The 27th annual Northalsted Market Days street festival is the Midwest's largest street festival. It takes place on Chicago's trendy Northalsted area on August 9th and 10th.

The festival offers entertainment, food, and arts and crafts along six city blocks between Belmont and Addison. Market Days attracts national headliner musical acts and over 400 food and arts vendors.

Three large stages are set to feature forty musical acts. Here's a sample:

The Chicago Gay Men's Chorus is set to perform on the Addison stage on Sunday at noon. Recently reunited 80's hit maker Expose hits the Roscoe stage on Saturday at 8PM. Chicago's own indie pop band Scotland Yard Gospel Choir – none of whom hail from Scotland – takes over the Roscoe stage on Sunday at 2PM. Power-pop band Dot Dot Dot – who reached a top five spot on Fox's The Next Great American Band in 2007 and whose member, Michael, is obsessed with rubber ducks – will be performing tunes off their self-titled album on the Belmont stage at 6PM.

Chicago's jazz heritage is well known; you only need to attend the annual Chicago Jazz Festival at Grant Park to embrace that ideal. It's only fitting then that a Chicago street festival would attract and promote some amazing jazz talent. The Jazz Oasis is set to feature: Jared Rabin Trio, Soulio, and Gayle and Nick Bisesi on Saturday, and The Clark Street Band, BMR4, Matt Pinozzotto Guitar Trio on Sunday.

Northalsted Market Days is a great arts and entertainment festival that is both pro-gay and family-friendly.

On the net: www.northalsted.com