This Weekend in Street Fests

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 5, 2011 8:50PM

If you're among the people who aren't going to Lollapalooza this weekend, which is most of you, there are a festivals happening around the city where you can get sunburned, drunk and listen to music of varying quality without the high price tag.

- Rob Blagojevich is probably Our Town's most recognizable resident of Serbian descent but don't let that influence your opinion of all Serbs and check out Serbfest Chicago at Holy resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral (5701 N. Redwood Dr., map), which kicks off tonight with a beer bash at 5 p.m. All weekend enjoy Serbian cooking (read: lots of meat), dance, music, costumes while getting to know the untamed land we call the far Northwest side of Chicago.

- Roscoe Village, like Wicker Park to the south, is another one of those neighborhoods that seems capable of supporting multiple street fests during the summer months. Retro on Roscoe returns for another year of the Windy City Chili Cookoff, cover bands and local acts that weren't fresh when WXRT played their songs to death in the mid-90s. But they have balloon animals for the kiddies and an antique car show presented by Four Treys tavern. (2000 W. Roscoe, 10 a.m. - midnight tomorrow and Sunday.)