Clear your ear drums for the annual Chicago Jazz Festival at Grant Park. The three-day free event features dozens of jazz ensembles, quintets, soloists, trios and bands performing original music and tributes to greats such as Art Tatum. Local high schools and universities also perform.
The poster for the Pullman Labor Day Celebration bills it as, "A Celebration and Rally for America's Working Families." The event --- at the historic Pullman industrial town, just south of the city's downtown --- remembers the reason for the holiday. You'll hear a rally honoring the nation's workers and view historical exhibits, like a tribute to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. There is also an annual bike ride along with music performers and food vendors.
Washington Park transports you to another continent during the annual African Festival of the Arts, which runs all weekend. You'll have a wide range of events to soak up. Past performers include North African dancers, South African Township singers and Kenyan acrobats. A wide range of musical acts attend, ranging from jazz to funk to hip hop. There are also over a dozen pavilions to explore African culture. They include an author and book pavilion, a children's pavilion and a spirituality pavilion.
The Taste of Polonia festival takes you to Poland during Labor Day weekend. The Copernicus Foundation, the Polish Cultural Center in Chicago, hosts the annual event on the city's Northwest side. Plenty of musicians perform, ranging from the traditional polka bands to a symphony orchestra to cover bands of current popular music. You can taste Polish culture with cooking classes and observe arts and crafts. Children will also have fun with a kids' stage all weekend featuring activities like face painting, a dance contest and a fashion show.
The horse racing track offers events for the whole family on Labor Day. Adults can wager on the races and take a seminar on how to win. Kids can go on pony rides and go to a petting zoo. A band also performs during the afternoon.
