The best free things to do in July in Chicago

The city of Chicago ditched its official fireworks show a few years back, but Navy Pier picks up the slack with its explosive Independence Day celebration. Revelers can head down to the pier or Millennium Park for an up-close view, but if you're not a fan of crowds, you'll want to hit the lakefront or find a friend with a rooftop by the shore.

All ages and skill levels are welcome at this annual event series that will allow you to practice your jives, twirls and jumps. The dancing breaks out Thursday through Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons in the Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park, where a professional instructor gives dance lessons (with genres ranging from Swing to Argentine Tango) for the first hour before allowing participants to cut a rug with the accompaniment of a live band. You'll also find SummerDance lessons at Buckingham Fountain during Taste of Chicago and one-off events in parks throughout the city. The series culminates with a day of dancing and performances in Millennium Park on August 25. See the complete details of the SummerDance series here.

Head to Polk Bros Park and take in a movie set against Lake Michigan at Navy Pier's Water Flicks summer film series. Presented with the help of the Chicago International Film Festival and Broadway in Chicago, this year's lineup features classic and modern musicals—from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Frozen. Admission is free and so is the popcorn (provided by Navy Pier IMAX at AMC). This month, you can catch Sing (July 2), Pitch Perfect (July 9) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (July 16) Selena (July 23) or Viva Las Vegas (July 30).

Evey Monday, ROOF on theWit scratches your rooftop movies itch with free screenings of recent box-office hits as well as ’80s and ’90s favorites. Show up early to snag a table (and grab some complimentary popcorn). Check out the complete movie lineup below. This month's movies include Molly's Game (July 2), Dirty Dancing (July 23) and Ready Player One (July 30). 

Bring your blanket and your favorite movie snacks and sprawl out on the Millennium Park lawn. Things will kick off on June 5 with a screening of the classic 1988 dance comedy Hairspray. The series will close on August 21 with Slumdog Millionaire, the 2008 box-office hit about an 18-year-old who's accused of cheating when he's just one question away from winning 20 million rupees on an Indian game show. Catch them all for free as they're broadcast on the park’s 40-foot-wide LED screen. High Fidelity, Iron Giant, Man on Wire, Get Out, WALL-E and Crash will be screened in July.

Each Tuesday, the Museum of Contemporary Art hosts a free concert in its Anne and John Kern Terrace Garden—admission to the museum is also free for Illinois residents. The lineup is stacked with notable performers from the Chicago jazz community, including Katie Ernst, Greg Ward and Tomeka Reid. Attendees can order food à la carte from the outdoor grill, which features tacos, beef tenderloin, lobster rolls and BBQ chicken. In July, you can see Dee Alexander, Thaddeus Tukes's Viibez, Fred Anderson, Katie Ernst and more great acts.

The crew behind Dark Matter Coffee comes together every summer to throw an old-fashioned Chicago block party, complete with free refreshments, food and music from the likes of Dos Santos, the Hood Internet and Black Bear Combo. Of course, if you're feeling charitable, you should donate some dollars in return for all the gratis goodies—all money raised at this year's two-day event benefits Hope For The Day, a local organization that raises awareness about mental health. 

Since 1980, Grant Park has been hosting what has become the granddaddy of food festivals. You know the drill: Trade tickets for a taste of Chicago's street fare. Hopefully what you gain in weight, you'll lose from your wallet. As always, there will be music at Petrillo for you to listen to while you devour your turkey leg, Eli's Cheesecake or deep dish pizza.

Americana singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile belts out impactful anthems about empathy and motherhood on her latest album, By the Way, I Forgive You. A skilled lyricist (who has been covered by the likes of Adele, Dolly Parton and Pearl Jam), Carlile's folk, country and rock ballads betray a contemplative outlook on the world that still seems wise beyond her years. Blues and soul singer Martha Redbone and her Roots Project band open the show.    

Latin pop star Juanes headlines an evening of rock and pop en español at the Taste of Chicago. Formerly a member of Columbian rock group Ekhymosis, Juanes combines traditional musical styles with pop songcraft and has collaborated with the likes of Nelly Furtado and Kali Uchis. He's joined by La Santa Cecilia, a Mexican-American band that provides a contemporary, rock-influenced take on cumbia and bossa nova.

Two decades ago, Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) and Talib Kweli—two of hip-hop's most conscientious emcees—joined forces as Black Star. Now the pair has a new record produced by Madlib on the way and is taking the stage in anticipation of its release. Nevermind that Yasiin Bey announced his retirement from the music industry back in 2016—we're just happy that Black Star is rising, once more. L.A. musician and activist Madame Gandhi opens this Taste of Chicago concert. 

Oklahoma weirdos the Flaming Lips have been mining various strains of psychedelia for the past 35 years, but the group's confetti-covered live performances backed by costumed dancers are where it has always shined brightest. Touring behind a new collection of the band's greatest hits, Wayne Coyne and his band will bring their falsetto philosophizing and outrageous (not always family-friendly) stage show to the Taste of Chicago. Mexican garage rockers Le Butcherettes and local singer-songwriter Half Gringa support.

George Clinton (a.k.a. the Godfather of Funk) recently announced that he'll hang up his hat and retire from touring with Parliament Funkadelic in 2019. Before that happens, you'll get at least one more chance to see him fronting the modern incarnation of P-Funk, which incorporates hip-hop arrangements and dancing contortionists amid renditions of classic tracks like "One Nation Under a Groove" and "Give Up the Funk." Local singer-songwriters BJ the Chicago Kid and the Boy Illinois open the show.

The daughter of famed sitar player Ravi Shankar (most famous for introducing the Beatles to the stringed Indian instrument), Anoushka began training under the tutelage of her father at the age of seven. Her recent record, Land of Gold, is a cinematic tribute to the plight of refugees around the world, featuring intricate sitar compositions as well as contributions from the likes of M.I.A. and German singer Alev Lenz. British reggae artist Hollie Cook opens this Millennium Park Summer Music Series concert.

Born in 1950, trombonist and bandleader Willie Colón signed a record contract by age 15, channeling the rhythms of Puerto Rico and Cuba through his compositions. Colón is perhaps best known for the string of albums he produced in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s with singer Rubén Blades, which celebrated Latin culture and introduced a generation to the joyous sounds of Latin music. Afro-Colombian drum, marimba and vocal group Canalón de Timbiquí open this Millennium Park Summer Music Series concert.

Made up of musicians who've played with the likes of Toots & The Maytals, Lee “Scratch” Perry and the Revolutionaries, the Kingston All Stars gathers some of the most talented reggae session players onstage. For this Millennium Park Summer Music Series concert, the group will be joined by dancehall DJ and vocalist Sister Nancy, who you may recognize as the vocalist on the classic reggae track “Bam Bam” (which Kanye West sampled on “Famous”). Multicultural Chicago-based group Funkadesi opens the evening.

You might feel like you have to be in the proper mood to listen to a sad song, but singer-songwriter Aimee Mann specialized in slow-moving, downcast ballads that are so beautiful and poignant, you don't necessarily have to shed a tear. Mann's Grammy-winning 2017 album, Mental Illness, might be her most melancholy collection of tracks to date, but her witty lyricism and pop sensibility makes it all the more enjoyable. Banjo-playing British folk singer-songwriter This is the Kit opens this Millennium Park Summer Music Series concert. 

Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s outdoor production touring to 18 different city parks this summer is the Bard’s romantic comedy of lovers, faeries and mechanicals. CST artistic director Barbara Gaines directs her own 75-minute abridgement.

It’s not too late to flesh out your summer reading list at one of the city’s largest used book fairs, where you can browse more than 120,000 titles that are priced to move. Many titles are $3 or less and the selection is vast, including cookbooks, music, fiction, art books, children's literature, collectibles and much more.

In 1989, acclaimed artist Keith Haring came to Chicago to create a gigantic 488-foot-long mural in collaboration with 500 Chicago Public School students. After remaining on display at Midway Airport for several years, 36 panels of the mural will return to the Loop, going on display alongside a selection of Haring's photographs, correspondence, designs and his now-iconic drawings.

Audiences at comedy shows don't get much more supportive than the ones that fill Camp every week in the Village Tap's beer garden. The summer camp-themed showcase gives comedians a place to test out new material and take risks, whether they're developing a new set of jokes or working out the kinks of a wacky character. Hosts Tessa Orzech and Samantha Berkman act as counselors, keeping the evening lively with sketches and unexpected hijinks.