The Chicago Air & Water show is typically held later in August each summer, but that won’t be the case this year.
One of the most popular summer events in the city will instead be held a week ahead of schedule for 2024.
And it’s not the only major festival changing dates this summer.
According to Chicago officials, more than two million people are expected to attend the Air and Water Show, with North Avenue Beach as its focal point.
So why is it moving after years of being held at the same time in August?
The answer is the Democratic National Convention, which will be hosted by Chicago for the first time since 1996.
The Chicago Air and Water Show typically takes place the third week of August, but that marks the same dates as the convention, taking place at Chicago’s United Center Aug. 19 through Aug. 22.
So this year’s air show will be held Aug. 10 and 11, the city said.
The Democratic National Convention and the NASCAR Chicago Street Race have prompted not just the Air & Water Show, but the popular Taste of Chicago food festival to move from their usual times.
The annual Taste of Chicago food festival was a longheld July tradition in the city. The festival is now being held in September.
The Taste, the long-standing summer food festival, typically takes place in Grant Park around the Fourth of July holiday. But with the NASCAR Chicago Street Race planned the weekend of July 6 and 7, the Taste of Chicago will happen a couple months later.
This year, the food festival is scheduled for Sept. 6-8.
This will mark the second straight year the festival has been held in September, with the shift first being made in 2023 due to the inaugural NASCAR Chicago Street Race.
Also moving dates will be the Chicago Air and Water Show, a two-day spectacle of incredible displays in the skies and waters along Lake Michigan.
With Chicago hosting the Democratic National Convention for the first time since 1996, the Air and Water Show will take place one week earlier than normal, according to city officials.