Halsted Market Days 2026

Halsted Market Days — known locally as Market Days — is the premier summer street festival of Chicago's Boystown neighbourhood, held annually in August. The festival stretches along Halsted Street between Belmont and Addison, transforming the street into a two-day open-air event with multiple stages, food and drink vendors, merchandise stalls, and performances spanning pop, drag, dance, and live acts. Market Days draws approximately 75,000 to 80,000 people over its two-day run and is the second-largest LGBTQ+ event in Chicago after the Pride Parade. The festival has been running for over 30 years and is organised by the Northalsted Business Alliance. It is a distinctly community-oriented event: the bars along Halsted open their patios and run outdoor areas, the Center on Halsted is a hub of activity, and the atmosphere is the specific combination of summer heat, cold beer, and neighbourhood pride that makes it unlike any equivalent event in another American city. Market Days is the Chicago LGBTQ+ event for visitors who cannot make Pride weekend — a full celebration of Boystown's community in the height of summer.