Tuesday may be Fat Tuesday and Paczki Day, but it's also Chicago's 177th birthday.
A downtown celebration begins at 10 a.m. to celebrate The Windy City, which was incorporated on March 4, 1837.
The Mardis Gras-themed part at Daley Plaza will offer food trucks with lunch and dinner options, live music and birthday cake from Eli's Cheesecake.
Participating food trucks include:
- Bridgeport Pasty
- Flirty Cupcakes
- Gino’s Steaks Truck
- Haute and Ready Chicago
- Husky Hog BBQ
- Jerk
- Ms. Tittles Cupcakes
- Porkchop
- The Cheesie’s Truck
- Windy City Patty Wagon
The festivities kick off with a program in the lobby of the Daley Center featuring a native drum interpretation of "Happy Birthday" by the American Indian Center of Chicago. Additionally, children reading entries submitted to an annual essay contest sponsored in partnership with the Friends of DuSable will honor Chicago’s first permanent resident, Jean Baptist Pointe DuSable.
The program will conclude with a parade onto Daley Plaza led by The Big Shoulders Brass Band & Mystic Krewe of Laff.
Other celebrations being held on March 4 include the Chicago History Museum’s "four-star day of fun" with Chicago-style activities at the museum, located at 160 N. Clark Street.
