Overview Andersonville Midsommarfest closes Clark Street in Chicago's Andersonville for three days each June, and in 2026 its four stages ran from Swedish folk dancing around the Midsommar pole to the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus and a drag Madonna revue. It runs on Clark from Foster Avenue to Catalpa on the second weekend of June, and 2026 was its 60th year. Special Events Management produces it, and a $10 suggested donation at the gate and beverage sales go to the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce. On site Each stage takes a cross street: the North Stage at Foster, the Berwyn and Balmoral stages, and the Swedish Stage at Gregory, which the Swedish American Museum programs. The traditional opening is Saturday at 11 a.m., when Swedish choirs sing and people learn the dances around the pole. The museum opens free for the weekend, serves Swedish food at Mormors Cafe and runs a tent where people make fresh-flower midsommar crowns. Between the stages the street fills with a vendor market of artisans and merchants, food from Chicago restaurants, nonprofits and a kids' area. Hours run 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday and noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Audience The festival bills itself as a celebration of the LGBTQIA2+ community and of love in all its forms, and Andersonville's Swedish community keeps the Swedish Stage going with choirs, folk-dance troupes and the maypole. The same stretch of street holds a kids' activity area and family programming. Talent and Influencers The 2026 bill mixed local bands such as Lydia Cash, Hollyy, Planet Claire and Olivia and The Lovers with Chicago institutions: the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus, the Jesse White Tumblers, Lakeside Pride's Latin band, the Gus Giordano Dance School and School of Rock Andersonville. The Balmoral Stage ran drag across the weekend, from Drag Queen Story Time on Friday to DRAGLICIOUS and Atmosphere's MADONNA RAMA on Sunday. Track record The first Midsommarfest ran in June 1965. Andersonville had been formally named the fall before, at a ceremony where Mayor Richard J. Daley wore a Swedish blue-and-yellow apron. Vendor space for 2026 filled and applications closed at capacity. The Chamber spends the proceeds on neighborhood events, small business networking and beautification, and shares them with more than a dozen local nonprofits. Brand presence Special Events Management sells sponsorship at three levels, from entry-level booths to top-level packages that carry naming rights on stages and large activation footprints on Clark Street.