There’s nothing better than bbq, music, and Chicago’s beautiful skyline! I attended Windy City Smokeout again this year (check out my experience last year here) and it is hands down now my favorite music festival in the city. The atmosphere is great and the food and music are even better. With new additions and new recommendations, I have listed my tips for attending in the future below.
Attend More Than One Day
I’m not the biggest Country music fan, but I am a fan of a good time. Compared to only going to one day last year, this year we attended two days of WCS; Friday and Saturday. Surprisingly, Friday was the best day to attend! This day had less people than Saturday and had better headliners. This gave more room to dance and walk around! For this reason I recommend attending Friday not for sure.
Activate Your Cashless Wristband
WCS wristbands can be activated with a credit card on file for a fast payment option. I highly recommend doing this BEFORE you go as it was so easy to pay for things without ever having to take a card out! It charges directly to the card on file without any extra processing fees.
Get Margarita Boots from Casamigos
The Casamigos stand has been my favorite place to get drinks the past two years of going to Windy City Smokeout. They have the best, refreshing margs and this year added margarita boots! These were $20 each and so worth it. The amount of drink lasted longer, aka less standing in long lines to get another one. We really should have been Casamigos ambassadors, everyone was asking where we got our boot drinks!
STAY HYDRATED
Due to the time of year that the festival is held, it can get reallyyyyy hot. One of the days we attended was close to 90 degrees! Make sure to wear sunscreen and stay hydrated. There are Yeti canisters stationed around the festival that you can use to fill up your glass or water bottle for free. Use them!
Go With An Appetite
I have made the mistake of eating too close to going to WCS. Go with a fully empty appetite so you can enjoy all of the yummy food vendors stationed there! There are so many mouthwatering bbq options to choose from! The food is a big part of the festival – it’s not all about the music – and i’d say we spent half our time roaming around the different vendors.
Take Lots of Photos
One of the things I love about Windy City Smokeout are their photo ops. They always have cute backdrops that are perfect for snapping an Instagram-worthy shot. Between the famous ‘I Believe in BBQ’ and Happy Camper’s ‘HAPPY’ balloon set up, there was plenty of cute shots to choose from.
Save the Date for Next Year
I love that this festival automatically puts up next year’s dates right when it ends so you can plan ahead. Windy City Smokeout will be coming back to Chicago the weekend of July 10-12, 2020. Mark your calendars!
