The weather is nice no matter what part of the country you’re in. This time of year, the events and things to do are all about going outside and enjoying the heat and sun. This month’s list of things to do embraces outdoor festivals of all sorts near AMLI communities in the nine cities we have apartments.
Atlanta
June 10-17: Atlanta Cycling Festival
A bevvy of group bicycle rides, swaps, meetups and other cycling-related events take over Atlanta for an entire week.
June 17: Atlanta Summer Beer Fest
From 4-9pm, the Atlanta Summer Beer Fest takes over the Historic 4th Ward Park to serve up an expansive array of beers and wines, as well as entertain with live music.
June 18: Family Food Fest
The spacious Georgia Freight Depot packs full with area caterers and cooks competing to make the best entrees, desserts, appetizers, and beverages they can for attendees. The Father’s Day feast is in its third year and the organizers have added a barbecue cook-off to the mix this time around.
Austin
June 15-17: Solstice Festival
The fourth annual Solstice Festival brings music headliners such as Built to Spill, The Bright Light Social Hour, Gold Dawn Arkestra, and more at local venues Mohawk, Empire Control Room & Garage, and The Sidewinder, as well as Pan Am Park. The festival joins the internationally-observed World Music Day along with hundreds of cities across the globe.
June 22 & 24: African American Book Festival
Austin celebrates African American literature and books at the Carver Museum & Library over the course of two days. The festival, which immerses writers and readers in the African American experience as told in books, is in its tenth year.
June 24: Keep Austin Weird Fest & 5K
Join the weirdness! This menagerie of an event features a 5K night run with many participants dressed in strange garb for a costume contest. The winner of the costume contest receives a free year of Amy’s Ice Cream. The race is celebrated as the “slowest 5K on the planet” in part for the 15 wacky stops along the route.
Chicago
June 9-Sept. 7: Movies in the Parks
The Movies in the Parks season officially begins this month! Comedies, action flicks, dramas, kids’ films, thrillers—you name it—blockbusters and gems of every genre are showing at public parks around the city. No matter where you’re located, there’s guaranteed to be a free film showing at least once a week on a grassy lawn nearby.
June 10-11: Pilsen Food Truck Social
Head down to the neighborhood where Chicago’s South Side begins to sample some of the best eats on offer from Chicago’s premiere food trucks. Music is programmed by local concert venue Thalia Hall and a 0 sampler ticket will fetch guests 6 samples. Full-sized items are also available for purchase.
June 16-18: Taste of Randolph
One of Chicago’s go-to streets for excellent dining and drinks—Randolph Street—plays host this annual outdoor festival with loads of musical acts, artisan goods for sale, and culinary offerings from a veritable who’s who of the West Loops dining scene. Top billed performers include Emancipator, Dawes, Robert DeLong, and Moon Taxi.
June 25: Color in Motion 5K
Participants in this run are sprayed with all sorts of vibrant colors and are encouraged to wear wacky outfits as race to the finish line. Color in Motion’s Chicago charity partner this year is Project Vision, a nonprofit that assists children primarily from first-generation immigrant families in grades 6-12 with after school programs and continuing education.
Dallas
June 10-11: Taste of Dallas
Arrive with an empty stomach and experience the wide-ranging diversity of Dallas’ culinary scene. The 31st annual event is held at Fair Park and features many carnival-style games for kids and adults.
June 17: Dallas Yoga Fest
Join holistic health professionals and leading yoga practitioners for a day of yogic proportions. Attendees practice various forms of yoga throughout the day as well as attend sessions on health and healing. Swami Mukundananda delivers the keynote address.
June 24: Reunion Lawn Party
If you haven’t been already, it’s about time you’ve joined the Reunion Lawn Party. Guests enjoy live music, food trucks, a beer garden, and lawn games. This is the first of three dates this summer. The party goes from 6:30-10pm at the base of the iconic Reunion Tower.
Denver
June 1-July 9: Cirque du Soleil: Luza
Inspired by the lengthy migration of the monarch butterfly from Canada to Mexico every year, this rendition of Cirque du Soleil fuses the cultures of the two North American cultures into a color tapestry of music, movement, and visuals inspired by surrealism, Modernism, and mythology.
June 10: Lake Dillon Brew Fest & Concert
The Colorado Brewers Guild holds a tasting of brews by over 25 local breweries. Admission is 0. Live music plays during the tasting from 1-5pm and a separate free concert occurs afterward at 7pm at the Dillon Amphitheatre.
June 15-18: Telluride Bluegrass Festival
See big names such as Jason Mraz, Norah Jones, and Dierks Bentley perform in beautiful, bucolic surroundings at the 44th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival, held among the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado.
Houston
June 9-11: Circus 1903
Houston has a Cirque du Soleil-type show of it’s own this month. Taking inspiration from the carnival culture of old, 1903 brings together expert puppeteers controlling elephant-sized puppets and props and performers such as high-wire walkers, contortionists, acrobats, strong men, and more. The show is 100-percent kid-friendly as well.
June 15 & 16: Jurassic Park with live orchestra
The Houston Symphony Orchestra performs John Williams’ enigmatic soundtrack to Jurassic Park while the movie plays on the big screen in Jones Hall. Both shows begin at 7:30pm and tickets range from 3-12.
June 22: Nobody Safe Tour
The lineup for this tour is one of the more stacked for fashionable artists that are also critically acclaimed. With a lineup like Future, Migos, Tory Lanez, Young Thug, and A Ferg, it’s hard to go wrong.
Seattle
June 10: Georgetown Carnival
Enjoy carnival attractions of all sorts, art for sale, and several stages of live music in one of Seattle’s quirkiest neighborhoods, Georgetown.
June 10: Rugged Maniac 5K
Mud runs have been around for quite a while, but there isn’t one in the same vein as Rugged Maniac. This race features obstacles requiring participants to leap over fire and on trampolines, dive down waterslides, and physically challenge themselves time and time again on their way through the course.
June 25: Party in the Park
The Olympic Sculpture Park is throwing a party—and you’re invited. In the park nestled among the sculptures are pop-up bars and food stands designed by local artists. Area rapper Sir-Mix-a-Lot headlines the music stage. Tickets are 5, but admission is completely tax deductible.
Southern California
June 10: Annual Pier Swim
For a staggering 67 years, Huntington Beach has welcomed the coming of summer with this pier swim. Arrive early—the festivities begin at 7am sharp. Entry is 5 and the three finalists in each division will receive prizes.
June 11: Dachshund Races
The wiener dog races are back! See how fast their little legs can take them across the finish line. Tickets are just and the patio at Old World, where the event is held, is 100-percent dog-friendly.
June 17: OC Zoo Star Wars Day
No, you won’t find the bears dressed up as ewoks or the elephants dressed as banthas, but you will find many of the zoo’s visitors donning their favorite Star Wars character’s duds. Patrons will have photo opportunities throughout the day, as well as kids’ crafts stations, games, and other themed attractions.
South Florida
June: Colors of the Caribbean
Every Thursday this month in Hollywood’s Arts Park at Young Circle, this free festival takes over the space from 6-10pm. Enjoy live musicians performing Caribbean-style tunes, a food and spirits tasting tent, a tourism village, arts and crafts village and more.
June: Friday Movie Night
Village Design Art Gallery hosts a movie night most Fridays this month. Here’s the schedule: June 2: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, June 9: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, June 16: The Secret Life of Pets, and June 23: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
June 16, 23, 30: Starlight Musicals
On Friday nights throughout June and July performers and music fans congregate in Fort Lauderdale’s Holiday Park for live sets by a diverse set of artists including cover bands and other performers spanning several genres.
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