Overview Tacos y Tamales Festival is a three-day street festival in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood laid out like a tianguis, the open-air Mexican market, with dozens of taco and tamale vendors, street cantinas, an artisan marketplace and several music stages along one closed street. Entry is free, with a suggested donation at the gate that goes to the Pilsen Arts and Community House and the Frida Community Organization. Green Curtain Events produces it every summer, alongside Chicago events such as Tacoville, WingOut and the Great American Lobster Fest. On site The festival closes Blue Island Avenue from Wolcott to Ashland, southwest of Ashland and Cermak, after moving there within Pilsen for more room, and it has several entrances; the CTA Pink Line stops at 18th and Damen are a short walk. It runs Friday 5 to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday noon to 10 p.m. The food goes past tacos and tamales to pambazos, tortas, chalupas, elotes and churros, with vegetarian and vegan options, and the street cantinas pour beer, micheladas, margaritas, palomas and sangria. The stages run mariachi, norteño, Latin pop, cumbia, rock en español and DJs, folkloric dancers perform, and street performers turn up between them. Audience The festival describes the daytime crowd as all ages and families, and says the street turns more adult as the evening goes on; drinks are 21 and over with ID. Re-entry is allowed through the weekend. Brand presence Modelo presented the 2026 edition and supplied the beer in the street cantinas, and Teremana was the margarita and paloma pour. Partners build interactive zones and custom photo moments along the street, from a deluxe activation up to an exclusive sponsorship.