I went to a Chase food event in Chicago — here’s what you need to know about these special perks for cardholders

02.08.2024 - 13:57 / thepointsguy.com / Chase Sapphire / Paris Olympics

Though I am arguably biased as a local, Chicago in the summer is one of the greatest cities in the world. Part of that is due to the number of events on a given weekend, including Chase Sapphire events.

One such marquee event is The Infatuation's Eeeeeatscon Chicago, Presented by Chase Sapphire.

Picture a music festival-meets-food festival experience, with local and national restaurants as the headliners, plus live music performances and panels.

I attended The Infatuation's Eeeeeatscon Chicago, Presented by Chase Sapphire from July 13 to 14. Here's what the event was like, and how you can find similar events near you.

General admission tickets for both days cost $30.37 through Eventbrite, though the July 13 tickets sold out ahead of the event.

Children 6 and under (and service dogs) could attend for free. Tickets did not include the price of food and beverages, which ranged from $4 to $11 per dish, depending on the vendor. Alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages were available at three bars (two outside, one inside) for $5 to $16.

This two-day food festival is held four times per year: every February in Miami, June in Los Angeles, July in Chicago and fall in New York. Early access is available to Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card holders.

Cardholders also get access to special Sapphire Reserve Lounges for Reserve cardholders that are only available at events like this, including the U.S. Open Tennis Championships taking place later this month. Last year's U.S. Open lounge, called the Chase Lounge and Terrace, featured an outdoor terrace to watch tennis, a Chase ATM that dispensed swag, a phone charging station and a photo op for tennis fans of all shapes and sizes.

An ongoing perk for Reserve users is access to the Paris Olympics. Attendees have exclusive private lounge access, dining events, athlete meet and greets and other amenities throughout the 2024 Games.

This summer, Reserve cardholders can also purchase VIP tickets for music festivals across the country, including Lollapalooza, Outside Lands and Ocean's Calling. They'll enjoy entry to the Sapphire Reserve Lounge with a guest as well.

For this particular event, my favorite part was the Sapphire Reserve Lounge for Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders, who also earned 3 points per dollar spent at the festival.

Perhaps it was because of the first bite of food I had, but my favorite food of the festival was in the Sapphire Reserve Lounge. It offered various appetizers from Diego, a Mexican craft cocktail bar in Chicago's West Town neighborhood.

Of everything I tried, the tuna tostada, the corn and tomato tostado and the suenos ceviche were the best bites of the event.

The lounge offered complimentary bites and five cocktails