Northalsted Market Days started out in the 1970s as a simple street fair. It has since flourished into the largest two-day festival in Illinois, attracting around 300,000 gay and straight people from all over the world to Chicago´s gay district, on Halsted from Belmont to Addison.

As sure as there´ll be local beer sold at every step, there´ll be someone to cool you down with a water pistol, one of the ongoing features of the street party. One year, the pistols got the revellers into trouble as a bus made its way through the crowds on Halsted St. As the crowds were cooling down the people on the bus with their pistols, the driver was squirted in the eye. He called the cops and cried "Riot!". The police showed up in force and started dragging people off to jall.

The next year, Chicago officials decided to close the street off completely, which breathed evven more life into the festival and made it bigger still. Halsted St has, in recent years, been part of the widespread urban regeneration in the Windy City. Bronze pylons with rainbow colours were erected by the City in recognition of the contribution gays and lesbians have made to the district.

When the street party first began, Halsted St was very run down and a "no-go" area. These days it´s a "go-go" area.

For full details of this year´s event, please visit the festival website.