Chicago's Magnificent Mile Once Again Hosts The Nation's Only Shopping Festival

The Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival presented by MasterCard returns, August 24 – September 6, 2012, with two weeks of fashionable festivities for all to enjoy

CHICAGO, Aug. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The annual Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival™ presented by MasterCard®, the country's only shopping festival of its kind, returns August 24 – September 6, 2012, for a can't-miss celebration. For 14 days, The Magnificent Mile invites guests to enjoy a full calendar of festivities including celebrity appearances, fashion shows, fabulous hotel packages, culinary events, exclusive experiences and offers for MasterCard cardholders, music concerts, an extraordinary sweepstakes and more.

The Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival celebrates the world-class Magnificent Mile shopping experience with VIP perks and a non-stop calendar of activities. The district's 460 stores, 275 restaurants, 60 hotels and world-class attractions come together to entertain in a way that satisfies all desires.  

Kick-Off Celebration:
Kelly Osbourne, E! correspondent and fashion expert, kicks off the celebration on Friday, August 24 as she brings her keen sense of style and love for shopping straight to The Magnificent Mile. Shoppers will have the chance to meet Kelly in-person during an exclusive meet-and-greet in the MasterCard Priceless Lounge. For more details, visit TheMagnificentMile.com.  

Following the meet-and-greet, Kelly hosts an outdoor fashion show along North Michigan Avenue starting at 1 p.m. in Pioneer Court (401 N. Michigan Avenue). For the first time ever, The Magnificent Mile's retail centers, 900 North Michigan Shops, The Shops at North Bridge and Water Tower Place join together to showcase the fall season's hottest trends.

Labor Day Weekend:
The Magnificent Mile offers an unforgettable conclusion to summer with an array of foodie and family-friendly events over Labor Day Weekend. From September 1 – September 2, chefs from The Magnificent Mile's top culinary hotspots, including The Signature Room at the 95th, ZED451, Markethouse and The Peninsula Chicago, offer culinary tips and tricks during a series of in-store cooking demos at Crate & Barrel, Bloomingdale's Home Store and the MasterCard Priceless Lounge.

On Monday, September 3, Radio Disney presents R5 featuring Ross Lynch, the fastest-rising young band on the pop-rock scene, live in concert at 12 p.m., the band's first performance in Chicago. Tweens and teens are invited to an exclusive meet-and-greet following the concert at the MasterCard Priceless Lounge. For more details, visit TheMagnificentMile.com. 

Fashion's Night Out:
The Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival closes with grand celebrations around The Magnificent Mile district during Fashion's Night Out (FNO) on Thursday, September 6. Throughout the evening, Magnificent Mile stores transform into the city's top soiree settings with a line-up of in-store activities. To help ladies prep for the evening's festivities, ULTA Beauty cosmetics pros offer MasterCard cardholders a complimentary fall beauty preview with this season's fall beauty trends throughout the afternoon. (ULTA's Fall Beauty Preview: Pioneer Court – 401 N. Michigan Avenue, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.; FNO: Stores throughout The Magnificent Mile district, 6 p.m. –
8 p.m.)

Additional Event Highlights:

• August 24 – August 26 and September 1 – September 3: The MasterCard Priceless Trolley transports shoppers down North Michigan Avenue in style. The complimentary trolley runs throughout the weekends of the Shopping Festival with three stops along The Magnificent Mile. 
• August 24 – September 3: The MasterCard Priceless Lounge at The Shops at North Bridge provides MasterCard cardholders with exclusive offers and experiences, including access to celebrity meet-and-greets, special giveaways and more. Throughout the two weeks of the Shopping Festival, "Show Your Haul" in the MasterCard Priceless Lounge for a chance to win makeovers for three. (520 N. Michigan Avenue)
• August 24 –September 6: Water Tower Place (WTP) hosts daily special events in the retail center's luxury lounge including Dress for Success® Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival Kick-Off Celebration with Special Appearance by The Working Wardrobe's Kate Jacobsen; Stump the Stylist Fashion Challenge with Haute Closet's April Francis; What's Hot and What's Not:  Learn to Predict Trends, So You Can Shop Smarter – Not Harder with International Academy of Design & Technology's Susan Wade; and more! (Water Tower Place, 835 N. Michigan Avenue, Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sundays and holidays, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.)
• August 25: Candyality, Chicago's sweetest destination, presents mischievous artist, Crummy Gummy, as he showcases his gummy bears as fashion imposters with a one-of-a-kind collection representing famous icons of the runway. (835 N. Michigan Avenue, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.)
• August 25 - 26: Four-legged friends and their owners are invited to enjoy two days of canine-themed activities along The Magnificent Mile. Argent Restaurant and Raw Bar hosts a special pet brunch on the restaurant's outdoor patio, Chicago Pet Video offers free portrait sessions for pets and their owners in the MasterCard Priceless Lounge and Mercury Skyline Cruiseline welcomes aboard pets for a special canine cruise. Make it a weekend getaway with your pooch with one of the many pet-friendly hotel packages available in the district. (For a schedule of events, visit TheMagnificentMile.com) 
• August 28: Chicago's top restaurants, including Tru, Tavernita, RPM Italian and Bar Toma, serve up delicious bites during "A Magnificent Taste," the first-ever outdoor culinary event along North Michigan Avenue. Guests will also have the chance to meet and sample bites from Top Chef Season 9 winner Paul Qui. (Pioneer Court, 401 N. Michigan Avenue, 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.)
• August 29: Hotel Monaco Chicago celebrates its retail-related past as a well-known hat factory with a hat-tastic party featuring a Goorin Bros. hat trunk show, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres by South Water Kitchen, raffle prizes and more. (225 N. Wabash Avenue, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.)
• September 5: Bloomingdale's and ShopParty Events present world-renowned astrologer Sylvia Friedman as she dresses shoppers from head to toe with styles that align with their Zodiac sign. (Bloomingdale's, 900 N. Michigan Avenue, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.)

In addition to the fashionable festivities, guests will enjoy special shopping-themed packages at hotels within the district, exclusive shopping perks at top retail shops and a chance to win one of three incredible prizes with the "Magnificent Sweepstakes." Every $100 spent throughout the festival qualifies for one entry into the sweepstakes. Prizes include six personal chef in-home dinner parties, an out-of-town Chicago-themed foodie basket, a five-night stay in the Presidential Suite at the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park and more.

For more information and a full calendar of events, visit TheMagnificentMile.com or follow The Magnificent Mile on Facebook, Twitter and foursquare.

SOURCE The Magnificent Mile