Out & About: Things to do in July

The dog days of summer are upon us and festivals are in full swing! If you’ve looked at an event calendar for your city, you might be overwhelmed with all the things to do in July. But don’t worry – we’re here to help you make the most of this month so all you have to do is enjoy yourself.

Check out your region below to see the must-dos for the month and have some fun in your city.

Atlanta

• Grab a beer or four while you run, jog, walk, or skip a mile at the National Beer Mile July 23, 2016, at Turner Field.
• We all scream for ice cream! Enjoy a cool treat at the Atlanta Ice Cream Festival July 23, 2016, at Piedmont Park. Also on tap is live entertainment, fitness routines, and other vendors.
• Downtown Restaurant Week is back for its fourteenth year starting July 23 through July 31, 2016. Satisfy your taste buds with gourmet prix-fixe menus from dozens of restaurants ranging from 5 to 5 per person for brunch, lunch, and dinner.

Austin

• Shop over 75 art vendors and enjoy live music, fireworks, barbecue, and fun at the Hill Country Galleria Independence Day Celebration. If you live near downtown Austin, head to Vic Mathias Shores for the Fourth of July Fireworks and Symphony where you can enjoy great food, drinks, arts and crafts, and of course fireworks and a live performance from the Austin Symphony.
• The annual Go Texan Restaurant Round-Up is back the entire month of July. Taste the best the Lone Star State has to offer and help feed hungry Texans.
• Taste of Chaos is back July 3, 2016, at the Cedar Park Center. Enjoy an evening of alternative rock from the likes of Dashboard Confessional, Taking Back Sunday, Saosin, and The Early November.

Chicago

• Head to the annual Eyes to the Skies Balloon Festival July 1 through 3, 2016 for colorful hot-air balloon launches, flights, evening balloon glows and a carnival. Nightly fireworks (starting at 9:45 PM), food, and live music are also on display.
• Ready to taste some food or sample beer? There’s plenty of that going on this month. Naperville Ribfest has great food and music at Knoch Park July 1 through 4, 2016. Want more than ribs? Head to the Taste of Chicago at Grant Park July 6 through 10, 2016 or Taste of River North at Ward Park July 22 through 24, 2016. Just want to focus on beer? Then the Naperville Ale Fest is for you. over 200 craft beers are showcased along with live music and food at Naper Settlement.
• If art is more your thing, head to the Chicago Botanic Garden Art Festival  July 1 through 3, 2016. Evanston’s lakefront is transformed for the Evanston Ethnic Arts Festival, a two-day celebration of global diversity, at Dawes Park  July 16 through 17, 2016.
• We have food, balloons, music, and beer. All we’re missing is music! Head to Union Park July 15 through 17, 2016 for Pitchfork Music Festival. And of course, there’s the annual Lollapalooza at Grant Park July 28 through 31, 2016.

Dallas

• Celebrate the best in Texas food, music, and beer at the Lone Star Beer Texas Heritage Festival July 1, 2016, at Bomb Factory.
• Enjoy a full day of music and the sample great Dallas brews at the inaugural MetroFest at Deep Ellum Brewing Company on July 3, 2016.
• Head to Taste and Tunes at Grove at Mustang Crossing on July 21, 2016, and enjoy live music from cover bands and a variety of food trucks, wine, and beer.
• Celebrate Bastille Day at Go Oak Cliff’s annual Bastille on Bishop. Wear your stripes and berets to the middle of Bishop Avenue and enjoy French wine, food, music, a market, and a petanque court.

Denver

• Celebrate the arts at the annual Cherry Creek Arts Festival July 1 through 4, 2016 throughout Cherry Creek North.
• Enjoy live music from over 400 local and national performers at the annual Denver Post Underground Music Showcase July 23 through 26, 2016 at various venues throughout Denver
• Celebrate the creativity and personality of Denver at the annual Denver County Fair July 29 through 31, 2016 at the National Western Complex. Enjoy everything from adult big wheel rides to bounce houses to live animals and Star War Stormtroopers. The Denver County Fair honors the fine traditions of county fairs with a modern twist.
• Head to Sloan’s Lake Park for the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival July 30 and 31, 2016. Enjoy a dragon boat competition, five stages of performing arts, an Asian marketplace, food, and more during the two-day festival.

Houston

• Fireworks ignite the sky as country music plays at the annual Freedom Over Texas celebration at Eleanor Tinsley Park on July 4, 2016.
• Spread Christmas cheer all year round at the Christmas in July 5K +Kids K on July 9, 2016. This year’s course starts in downtown Houston at the Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command and finishes with a post-race party with music, sweets, and holiday spirit.
• Head to the Buffalo Bayou for Bats, Bikes, Bicycles, & Brews on July 22, 2016. Meet at Fonde Community Center’s parking lot for an easy six to eight-mile ride stopping to watch the bats pour out. Then it’s off to a local watering hole to quench your thirst after a long ride.

 Seattle

• Love beer? Taste over 220 exotic, hard-to-find beers at the three-day Seattle International Beerfest at the Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion July 8 through 10, 2016. More of a foodie? There’re a few events for you. Grab food from over 60 restaurants and vendors at the Bite of Seattle July 15 through 17, 2016 at the Seattle Center. Or if you’re more of a seafood lover, enjoy the salmon barbecue and much more at Ballard SeafoodFest July 9 and 10, 2016.
• Love music? The Capitol Hill Block Party is for you. The three-day music festival runs July 22 through 24, 2016, and is packed with over 100 great acts.
• Head to South Lake Union Park on July 30, 2016, to cheer on the local and visiting athletes at the Seattle Dragon Boat Festival. If you want to make a day of fun, catch the Seafair Torchlight Parade at Seattle Center and 4th Avenue later that evening. Enjoy giant helium balloons, precision drill teams, comical clowns, swashbuckling pirates, and bands playing your favorite tunes.
• The 70th Annual Bellevue Arts Museum Arts Fair heads to Bellevue Square and Bellevue Arts Museum July 29 through 31, 2016. Peruse through over 300 artists’ unique, handmade craft and art. You’ll also enjoy food trucks, BAM Exhibitions, a KIDSfair, and more.

Southern California

• Enjoy a month of free, outdoor concerts at Sound in Focus starting July 9, 2016. Head to the lawn at Century Park to enjoy live music from headliners Nas and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, take a tour of Skylight Studios, picnic on the lawn, and grab a drink in the beer garden. Concerts are free, you just need to RSVP.
• Celebrate the floating flowers in bloom and enjoy food, music, and dragon boat races at the Lotus Festival at Echo Park July 9 through 10, 2016.
• Bring a picnic and enjoy a wide array of live music including rock, jazz, blues, swing, and R&B at Concerts by the Sea July 16, 2016, at Channel Islands Harbor.

South Florida

• Lauderdale-By-The-Sea’s 4th of July Celebration kicks off with a parade followed by a day of festivities at El Prado Park. Enjoy a waterslide and fire truck, good eats, and, of course, fireworks!
• Hit the sand with the Sea Turtle Oversight Protection staff for Sea Turtle Treks every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.
• Pamper yourself the entire month of July and August during Miami Spa Month. Enjoy special treatments at Miami’s premier spas for discounts.

Have an event you’re attending this month? Share it in the comments. 

Have an event you want to be featured in August? Email our editorial team.

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