For centuries, certain regions in Germany have marked the coming of spring with a Maibaum, or a Maypole, decorated with handmade trinkets and wrapped in ribbons. With the large waves of German immigrants to the Midwest, the tradition caught fire in Chicago. In fact, there is a multi-story tall Maypole just outside the Western Brown Line station donated by our sister city, Hamburg Germany.

This year, the arrival of spring weather was not headline news. The COVID-19 shutdown has dominated our thoughts and canceled events like concerts, graduations, and the beloved Maifest Chicago street festival held annually in Lincoln Square. The DANK Haus in Lincoln Square is presenting an alternative to celebrate the arrival of spring, and symbolically raise hope for the upcoming rebirth of our city’s public life. Virtual Maifest, held on the weekend of Friday, May 29 through Sunday, May 31, will offer food, prizes, and virtual performances and presentations. Among the highlights of the planned events are: cooking classes with Himmel’s restaurant, a live-streamed beer stein holding contest, and a conversation with German Consul General Mössinger about his family’s life of travel as an ambassador of Germany.

The event comes together as the community organization starts to recover from major financial losses due to event cancellations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  For decades the DANK Haus has been a preferred vendor at Maifest Chicago. Our organization has benefited from the help of over 300 volunteers that work 500 shifts during the four day festival to sell food and beverages to the festival goers. It is our number one fundraising event for the year. Virtual Maifest will not recoup the estimated $75,000 in losses from the cancelation of this year’s event, but it will allow everyone to celebrate the coming of spring and our uniquely German American traditions of Maifest Chicago. We hope that with the event going online, we can spread our German American culture to anyone that wants to join, from anywhere in the world!

What to Expect:

It is easy to join in on all of the fun! Simply purchase an all access “Virtual Wristband” – just one for your whole household! The wristband will allow you to enjoy over 12 hours of online programming, using platforms like Zoom.  Select specific events to attend, or stay logged in for the entire three-day event, with a variety of live and pre-recorded events to choose from. In addition to the programming, you will be able to purchase meals a la carte in our store. Curbside pickup will include the exact menu that has been served for decades at the festival, including Bienenstich (an almond encrusted cake filled with custard, commonly known as bee sting cake), pretzels, landjäger (German beef jerky) potato salad, sauerkraut, Leberkäse (German meatloaf) and fest-favorites, Bratwurst and Thüringer sausages.

Food Sales

We take health and safety seriously. For this reason, there will be no "day-of" food orders. Please purchase your food and drinks in advance through our online store prior to Wednesday, May 27th at noon. Your preorder will ensure that there is ample time to prepare your food in a safe manner. Curbside pick up will be held on Saturday and Sunday between noon and 3:00 PM. You will be able to SAFELY PICK UP your food by at the front of the DANK Haus for "Touchless Service." Our address is 4740 N. Western Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625.