Killian, Brian, Dallas and I biked over to Tour de Fat on Saturday. It was taking place at Palmer Square, just around the corner from our house.
Tour de Fat is (from Wikipedia):
… an annual bicycle parade and festival sponsored by New Belgium. The events, which take place in various large cities around the West, include music, New Belgium beer, circus-type performances, bicycle dance troupes, and the main event: a giant group bike ride/parade where everyone dresses up in costumes and rides through town. One major part of the event is a bike trade, in which a local participant transfers the keys and title to their vehicle to New Belgium, in exchange for a new commuter bike and trailer in order to promote bike riding and sustainability.
We got to the square, parked our bikes and the first person I saw was this guy:
Rachelle & Joe :: Tour de Fat, Palmer Square, Chicago
I know Joe from online interactions, but never met him in person, so it was cool to introduce myself and have a real, in-person conversation. Last year Joe was the guy who traded his Jeep for a bike during the 2008 Tour de Fat festival.
Next up? Getting wristbands and tokens to buy beer.
Beer Tokens of Our Affection :: Tour de Fat, Palmer Square, Chicago
All of the beer was made by New Belgium Brewery, which was awesome. There were about 10 different beers on tap, some that you can’t even get in Chicago normally. I mostly drank all Skinny Dip and Blue Paddle.
Tour de Fat, Palmer Square, Chicago
One cool thing is that all of the plastic cups were made from a corn product that totally breaks down. They even had composting stations where you put your cups instead of throwing them in the trash.
Brian, Killian, Dallas :: Tour de Fat, Palmer Square, Chicago
The festival had two stages. Acts switched back and forth between the stages. On the Tour de Fat stage there were bands. On the smaller stage there were more vaudville-style acts.
This is Mucca Pazza, a local band. They sang a lot about biking and sustainability, from what I could tell. This was a general theme of the festival.
Mucca Pazza :: Tour de Fat, Palmer Square, Chicago
Killian really wanted to play this giant connect four game.
Giant Connect Four :: Tour de Fat, Palmer Square, Chicago
At some point early on I texted Jess and told her she had to be with us. She came right over. Here she is getting a wristband so she can drink beer. Oh, did I mention a lot of people dress up for this festival? I guess you can tell now!
Jess Getting Banded :: Tour de Fat, Palmer Square, Chicago
Brian rode on this stationary bike that made a fan operate when you peddled.
Brian :: Tour de Fat, Palmer Square, Chicago
This is a husband/wife vaudville-style act called The Daredevil Chicken Club played on the smaller stage. They were pretty corny funny. Here they took bites of banana and were shooting the chunks into each other’s mouths. You can see the banana chunks at the top of the photo, in the air, if you look close.
The Daredevil Chicken Club :: Tour de Fat, Palmer Square, Chicago
And here they did a comedic acrobatics routine with a volunteer kid from the audience.
The Daredevil Chicken Club :: Tour de Fat, Palmer Square, Chicago
Chris also met us at the festival. Here’s some photos of Chris and Jess hamming it up.
Jess & Chris :: Tour de Fat, Palmer Square, Chicago
Jess & Chris :: Tour de Fat, Palmer Square, Chicago
Sean Hayes played on the big Tour de Fat stage. Not pictured, there were also performances by The Sprockettes and Squirm Burpee Circus.
Sean Hayes :: Tour de Fat, Palmer Square, Chicago
I thought this was one of the most fun festivals I’ve ever gone to in Chicago. Many of the neighborhood fests here are all the same. They could be anywhere, but this one was very unique. The beer was delicious, the entertainment was fun, and the people-watching couldn’t be beat. Beer and bikes and friends! What would be a better festival!?
Jess & Killian :: Tour de Fat, Palmer Square, Chicago
I’ll have more photos to post here, but also check out my immense Flickr set for ones that may not make it to the site.
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