It's Lit Fest Week In and Around Printers Row

One of our favorite and one of the city's more unique festivals kicks-off on Friday in our backyard.  We're of course talking about the 2015 version of the Printers Row Lit Fest.

It seems like this fest continue to evolve and get bigger every year.  If you're new to the neighborhood or just aren't familiar with the fest, here is a quick synopsis from the events website:

The Printers Row Lit Fest was founded in 1985 by the Near South Planning Board to attract visitors to the Printers Row neighborhood (once the city's bookmaking hub). By 2002, it had grown to five city blocks (on Dearborn, from Congress to Polk), attracting more than 200 booksellers from across the country displaying new, used and antiquarian books and featuring more than 200 authors participating in panels, discussions and a variety of other programs.  

As part of its ongoing commitment to the written word and its support of literacy and literary endeavor, the Chicago Tribune purchased the Printers Row Book Fair in 2002 from the Near South Planning Board. Recently renamed to be the Printer's Row Lit Fest, it is considered the largest free outdoor literary event in the Midwest-drawing more than 150,000 book lovers to the two-day showcase.

With this evolution their remains a lot of great free events and things to do, but it has also come with the addition of some high-profile speakers and ticketed events.  Two that stand out this year are a Saturday panel event including David Axelrod (former Tribune writer and key advisor for the Obama presidential campaigns) and a conversation with Bob Sagat on Saturday evening.

Even if you're not willing to pony up the funds for these events, we highly suggest a visit to the festival.  You will be amazed what you will stumble upon in some of the tents.

If you still are unsure and need a little motivation here is video from last year: