Events
    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    • Food and Drink
    Polish Museum of America 984 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL, United States

    This event is part of Journey Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Alliance's annual citywide festival of cross-cultural events. For this event, take a journey through Filipino and Polish culture through two […]

    $5
  • Sun 9
    October 9, 2022 @ 6:30 pm

    Indigenous Peoples Day

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Logan Square Auditorium 2539 N. Kedzie Blvd, Chicago, IL, United States

    Two days of dance, music, and other performances to celebrate the Indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. Sky People Entertainment and the Old Town School of Folk Music bring Chicago […]

  • Mon 10
    October 10, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2022

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Mitchell Museum of the American Indian 3001 central street, Evanston, IL, United States

    Join us to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day! Indigenous Peoples’ Day honors the culture and history of Native people past, present, and future. Join us at the Mitchell Museum along with our friends […]

    Free
  • Mon 10
    October 10, 2022 @ 8:00 pm

    Indigenous Peoples Day

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Gary and Laura Maurer Concert Hall 4544 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL, United States

    Two days of dance, music, and other performances to celebrate the Indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. Sky People Entertainment and the Old Town School of Folk Music bring Chicago […]

  • Sun 16
    JourneyChicagoLogo on maroon
    October 16, 2022 @ 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm

    Journey Chicago: We Walk: A Celebration of Black Community

    • Alliance Events
    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Douglas Boulevard and Central Park Ave W Douglas Blvd & Central Park Ave, Chicago

    This event is part of Journey Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Alliance's annual citywide festival of cross-cultural events. The Haitian American Museum of Chicago will bring its outdoor, community, traveling exhibition […]

    FREE
  • Fri 21
    October 21, 2022 @ 7:30 pm - 11:00 pm

    Oktoberfest Stammtisch | Open Haus

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    • Dance
    • Food and Drink
    • Talks and Gatherings
    DANK Haus German American Cultural Center 4740 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL, United States

    Cap off your Oktoberfest season at the best fest in town! Our indoor Oktoberfest features live music from Paloma Band of Chicago, authentic German food and drinks, and more! Attendees […]

    $5
  • Sat 29
    October 29, 2022 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

    Not So Scary, Scary Halloween

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Bronzeville Children's Museum 9301 S Stony Island Ave, Chicago, IL, United States

    Get ready! Our annual “Not So Scary, Scary Halloween ”celebration is BACK! Bring your kids for a great time. Saturday October 29 from 1pm to 3pm! We can’t wait to […]

  • November 2022

  • Sat 5
    November 5, 2022 @ 11:00 am - 4:00 pm Native American Artisan and Craft Fair

    Native American Artisan and Craft Fair

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    West Lake Forest Train Station 911 Telegraph Road, Lake Forest, IL, United States

    Native American Heritage Month The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce, Native American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, and North Shore Chapter NSDAR Saturday, […]

    Free
  • Sat 5
    November 5, 2022 @ 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm

    Celebration Dia de los Muertos Y Mercado Artesanal

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    • Dance
    Trickster Cultural Center 190 S Roselle Rd, Schaumburg, IL, United States

    Join us, in our collaboration with the Teolecuilli Aztec Dance Group, for a cultural and educational series. Join us with ofrenda y altares, traditional pan de muerto, dances from Peru […]

    FREE
  • Sun 6
    November 6, 2022 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Native American Artisan and Craft Fair

    Native American Artisan and Craft Fair

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    West Lake Forest Train Station 911 Telegraph Road, Lake Forest, IL, United States

    Native American Heritage Month The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce, Native American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, and North Shore Chapter NSDAR Saturday, […]

    Free
  • Sat 12
    November 12, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

    42nd Annual Holiday Delight & Kodomo Matsuri

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    Japanese American Service Committee 4427 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, United States

    Family fun for all ages at the 42nd annual Holiday Delight. The festival hosts a wide variety of vendors selling one-of-a-kind goods such as fine art, jewelry, fabric arts, pottery, […]

    Free
  • Sat 12
    November 12, 2022 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

    The Spirit of Vodou: Understanding the Cosmos

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    • Talks and Gatherings
    IL, United States

    Did you know that African religions -- some of the 3,000 practiced in the U.S. -- are the fastest growing systems in this country? Learn more and about the theology […]

  • Sat 19
    November 19, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

    NAVI-ARTS FESTIVAL 2022

    • Cultural Festivals and Fairs
    The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture 3015 W Division Street, Chicago, IL, United States

    On Saturday, November 19th, and Sunday, November 20th, the National Puerto Rican Museum will turn into a free family gathering space that extends through the museum premises, including the galleries. […]

  • Previous Events
  • Today
  • Next Events
  • Google Calendar
  • iCalendar
  • Outlook 365
  • Outlook Live
  • Export .ics file
  • Export Outlook .ics file
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow

600 W. Jackson Blvd, Suite 100 | Chicago, IL 60661 | 312-846-6814
501(c)3 | © 2025 Chicago Cultural Alliance | Website by David Carling – FutureNotion

J. Gibran Villalobos

Board Member

J. Gibran Villalobos is an arts administrator, educator, and cultural worker. He has served as Senior Program Officer for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, as the Interim Executive Director of the Chicago Artists Coalition, and faculty lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Previously, he has held posts as Assistant Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Partnerships and Community Engagement Manager for the Chicago Architecture Biennial, Cultural Liaison for the Chicago Park District, and Curator-in-Residence for the Chicago Cultural Center. In 2016 he attended the Advocacy Leadership Institute and was invited to the White House Office of Public Engagement, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to speak to issues affecting Latinos in Chicago. In 2017 he launched an inaugural summit of Latinx artists and administrators across the U.S; for this project he was awarded the Act Up Award by the Chicago Community Trust. His work has been presented at the Fabrica de Arte Cubano during the 2017 Havana Biennial. In 2019 he was an inaugural recipient of the Field Foundation’s Leaders for a New Chicago Award as well as the Americans for the Arts 2019 Leaders of Color Fellowship. In 2020, he joined the Civic Leadership Academy at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy where he worked with government and nonprofit sector participants to think about effective policy for Chicago’s cultural industries. He helped establish the Auxiliary Board at the National Museum of Mexican Art. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the Department of Arts Administration & Policy.

Gibran holds a BA in Art History and a BS in Public Relations from Northern Arizona University and an MA in Arts Administration & Policy and MA in Modern Art History & Theory from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

He has contributed to exhibitions such as Direct Message, presenting the artwork of Chicago artistic collectives and their relation to language and civic engagement. As part of an international project, he has convened the MCA Chicago with the Tate Modern, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Queens Museum and other institutions to create dialogue on civic engagement within contemporary art institutions. He has written catalog entries for Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, Rodrigo Lara Zendejas, and Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford. In 2021, he is contributing to the upcoming retrospective on the work by artist Andrea Bowers focusing on the activism and archives of Emma Lozano. He is curator of the symposium Fractures: Creating Around Devastation focusing on water ecology, civic engagement, activism, and architecture.

Loreal Robertson

Board Member

Loreal Robertson is a native Chicagoan who recently returned home in 2021 where she began working at the University of Chicago. In her role she oversees and monitors a range of programs, services, and resources to support the retention, wellness, belonging, and success of graduate students. Additionally, her role includes informing strategic priorities, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, professional development, student advancement and the support of students who may be experiencing financial academic, or personal challenges, including students with disabilities and international students.

Loreal has over 10 years of experience in higher education and student affairs. In 2021 she received the Inclusion and Diversity Champion Award from Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK), where she was previously employed. Loreal’s personal and professional philosophy is creating and promoting spaces and opportunities where everyone can see themselves as part of an experience and feels represented.

Loreal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Arkansas, a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from TAMUK.

Loreal is a financial and active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, an avid reader, and enjoys traveling with family and friends.

Warren Frank

Treasurer

Warren Frank is a retired CPA and CFO, and current Adjunct Professor at Columbia College.

Warren worked at such CPA firms as KPMG, PwC, and Deloitte, and Not For Profit organizations as National Association of Realtors, Chicago Associations of Realtors, Anixter Center, and Chinese American Service League.

Warren is a Chicago resident in the Lakeview neighborhood. He attended Loyola University of Chicago for his bachelor degree and Northwestern University for his master degree.

Colleen McGaughey

Board Member

Colleen McGaughey (she/her) is the director of development at the National Public Housing Museum, where she leads the strategic direction of the museum’s fundraising efforts with a focus on creative and community-centric approaches.

Mario Longoni

Board Member

Mario Longoni is a cultural anthropologist (“Lead Environmental Social Scientist”) in the Keller Science Action Center at the Field Museum. For over 20 years, he has worked with individuals and organizations to surface and activate cultural and natural assets (specific strengths and characteristics) to help communities meet the challenges they face.

Rob Fojtik

Board Member
Rob Fojtik is Vice President for Neighborhood Strategy at Choose Chicago, the city’s official tourism and convention promotion bureau. In this capacity, Rob oversees efforts to promote and support Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods to visitors from near and far. Programs include the award-winning Neighborhood Content Creator program that leverages resident-made digital content, and Chicago Alfresco, a $2.5 million placemaking initiative created in partnership with the Chicago Department of Transportation to transform public spaces into community plazas for outdoor enjoyment.

Before coming to Choose Chicago, Rob was a Senior Advisor to Mayor Lightfoot on economic development and international relations at City Hall, as well as LGTBQ+ affairs and the expanded outdoor dining program. In this role, he also worked to recommend and place over 150 civic leaders and residents onto City boards and commissions. Prior to government service in the Lightfoot administration, Rob ran her winning campaign in the crowded 2019 Chicago mayoral race as Chief of Staff. In past lives, Rob has worked as a public affairs manager for a Fortune 500 company downtown; had misadventures in management consulting, art sales, and personal cheffing; and spent time in Washington DC working for former Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Rob also served a one-year appointment at the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence as a policy advisor on Central and Eastern Europe. In this role, he was part of the NSC’s interagency process to develop a comprehensive sanctions regime on Russia as a consequence of its 2014 invasion of Crimea and Eastern Ukraine.

After receiving his BA in Slavic Languages and Literature at Northwestern University, Rob lived and worked in the Czech Republic teaching English and tending bar before moving to Washington, D.C. to pursue a MA from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies (CERES). He enjoys cooking, learning foreign languages, hiking with his partner and their dog, and visiting Chicago’s many neighborhoods.

Paul Durica

Board Member

Dr. Paul Durica is the Director of Exhibitions at the Chicago History Museums and worked in a similar capacity at The Newberry Library. From 2015-2020, he served as the Director of Programs and Exhibitions with Illinois Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Prior to that he drew upon his work as a writer, researcher, and teacher to produce a series of free and interactive talks, walks, and reenactments focused on narratives from Chicago’s past that resonate with its present.

These public history programs led to collaborations with cultural institutions in the city such as the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, Chicago History Museum, Newberry Library, Chicago Architecture Foundation, Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Chicago Cultural Center among others.

Each program made use of both his original research and the skills of the arts organizations, community groups, local businesses, and publications that acted as my partners. Some of these programs, such as the full-scale reenactment of the Haymarket Affair in 2011, involved recruiting and directing over 300 volunteers and 1,000 participants.

To produce these programs successfully, he wrote grants; managed budgets; generated web content; worked closely with program partners of varying sizes and resources; and identified, engaged, and sustained a diverse multi-generational audience.

Lynessa Rico

Board Member

Dr. Lynessa M. Rico is the Associate Chair of the Business Psychology Department at the The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Chicago campus. She is also a business mentor at 1871.

Lynessa is a results-driven Strategic Consultant with over 25 years of experience enabling leaders to meet strategic business objectives by identifying and aligning business growth opportunities with strategic direction of culturally diverse organizations. By leveraging her strategic experience in identifying and impacting business growth opportunities and maximizing profits in retail firms and higher education institutions, Lynessa leads workshops focused on the creative mindset, women’s entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence, and the value and application of design thinking within entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Her services also include consulting with and educating leadership on emotional intelligence, the power of design thinking and the creative mindset, and leadership styles to support inclusive, creative workplaces. She has presented to leadership and innovation teams in small, mid-size, and Fortune 500 companies.

Lynessa received her undergraduate degrees in Marketing and Management from Wichita State University. She then went on to earn a master’s degree in Business Administration from Wichita State University with a focus in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. After earning her master’s degree, Lynessa received her doctorate in Business Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology where she successfully completed her dissertation titled, “The Relationship Between Personality Types and Color Preference for Color Combinations.” Her current research interests include women’s entrepreneurship, design thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and entrepreneurship self-efficacy.

Outside of work and research, Lynessa enjoys mentoring start-ups and judging pitch competitions. Lynessa currently resides in Chicago, Illinois with her four cats. She is an avid long-distance runner, having completed 5 full marathons (and counting), and enjoys watching musical theater.

Briana Thomas

Board Member

Briana Thomas is the Museum Associate at the Abrahamic Center for Cultural Education (a core member of the Chicago Cultural Alliance). She wears many hats including developing exhibition content, facilitating community programs (children and adults), liaising with visitor artists, and other responsibilities. Her previous experience in the nonprofit space includes her tenure as the Financial Empowerment Coordinator at AMERICORPS Sharing Life Center as well as engaging with the public at the Dallas Arboretum. Her past professional experience has remained rooted in marginalized communities. It is their needs, discourse and histories that she has routinely been tasked with protecting and showcasing in the face of poor infrastructure, and willing ignorance. Creating safe spaces is an ancestral practice she has inherited.