Windy City Smokeout, 2024 West Fest, Race to Mackinac bring the summer fun this weekend

CHICAGO (WLS) -- If you're looking for some summer fun in the heat this weekend, you've got plenty of options.

The Windy City Smokeout is on its second day at the United Center on the Near West Side, set up in the parking lots. The four day country music festival draws about 100,000 fans, as well as some of country's biggest names. Parker McCollum and Lee Brice headline Friday; Cody Johnson and Billy Currington on Saturday; and Carrie Underwood and Nate Smith close out the four-day festival on Sunday.

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Windy City Smokeout also celebrates food, specifically barbeque, which is co-founder RJ Melman's specialty.

"When we started this 12 years ago, we had 5,000 people over three days," he said. "Now it's 100,000 over four days."

See more information about tickets, performances and food at Windy City Smokeout here.

On the city's Northwest Side, West Fest 2024 is in West Town on Chicago Avenue, with performances from Bully, Deeper, Oozing Wound, Cortex and others on the Empty Bottle stage.

The Barenaked Ladies played to thousands on a warm night at the Brookfield Zoo at the start of what will be a hot weekend.

"It's a little warm. I wish it was last night when it was a little cooler, but they've got great beverages to cool off, and the sun's starting to set and get some shade," said concertgoer Lindsey Davis.

The show is part of the zoo's Roaring Nights concert series.

On the West Side, folks cooled off with ice cream and free haircuts at a Playstreets Initiative event at Madison and Kildare. The block was closed to traffic and open for family fun.

Dangerous heat is forecast to settle in during the weekend's Chosen Few house music festival, the final Sundays on State, the Race to Mackinac.

The sailors participating in the 115th Race to Mackinac also spent Friday making preparations to spend the next couple days on their boats, racing some 292 nautical miles in Mackinac Island. Conditions as of Friday afternoon appeared to be nearly perfect.

Bud Kinney has done the race more times than he can recall, starting in the late 1970s.

"The light to moderate air is great condition for us. We get the boats balanced and maximum speed," he said.

The cruiser division of boats leave Chicago Friday, with racers leaving Saturday morning. The first boats are expected to arrive at the Michigan island over the weekend.

Whatever your plans, drink plenty of water. The heat will be here for a while.