87th Annual German-American Festival
When: 5 p.m. Friday; noon Saturday and Sunday
Where: Lincoln Square, Lincoln and Leland Avenues
Entry: Free
Get there: No. 11 Lincoln bus; No. 49 Western bus; Western Brown Line “L” stop
The basics: This 87th annual fest celebrates German culture in — where else? — Lincoln Square with traditional foods, beer and wine, live music, folk dancers and more. We like to think of it as the ultimate warmup for Oktoberfest.
Don’t miss: The 42nd Annual Von Steuben Parade, an annual tribute to German-Prussian general Baron von Steuben, who assisted the U.S. military in the Revolutionary War. Parade starts at 2 p.m. Saturday at Lincoln Avenue and Irving Park Road and proceeds along Lincoln Avenue to Lawrence Avenue.
MORE FESTIVALS
* The Lakeview East Fine Art Festival celebrates its third year Saturday and Sunday with juried works from more than 125 artists. Look for a variety of interactive art projects and demonstrations too.
* Jazz, rock, mambo and country music — and the sweet smell of barbecue — fill the air Saturday at the Andersonville Music and Barbecue Festival, now in its second year.
* The Auburn-Gresham 79th Street Renaissance Festival springs into action Saturday with performances by the Jesse White tumblers, the South Side Drill Team and more.
* More than 20 Latin and Caribbean music acts perform Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the fourth annual Caribbean Festival. Big draws include reggae stars Barrington Levy (Saturday) and Maxi Priest (Sunday), and Belizean Calypso star Lord Rhaburn (Sunday).
* Saturday’s Guinness Oyster Festival moves from its old Division Street location to Roscoe Village this year, but it still offers the same fresh-shucked oysters and pints of Guinness and Harp — plus live music on two stages. Performers include Heavy Manners (4 p.m.), The Prodigals (5:30 p.m.), Powder (8 p.m.) and Soulive (8:30 p.m.).
* Hideout Block Party rocks the block Friday and Saturday with live music galore, including performances by Bloc Party, The 1900s and The Changes (Friday); and Andrew Bird, The Frames, Mucca Pazza and Blue Ribbon Glee Club (Saturday).
* Ukrainian Village Fest celebrates the neighborhood’s heritage Saturday and Sunday with a beer garden, ethnic eats, Ukrainian music and dance, and more.
* FIND FEST DETAILS AND MORE WEEKEND EVENTS AT METROMIX.COM
