Culture of Chicago: 11 Fascinating Elements of Chicago's Culture

Chicago is one of the most lively cities in the United States. It is a leading city in sports and music, not to mention its local delicacies and food items. The culture of Chicago is full of colors, music, art, and spirit. From playoff season to chic art galleries, this city leads in every way of lifestyle. 

Chicago is known for many things- Chicago-style pizza, Chicago blues music, the Blackhawks or Bulls- the city is full of life. It is a must-visit on a trip to the US. Here is an insight into Chicago's Culture and things you can do to immerse yourself in the same!

11 Fascinating Elements in the Culture of Chicago

1. People of Chicago

The people of Chicago make the city what it is. The culture of Chicago is reflected in the rich and historic diversity of its population. The people are a combination of chic and ruggedness, making them adaptable and fun in any situation. Many cultural groups have inhabited Chicago over the years. It is currently home to over ten different cultural and racial groups, brightening up the city’s demographics. 

The people of Chicago are amiable, open, and like to immerse themselves in Chicago's culture and happenings. Personal vehicles are rarely a trend and neighborhood values are crucial for the inhabitants. You can easily talk to the locals and they will tell you about their city splendidly. If you’re a sports fan, it is even easier to make conversation since sports culture is strong in Chicago. You can also spot a lot of cycling around the city since it is a favorite hobby of Chicagoans. 

2. Languages of Chicago

You might think that English is the only language spoken in Chicago, but that is not the case. More than 30% of the population speaks a language other than English in their homes. English is the official language of Illinois so it is primarily used for public communications. After English, the five most-spoken languages are Spanish, Arabic, Polish, Tagalog, and Chinese. 18% of the population speaks Spanish, bearing over and above the non-English communities combined. They are spread all over the city of Chicago, majorly in the greater city area. 

Arabic and Tagalog speakers can mostly be found in the Northern parts of the city. Chinatown is dominated by Chinese speakers in the heart of the city. The Northwestern area is dominated by Polish speakers, making the language the third most-spoken non-English language in the city, after Spanish and Chinese. You can easily communicate in English in Chicago, but the cultural diversity speaks for itself through the spread of languages. 

3. Music Culture in Chicago

Music is a big aspect of culture in Chicago. The city is responsible for the origin of future rock and roll and the popular ‘Chicago Blues’. The Chicago Blues music first originated through traditional jazz and blues music by famous artists such as Benny Goodman, Muddy Waters, and Junior Wells. The city is also responsible for ‘house music’, primarily for underground club scenes.  

Chicago can also be seen immersing in soul, rock, hip-hop, and gospel music from time to time. The culture of Chicago welcomed jazz back in the 1900s and since then has blossomed into festivals, bands, and prominent musicians such as Jim Baker and Joshua Abrams. Chicago hosts a plethora of music festivals all year round. Some are genre-specific, while others invite every rhythm and note from the city. Here are some of the music festivals to look out for:

1. Chicago Blues Festival: Chicago Blues Festival is the largest blues festival in the world, and remains free for all to attend. It invites bands and people from all over to enjoy the true vibes of Chicago Blues every year for three days. 

Location: Millennium Park
Time of the Year: Early June

2. Chicago Jazz Festival: Chicago Jazz Festival is an annual jazz festival to bring together local and international jazz lovers for four glorious days. Its artistic creativity has contributed to all types of jazz from all over the world. 

Location: Millennium Park and Chicago Cultural Center
Time of the Year: Early September

3. Lollapalooza: Lollapalooza invites music of all genres to make its audience dance and vibe with artists like the Chainsmoker, Ariana Grande, and Twenty One Pilots. More than 400,000 people attend this four-day festival. 

Location: Grant Park
Time of the Year: July, August 

4. Chicago House Music Festival: Chicago House Music Festival invites you to enjoy house music the way it was intended in its origin city. The two-day free festival is full of dance, DJs, and good vibes. 

Location: Millennium Park
Time of the Year: May

5. World Music Festival: The World Music Festival is an annual 11-day event, inviting over 700,000 participants and musicians from all over the world. This festival has featured artists from over 75 countries since its inception. 

Location: Multi-venue
Time of the Year: September

4. Sports Culture of Chicago

Chicago is a big sports city, perhaps even the best one in the United States. The sports culture of Chicago is a great one to behold and experience. Everyone gets in the competitive spirit during playoff season and the city is vibrant with colors. All the sports bars are filled with fans rooting for their favorite team to win. Chicago has professional teams for five major American leagues- baseball, basketball, football, soccer, and hockey. Chicago has indeed been named as the ‘Best Sports City’ by Sporting News for three non-consecutive years. 

All the league games bring in a season of team spirit and fun. Here is a little insight into Chicago teams:

1. Hockey
Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Wolves

2. Baseball
Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox

3. Basketball
Chicago Bulls
Chicago Sky

4. Football
Chicago Bears

5. Soccer
Chicago Red Stars
Chicago Fire

5. Theatre Culture in Chicago

The culture of Chicago brags an immensely popular theatre scene. From Broadway shows to original productions, Chicago theatre has something for everyone. The American Theatre Magazine describes Chicago’s theatre scene as ‘justly legendary’. 

You can watch up to a hundred shows at any given night in the city by over  200 production companies. The city motivates and provides enough opportunities for young and new playwrights to debut their creations on stage. Most production companies of Chicago are ensemble-based, i.e, they have a group of artists from actors to designers, for putting on various productions. The city also has a separate newspaper (and website) for details and reviews of various shows by the name of PerformInk. 

Apart from theatrical shows, Chicago is also famous for comedy clubs and events. The city has separate theatres and places where you can attend hilarious shows to amp up your evening. Chicago has plenty of theatre neighborhoods to explore as a tourist. No production will disappoint you in the least in any theatre. To immerse yourself in the theater culture of Chicago, you can check out the following places!

1. Cadillac Palace Theatre: The Cadillac Palace Theatre features Broadway shows and the world’s premium productions every night. It can seat up to 2500 people and is the leading theatre of Broadway in Chicago production house. 

Address: 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago IL 60602

2.CIBC Theatre: CIBC is another premium theatre of Broadway in Chicago and features productions on national tours and some pre-broadway shows. It is a cozy theatre with a capacity of 1800 people.

Address: 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago IL 60603

3. Court Theatre: Court Theatre will take you through the classic American works (primarily African-American) with a twist. They are known for reinventing and adapting old scripts and productions with a new perspective. 

Address: 5535 S Ellis Ave, Chicago, IL 60637

4. A Red Orchid Theatre: A Red Orchid Theatre will give you a sense of the local Chicago performing arts scenario. Over the past two decades, they have featured many offbeat premiers, usually put on by the production house’s ensemble.  

Address: 1531 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60610

5. The Second City: The Second City is a renowned name in improvisational comedy and acts. The place has five stages and is the prime destination in Chicago for comedy shows every night. 

Address: 1616 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60614

6. Laugh Factory: As the name suggests, Laugh Factory is the best stand-up comedy club in Chicago. It features emerging comedians, along with surprise celebrity guests from time to time. 

Address: 3175 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60657

6. Galleries and Museums in Chicago

Chicago has a good cultural stand in visual fine arts. A lot of famous painters have been known to be a part of this city in one way or another. Chicago art is mostly seen to be individualistic, as in, the influence of the outside world is vaguely seen. Most of the art is contemporary, and something not following the norm or standards of society. 

Chicago also has the culture of live street portraits, led by famous local artists. The galleries and museums of Chicago are proud owners of several prominent and spectacular paintings and sculptures. In the name of these artists, several events and exhibitions are organized from time to time to decorate the streets with art. 

Two of the city’s prominent exhibitions are Expo Chicago (Expo Art Week) and SOFA (Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design). The annual Expo Chicago is a week of exhibits, art installations, and panel discussions, inviting artists and speakers from over 150 leading art galleries from 20 countries. It is conducted on Navy Pier. The SOFA is an exhibition dedicated to 3D art and design, inviting over thirty art dealers for the event. It is also conducted at Navy Pier, with special exhibits and lecture series. 

Other than exhibitions, you can explore Chicago’s art culture at the following places:

1. Art Institute of Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago pegs over 300,000 artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and photos displayed throughout its halls. It is one of the most respected art museums in the world.

Address: 111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603

2. Chicago History Museum: The Chicago History Museum will give you the most elaborate and fascinating stories about Chicago through its eccentric exhibits. From historical figures to local delicacies, they have it all. 

Address: 1601 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614

3. Museum of Contemporary Art: The Museum of Contemporary Art displays the most distinctive art pieces at its touring exhibitions, featuring local and international artists. The museum also has a gift shop for a souvenir. 

Address: 220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

4. Field Museum: The Field Museum pegs everything from primitive cultures to the latest scientific discoveries. It has over 30 exhibitions, including huge dinosaurs, mummies, and bugs. 

Address: 1400 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605

7. Architecture in Chicago

Chicago’s architecture has influenced this field in all the states of America. The skyline of Chicago is filled with skyscrapers and landmarks, reflecting the art culture in the structures of the city. Each building is different and built by a unique and prominent architect, banking on the city’s originality of everything. You must visit the following places for a glimpse into the architectural world of Chicago:

1. Aqua Tower
2. Willis Tower
3. Marina Towers
4. John Hancock Center
5. The Art Institute of Chicago

8. Cuisine of Chicago

The cuisine of Chicago rightly represents the city’s ethnic culture and working-class base. The city is famous for a lot of different delicacies with delicious signature dishes. This city has a huge food culture, with more than eight thousand restaurants, food trucks, and Chicago food festivals. You can’t experience Chicago’s culture without indulging in its local food. 

Chicago has four extremely famous dishes- Chicago-style hot dog, deep-dish pizza, Italian beef, and popcorn. You can relish all these delicacies at every nook and corner of the city. The Chicago-style hot dog includes an all-beef wiener on a poppy seed bun, with yellow mustard, onion, tomatoes, pickle, and other garnishes- excluding ketchup. The deep-dish pizza has a tall crust and lots of cheese with tomato sauce on top. Thin crust Chicago-style square pizza is also pretty famous in the city. And Italian beef is a sandwich with roasted beef in gravy and Italian seasonings served on an Italian roll. 

You can experience Chicago’s cuisine at its local restaurants and cafes, and more interestingly, the food festivals. This city has a food festival every month without any exhaustion. Here are some of the best ones to visit!

 1. Chicago Gourmet: Chicago Gourmet is a fine-dining festival, exhibiting more than 150 restaurants with exquisite food and fine wine. This fest gives you a chance to interact with gourmet cooks and top chefs of the nation. 

Location: Millennium Park 
Time of the Year: September

2. Taste of Chicago: Taste of Chicago is a five-day food extravaganza and the city’s biggest food festival. It has dozens of food trucks, local restaurants, and live chef demos along with free concerts. 

Location: Grant Park
Time of the Year: July

3. Lincoln Park Greek Fest: This festival celebrates Greek culture with authentic Greek food, live music, and dance performances. Lincoln Park Greek Fest brings Mediterranean cuisine to Chicago. 

Location: Lincoln Park
Time of the Year: June 

4. Chicago Food Truck Fest: Chicagoans are obsessed with food trucks, and rightly so. This festival brings together more than 50 food trucks with different dishes of the city in one place. 

Location: South Loop 
Time of the Year: June 

5. Windy City Smokeout: Windy City Smokeout is the perfect festival for meat lovers. It is full of barbeque food, country music, and craft beer. It invites prominent bands along with amazing food. 

Location: West Loop
Time of the Year: July

9. Religion in Chicago

The culture of Chicago is not based on the religion of its people. Chicago as a city is tolerant of all religions and its branches. The dominant religion in the city is Christianity. Roman Catholicism and Protestantism are the largest branches (34% and 35% respectively), followed by Eastern Orthodoxy and Jehovah's Witnesses with 1% each. Other than Christianity, the city also inhabits a population practicing Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. About 22% of the population is irreligious in the city. 

In a nutshell, the city of Chicago will never bore you. Whether you’re a foodie or a Broadway fan, you can enjoy your time here with no regrets. If you plan your trip nicely and at the right time, Chicago will become one of your favorite cities to visit. Make sure you immerse yourself in the culture by interacting with the locals and attending the various festivals.