A different kind of bracket tournament: What is the best Chicago special event?

With this past Sunday’s college basketball selection shows comes the beginning of what hoop fans call “March Madness.”

Everyone, (even the casual followers), will now be talking about “their brackets” and who they think will advance—with of course the ultimate goal of naming that one final championship team.

With that as a preface, we thought we would try on our website here a “bracket” of a different kind.

We picked 16 of the most special of Chicago events or things to do here in the city, and played them off against each other in a sure to be hotly contested elimination “tournament”.

So, with absolutely no scientific evidence or facts behind it, and without any semblance of objectivity whatsoever, we give to you below our first ever Bracket Buster Tournament.  A match by match description (see below), with the ultimate ending of seeing what is Chicago’s very best special event.

ROUND ONE

The Air and Water Show vs. Bud Billiken Day Parade:  Sometimes round one creates some pretty bad mis-matches, as is the case here. Chalk up an easy first round victory for power house Air and Water Show. This classic event which brings thousands of Chicagoans to our luscious lakefront for a dazzling display of Blue Angels flying in the sky wins handily over the great tradition of the Bud Parade. We love you Bud Billiken Parade-a long standing and tradition-laden Chicago South Side event, but it’s just not “sexy” enough to match up with the hard to beat Air and Water show.

Millennium Park Concerts vs. The Pride Parade: Really tight battle here! The Pride Parade has become a summer staple, and when it comes to pageantry, costumes and over the top “entertainment”, few do it better. But the summer concerts at Millennium Park are a true thing of beauty. Picnicking on the lawn, amongst thousands of others, while listening to the music and watching the evening darkness slowly come in while lighting up the beautiful Chicago skyline is tough to beat. Maybe on a last second shot, in a really tight match between two classics, we give it to Millennium Park Concerts over The Pride Parade.

Wrigley Field Cubs Games vs Lollapalooza: This one is not so close. Wrigley Field Cubs Games are of course a long standing North Side tradition, and it still (even with the “upscaling” done in recent years) is a wonderful place to watch a game. But “Lolla” as it has become known by its endearing 16- to 30-year-old crowd, draws multiple thousands into the heart of the city for a three day musical lovefest. This is a classic old vs new match up and as so often the case —youth wins out. Lollapalooza advances!

The Architectural Boat Tours vs. NASCAR Auto Racing: Again, we have the new vs. the old.  In a repeat from the above, we have NASCAR (new) vs. the famous Architectural Boat Tours ( old) in a match up sure to create controversy. City folks are still trying to get their hands around the whole “NASCAR in the city” thing, and we definitely don’t like the two weeks of construction for the event that stops people from using parks and roads nearby. The Architectural Tours on the other hand? True classics. A Chicago icon. One of the most popular things for tourists coming into our city to do, and during the long summer months the boats are seen going in and out of the Chicago River non-stop morning until late evening. In a semi-dramatic reverse from the above scenario, this time the old hangs on to beat the new! NASCAR is up and coming, but just not yet ready for “prime time” yet. Maybe next decade? Architectural Tours by Boat? Step right up, you advance!

Taste of Chicago vs. The Blues Festival: A big upset here! It wasn’t long ago that Taste of Chicago would have been a favorite to win the whole darn thing, but those days are long gone.  While still fun and well attended, The Taste has lost some of  its luster. The number of days has been cut down, the music groups playing are flatter than the Queen of Hearts, and the food selection has pretty much gone stale. Same old, same old (not talking to you Eli’s Cheesecake).  Blues Fest on the other hand? Absolutely one of the most underrated of Chicago’s great music festivals. Not just the music, and the fact that it is free to all, but the truly unique collection of people that attend. There is a “flavor” to Blues Fest that really makes it stand out. Folks attending are of all ages, backgrounds, colors, religions and sexes. A real conglomeration of Chicago humanity, all gathered together to enjoy some really good music. Confidently and with a little swagger—The Blues Fest moves on!

The Christmas Holiday Parade vs. A Bears Home Game: Make no mistake, a Bears home game at Soldier Field is an “event” here in the city. Not just the game itself, but the pre-game tailgating, the talk and excitement leading up to it, and the fact that everywhere you go in the city people are walking around in their Bears game day jerseys. We do love our football team!  The Chicago Holiday parade down Michigan Avenue on the other hand? A huge event, with the streets packed with kids of all ages and their parents. The late December nighttime extravaganza is a real draw for the city, and the enthusiasm and energy from the crowd is nothing but feel good. A little more overall universal appeal and a more festive atmosphere (especially considering the Bears are usually losing) gives the edge here to Holiday Parade on Michigan Avenue.

Chicago Marathon vs. The Polar Plunge: We love the brave souls who every winter turnout in large numbers to jump into freezing lake Michigan, and we love even more the wonderful cause it raises money for ( Special Olympics) — but this one is no contest from the git-go. The Chicago Marathon, and the thousands that run and come to cheer them on easily advances. The Marathon has the early tournament look of a contender that could win the whole darn thing.

St Patrick’s Day and Turning The River Green vs. Navy Pier Fireworks on Fourth of July:  Wow what a battle here!  As tightly contested as it comes. Love the Fourth and the fireworks on the lakefront, a truly great tradition without question, but the uniqueness of turning the river green — something only our city does, not to mention the party atmosphere that engulfs the whole city on this particular day, gives the ever-so-tight edge here to St. Paddy’s Day, but no question this one really could go either way.

So there it is, Round One is in the books. We now move to the “Elite Eight”. The final eight in the battle to see what is our greatest Chicago special event.

In our next installment (give me a couple days) of this Bracket Buster Tournament, we will conclude with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and then the big Championship.

The matchups upcoming? Wow. Some real classics! 1) The Air and Water Show vs Millennium Park Concerts, 2) Lollapalooza vs. Architectural Boat Tours, 3) The Blues Festival vs The Holiday Parade on Michigan Avenue, and 4) The Chicago Marathon vs. St Patrick’s Day and Turning The River Green.

Stay Tuned….(and feel free to use the comments section to try and persuade the judges).