NORTHALSTED — Famed drag queen Ginger Minj will headline Northalsted Market Days in August alongside singer, actor and trans activist Michaela Jaé and comedian Matteo Lane.
This year’s Market Days, an annual LGBTQ-friendly street festival, will happen Aug. 6-7 along the Northalsted strip. It will mark the celebration’s 40th year.
Also headlining this year’s festival is singer Anastacia, band Sammy Rae & The Friends and drag queen Ada Vox, who competed on the TV show, “Queen of the Universe.”
The festival spans a half-mile stretch of North Halsted Street from Belmont Avenue to Addison Street. It will feature five music stages, according to the Northlasted Business Alliance, which organizes the festival.
The South Stage will spotlight LGBTQ femme-oriented programs by local events group Peach Presents on Saturday and Back Lot Bash Presents on Sunday, according to the business alliance. Other stages will spotlight breakthrough LGBTQ talent and a mix of musical styles.
“This year’s festival is going to be amazing,” said Mark Liberson, who heads the Market Days organizing team. “We are looking forward to international travelers and people from across the U.S. to return to our city and have an amazing lineup planned for them.”
Other performers:
- Sixteen Candles
- Rod Tuffcurls and the Bench Press
- Jamie Wilson
- the Out at Wrigley Singing Contest finalists
- Lynne Jordan and the Shivers
- Meghan Murphy “Big Red”
- Too Much Molly Band
- Dancing Queen: an Abba Salute
- Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus
- Chicago Spirit Brigade
A $15 donation is suggested to enter the festival. Funds raised will help cover festival costs, support local nonprofits and fund other Northalsted community programs. Past donations have funded the Chicago Pride crosswalks that were paved in 2019.
Jake Wittich is a Report for America corps member covering Lakeview, Lincoln Park and LGBTQ communities across the city for Block Club Chicago.
Support Local News!
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? Click here to gift a subscription, or you can support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.
Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:
