Union Park Park

Every summer, hipsters around the world congregate in one small park in Chicago’s West Town – Union Park. This grassy swath of 13.5 acres anchors a newly hip neighborhood and is home to the annual Pitchfork Music Festival in July. The Brooklyn-based Pitchfork Media picked this Chicago park to host the newest and coolest names in indie rock. Other concert promoters have followed their lead, and other big festivals at Union Park, like the electronic-centered North Coast Music Festival in August, have also chosen Union Park as their home. The park has become synonymous with musical acts with a lot of indie cred and shows that avoid the massive logistics and headaches of downtown events like Lollapalooza.

For the rest of the year, Union Park is a normal part of the Chicago Park District, with a soccer field, basketball courts, baseball fields, fitness center, and outdoor swimming pool. Dating from 1853, the park was racially integrated at a time when most city parks were not – proving that its progressive image is not a new invention.