Free Outdoor Summer Concerts On The North Shore

Summer in the Chicago area means opportunities for great food, family fun and live music pretty much every weekend – and many weekdays as well. Take a look below at some of the this year's outdoor concert series across the North Shore planned between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Many are free, so mark your calendar and click through to find out more information, complete schedules and lineups of performers.

Bitter Jester Music Festival, June 1 - Sept. 3

• The Midwest's largest professional music competition for up and coming musicians from Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan begins with four free Friday concerts at Port Clinton Square. A grand finale concert will be held July 4 ahead of the Highland Park firework display and a showcase concert for the winners of the 13th annual competition will be held at Navy Pier. (Schedule and more information.)

Music at the Chicago Botanic Garden, June 4 - Sept. 3

• Catch live music at several venues at the gardens in Glencoe, including Carillon concerts on Mondays, the Music on the Esplanade on Tuesdays, Dancin' Sprouts on Wednesdays, Hot Summer Nights on Thursdays and several Friday nights of music at the Rose Terrace Beer Garden. (Schedule and more information.)

Starlight Concerts in the Park, June 5 - July 31

• Eight free shows will be presented Tuesday nights at Evanston parks. The series will also include family activities before the shows as well as food trucks on hand at some events. In August and September, the Starlight Movies in the Park series will present eight showings of recent films. (Schedule and more information.)

Wednesdays on the Green, June 6 - Aug. 22

• The 8th annual free concert series in downtown Skokie runs for 11 weeks every Wednesday at 7 p.m. (Schedule and more information.)

Wednesdays in the Woods, June 13 - July 25

• Hubbard Woods Park is hosting a free concert series on Wednesdays throughout the summer – on evening and some mornings – along with food and drink specials. (Schedule and more information.)

Concerts in the Square, Jun. 14 - July 26

• Free concerts will be held at Market Square in Lake Forest from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for seven Thursday nights in June and July. (Schedule and more information.)

Thursday Night Live, June 14 - Aug. 23

• The downtown Evanston concert series returns for the 19th year with 10 concerts planned for the renovated Fountain Square. (Schedule and more information.)

Winnetka Music Festival, June. 15-16

• Three stages with feature free music around Winnetka's Elm Street business district, along with food trucks, craft beer and wine. (Schedule and more information.)

Summer Sampler Concert Series, June 17 - July 15

• The five-show free Summer Sampler series takes place Sundays at 5 p.m. at Mitchell Park in Deerfield. (Schedule and more information.)

Out of Space, June 21 - Aug. 26

• For the 10th anniversary of the music venue SPACE, the music venue is holding three weekends of outdoor concerts, including a show at a local brewery, golf course and a downtown Evanston block party. (Schedule and more information.)

World Arts and Music Festival, July 21-22

• The annual lakefront festival at Dawes Park in Evanston has been held since 1986 – formerly known as the Evanston Ethnic Arts Festival – and features music, artists and vendors. (Schedule and more information.)

Skokie Backlot Bash, Aug. 24-26

• Headliners Foghat and Sister Hazel cap the first two nights of Skokie's weekend of family fun, including a carnival, a 5k race, a car show and classic films. (Schedule and more information.)

Taste of Highland Park, Aug. 24-26

• Three days of live music and food from local restaurants. (Schedule and more information.)

Ravinia Festival, through Sept. 16

• The oldest outdoor summer concert series in the continent runs through September. (Complete schedule.)

(Got another North Shore summer concert series to add to the rundown? Send details to Winnetka@Patch.com to have it added to the list!)