Chicagoans enjoying festivals, final beach days on Labor Day weekend, unofficial end of summer

CHICAGO (WLS) -- There was great weather Sunday in Chicago for people to enjoy some of the last summer festivals and the final beach days this Labor Day holiday weekend.

Several festivals were being held Sunday, including the Jazz Fest and Fiesta Boricua.

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There is so much going on this weekend it's hard to know where to start. From one end of Chicago to another, folks were out in force getting their summer on while they still can.

It there was ever a perfect beach day, Sunday was it. There was no scorching heat and no storms, just a perfect day to take in some rays on this holiday weekend. It is the last one before the beaches officially close for the summer, and the perfect time to bring together family and friends.

"This is what we call found family day," beachgoer Rheanna Guess said. "It's our family that we have found over the years. College friends. High school friends. And we get our families together, our kids have all grown up together. It's an annual tradition."

But if being a beach bum is not your jam, there is still plenty going on. In Humboldt Park, the 33rd annual Fiesta Boricua is taking place. As always, there's no shortage of yummy eats and Puerto Rican pride.

"It's something that we do every year, we don't miss it," Fiesta Boricua attendee Adele Colon said.

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"Humboldt Park pride. This is my community, my park," Fiesta Boricua vendor Rene Justiniano said. "I've been playing little league here since I was 7 years old.

Now, if pierogi is more your thing, Taste of Polonia has got you covered. The country's largest and oldest Polish festival is also going on this weekend in Jefferson Park. The four-day fest has it all, dancing included.

"I've been coming here since the beginning and it started out with bozo buckets and one food tent and now we have 20 vendors and 80 what we call chochkte vendors and food vendors," said Hubert Cioromski with the Copernicus Foundation. "There are stages going. We have a children's area. It's grown exponentially."

And then there is Jazz Fest, celebrating the city's jazz legacy. Sunday's fourth and last day featured celebrated artists, but also emerging artists, performing at different venues around Millennium Park.

"I can't believe we just go in, we get a great seat, hear music like this, world class level, just for nothing," Jazz Fest visitor Madelyn Vetter said.

Because 2026 marks the Miles Davis centennial celebration, this year's Jazz fest will conclude tonight with a performance by M.E.B., kicking off at 7:45 p.m. at the Pritzker Pavilion.