Cost: $150 per day, $250 for a weekend pass (includes admission to one seminar each day); Get tickets here.

Organizer: Illinois Restaurant Association, City of Chicago

What to expect: This celebration of food and wine in Millennium Park will include tons of tastings and seminars on everything from molecular gastronomy to building a Thai salad.

Why to go: The chefs. Yes, it's expensive. But you'll be treated to fare from some of the finest toques from around the country; Chicagoans include Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill, Topolobampo), Michael Altenberg (Crust), Stephanie Izard, Graham Elliot Bowles (Graham Elliot), Koren Grieveson (Avec) and more.