Chicago Live returns with 100+ performances

How it works: Festivalgoers can roam the pier's five stages with performances by dance, music, comedy and theater artists from noon to 9pm Saturday and noon to 6pm Sunday.

Zoom in: Headliners include Jeff Tweedy, Joffrey Ballet, Second City, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Black Ensemble Theater and Blue Man Group, as well as pop culture icons like Ginger Minj from "RuPaul's Drag Race," Tony-nominated Felicia Fields and Oliv Blu from "The Voice."

This year, the festival commemorates the 40th anniversary of House music with an all-star lineup of deejays.

• The fest will also spotlight local record labels with 90-minute showcases of their artists from disco and R&B to punk, folk and rock and roll.

How to navigate: You could carefully plan your day with the fest schedule, "but the beauty of this is that some people will come to see the ballet but then catch some great hip-hop," Chicago Live artistic director Steve Abrams tells Axios.

• "There's a certain amount of beauty in the serendipity of just stumbling upon things."