Evenings
• Carillon Concerts
• Music on the Esplanade
• Dancin' Sprouts
• Grapes & Hops
• Hot Summer Nights
• Lights on Evening
Island
• Garden Grille
• Evening Walks

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Unwind after your work day as you listen to relaxing performances by local musicians set on the Chicago Botanic Garden's front lawn. This live musical series showcases an assortment of genres including Spanish guitar, jazz, and blues. The Esplanade offers a beautiful setting for great entertainment and seating for a wide variety of guests — and only on concert evenings, you may have a picnic there as well!
Top off the evening with light fare and a glass of wine, premium beer, or other beverages available for purchase on the Esplanade.
See what other summer evening offerings are at the Garden!
Regular parking fees apply for nonmembers.
Music on the Esplanade 2009 Performance Schedule
⇒ Download a concert schedule (PDF)
June 9 and July 7: Bopology
Big Band & Swing
Listen
Bopology is a six-piece Chicago swing and jazz band with a tight, professional sound that has developed from the experience of performing together since 1992.
June 16, July 21, and August 18: Fernandez + Kimball
Spanish Guitars
Listen
Fernandez + Kimball are known for their flamenco pop and Latin American standards, as well as traditional and classical flamenco.
June 23: The Country Doctors
Vintage Country
Listen
The Doctors will cure your musical ills from city to country, playing vintage Grand Ole Opry hits and a few modern favorites too, by artists like Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, and Willie Nelson.
June 30: The BMR4 with Nicole Kestler
Jazz
Listen
The BMR4 is a Chicago jazz quartet that features some of the best players in the city, including members of the Buddy Guy, Lonnie
Brooks, and Patrica Barber bands.
July 14: Banjo Buddies Dixieland Trio
Dixieland Jazz
Listen
Chicago's nationally recognized Dixieland jazz band has entertained audiences across the country with their unique, eclectic style of Dixieland music and entertainment for more than two decades.
July 28: Island Dreams
Calypso
Listen
Experience the sound of happiness! Sun-drenched calypso and exciting steel-drum melodies fill the air with Island Dreams.
August 4: The Chicago Kingsnakes
Blues
Listen
The Chicago Kingsnakes, a dynamic rhythm-and-blues band formulated in 1983, is carrying the blues torch into the twenty-first century.
August 11: Tropical Flavors
Latin & Caribbean
Listen
Savor the flavor of this Latin-jazz, Brazilian, and Caribbean rhythmic performance.
August 25: The Daddy-O's
Rock-and-roll of the 50s and 60s
Listen
Providing music from the 50s and 60s, the Daddy-O's entertain audiences in clubs and at festivals, parties, receptions, and concerts for those who love the rock-and-roll of yesteryear.
September 1: The Mojo Daddies
Rock-and-Roll
Listen
The Mojo Daddies are an up-and-coming rock-and-roll band playing throughout Chicagoland, featuring a balanced mix of originals and cover tunes. The covers are excellent, and the originals will have audiences humming long after they leave the Garden.

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