With Chicago’s Air & Water Show already providing the content for an exciting couple of days at the lakefront this coming month, another cherished annual event will add even more reason to make sure you’ve not got plans on the third weekend in August.
Returning for its eighth year, the Midwest’s largest lobster and seafood festival, Great American Lobster Fest, is back on Saturday, August 19, and Sunday, August 20.
The family-friendly festival features a vast array of seafood including lobsters flown in fresh from the cold waters of the East Coast. There are also an abundance of non-seafood related items and vegetarian options so that the whole family can enjoy a weekend of food and drink whatever their preferences.
Great American Lobster Fest will take place from 1 pm to 11 pm on Saturday and 1 pm to 8 pm on Sunday. To provide even more reason to head down to Navy Pier, the pier’s weekly firework display will be going ahead on Saturday at 10 pm, replacing the afternoon’s aerial daredevil feats with its own spectacle in the skies above Lake Michigan.
Navy Pier will also host “Live on The Lake” in the Beer Garden with free live musical performances from regional and national acts on both days.
The schedule is as follows:
Saturday, August 19.
- 2 pm to 3 pm and 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm – MER & Friends
- 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm – Wall of Denial
- 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm and 10:10 pm to 11:10 pm – NuBlu Band
Sunday, August 20.
- 2 pm to 3 pm and 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm – Almafuerte
- 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm to 7:00 pm – DJ Papa G (Changeover & Breaks)
- 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm – The Drastics
General admission to the festival grounds is free though guests can purchase either The Lobster Meal Experience or The VIP Meal Experience. For $65, the Lobster Meal Experience allows guests to choose a Full Lobster or Lobster Roll which comes served with corn on the cob, potatoes, a dinner roll, fresh-cut lemons, and melted butter. It also includes a redeemable Drink Ticket for a White Claw Hard Seltzer, domestic beer, a bottle of water, or a soda and offers guests the opportunity to take advantage of reserved seating areas overlooking Lake Michigan.
The VIP Meal Experience offers the same but four drinks tickets rather than one, and access to an exclusive White Claw VIP Lounge with product samplings, additional snacks, and their own lakefront seating area.
Tickets can be purchased via the Great American Lobster Fest website.
[Featured image courtesy of Great American Lobster Fest]