Northeastern Illinois University’s Main Campus will be the site of the 2023 El Gran Festival Colombiano/The Great Colombian Festival Chicago July 14-16. The main entrance will be at 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. in Chicago.
The festival will kick off with a free Community Day on Friday, July 14, beginning at noon. Tickets are required for Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16, and are on sale now via Eventbrite and TICKETÓN. Admission is $32-$99 in advance. General admission tickets will be available on each day of the festival at the front gate at a higher price.
The festival celebrates Colombia’s culture and traditions — from its cuisine and carnivals, to cumbia and vallenato music and dance. The festival will also include cultural workshops along with invited artists who will share their talents with the community in an exchange of music, art and dance. The festival is expected to bring more than 20,000 attendees to Northeastern over the three-day period!
Parking and University operations
Paid on-site parking will be available throughout the festival.
University and academic operations will continue as normal throughout set-up, breakdown and the festival itself. However, Northeastern students, faculty, staff and visitors are asked to be aware of the following:
Beginning Wednesday, July 12
- Students, faculty and staff should park in Lots F, D and C.
- Starting at 11 a.m., Lots H and J (around The Nest) will be closed for festival set-up. All vehicles must be removed from these lots by 11 a.m. to avoid being ticketed or towed.
- Parking Lot L will be used for summer camp and daycare drop-off and pick-up. (Access will only be available from Foster Ave.)
Thursday, July 13
- The NEIU Access Road will be partially closed and will not allow access to/from Foster Ave. Parking will only be accessible from Bryn Mawr Ave. Parking Lot F will be partially closed for festival set-up with limited parking.
Friday, July 14-Sunday, July 16
- If you need access to the Main Campus parking lots during the festival for University business, please be sure to pick up a paper parking permit beforehand. These permits are NOT the same as standard University parking and they are NOT valid for parking to attend the festival.
Parking lot locations are listed on the Main Campus map.
Main Campus parking lots are scheduled to reopen at 8 a.m. on Monday, July 17.
Top photo: A photo from Columbia Fest Miami, 2021. Photo by Colombian Fest Worldwide.
