Hot and cold, rainy and sunny. You never know how weird the weather in Chicago is going to be, but you can always count on some excellent events waiting for you! This weekend is full of movies, fests, music, and markets ready to keep entertained.
Let's get on with your curated weekend!
ALL WEEKEND LONG, OCTOBER 11th - 14th
The Void @ Emporium Pop Ups, 2367 N Milwaukee Ave, 5:00pm - 2:00am, 21+
WHAT: Emporium Popups and Solemn Oath Brewery band together to bring you The Void
SO WHAT: The Void is a twenty-four day spectacle of beer, collaboration, friends, music, and good vibes born from the SOB family.The event will host a rotating lineup of Solemn Oath beers, including the debut of dual collaboration beers between Emporium and SOB in Afterlife Kids and Shake Senora. Solemn Oath’s Goldmund, a Mexican Chocolate Stout, and wood-aged version will be released at the close of the pop-up on Saturday, November 3.
NOW WHAT: Entry is free! Enjoy these special beers and the pop up experience.
THURSDAY & FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11th & 12th
Dan Savage's The Very Best of Hump! Film Festival @ Music Box Theatre,3733 N Southport Ave, Thursday and Friday 7:30pm -10:00pm & Friday 10:00pm, 18+
WHAT: The annual collection of homemade dirty movies
SO WHAT: Curated by Dan Savage of Savage Love, the
Hump! Film Festival is a traveling event that will be screening a collection of porn shorts each less than five minutes. All the shorts are created by people who aren't porn stars but want to be one for a weekend. The fest is aiming to unite all genders, sexualities, and kinks in a celebration of sex-positivity. This year the fest is a curated selection of favorites from 2008-2017!
NOW WHAT: Grab your ticket online for $25! And obviously these showings are 18+.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11th
Bordering On Hilarious: Comedy benefitting the Young Center @ Cards Against Humanity Theater, 1917 N Elston Ave, 7:30pm - 9:30pm
WHAT: A night of comedy presented by
18 Coffees &
Team Us Comedy to benefit the
The Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights.
SO WHAT: Bordering On Hilarious is a one-time special comedy showcase celebrating Chicago comedians from immigrant backgrounds to raise funds for the good work being done by the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights here in Chicago! Comdedians will include Oscar El Cuchillo Carvajal, Sonal Aggarwal, Stuti Sharma, Adam Burke, Meghana Indurti, and Azhar Usman!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $25 for this hilarious evening!
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12th
Sidewalk Chalk Plays the Space Jam Soundtrack @ Untitled, 11 W Kinzie St, 8:00pm -11:00pm, 21+
WHAT: Blend your memories of the 90s children’s classic with an insane soundtrack with one of Chicago’s coolest bands
SO WHAT: The Chicago Hip Hop/Jazz/Funk ensemble Sidewalk Chalk will be covering the Space Jam soundtrack for a night you surely won’t forget
NOW WHAT: Admission for the show is free!
CLLAW XXIX: Fall Brawl @ Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N Kedzie Blvd, 9:00pm, 21+
WHAT: The Chicago League of Lady Arm Wrestlers (CLLAW) are back for CLLAW XXIX: Fall Brawl.
SO WHAT: CLLAW’s 31st benefit match will feature some of Chicago’s biggest, baddest lady arm wrestlers. There will also be musical entertainment from My Double Life and a cash bar to enjoy while you watch these intense competitors battling to be at the top of the CLLAW tower!
NOW WHAT: Tickets start at $20 online and there are packages that give you a discount on CLLAWBux for the cash only bar! Tickets are $25 at the door. All proceeds from CLLAW XXVIII will benefit Sideshow Theatre Company and
GirlForward.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13th
Music Box of Horrors @ Music Box Theatre, 3733 N Southport Ave, Noon - Noon (the next day)
WHAT: 24 hours of horror movie madness!
SO WHAT: Join the coolest theater in town, the Music Box Theatre, for this year’s incarnation of the
Music Box of Horrors as they swiftly descend into madness through a long list of min altering horror films! This years list includes the likes of
Lord of Illusions (with Kevin J. O’Connor in person!),
Child’s Play (with Don Mancini in person!), and much more! There will also be plenty of vendors like Graveface Records and Curiosities and Bric-a-Brac records selling some cool horror related items as well as food trucks to keep you fed! If you are a horror fan, than this event is fantastic high water mark for you!
Check out Steve Prokopy’s preview of the event here!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $30 ($25 Music Box Members) in advance and $35 ($30 Music Box Members) day of for this amazing 24 hour film fest!
Cassette Store Day @ Various Locations, Various Times, All Ages
WHAT: An opportunity to buy music you can actually hold in your hand.
SO WHAT: Cassette Store Day was created in 2013 by a group of record labels based in the UK to keep the love of this rectangular format going! Their mission has spread throughout the world, giving every cassette fan a chance to pick up new merch available specifically to help celebrate the day and format. This year's releases include releases from The Go! Team, Sleep, Nada Durf, J Dilla, and much more!
You can check out the full release list here!
NOW WHAT: Each store will be doing something special, so head to one or a few of the following stores and pick up some cool cassettes!
- 4A Song Vinyl and Jukeboxes, 1045 Burlington Ave, Lisle IL 60532 USA
- Bric-a-Brac Records, 3156 W Diversery Ave, Chicago IL 60647 USA,
- Bucket O'Blood Books & Records, 3182 N. Elston Ave, Chicago IL 60618 USA
- Curbside Books & Records
125 S Clark st, RFH - Curbside, Chicago IL 60603 USA
- Polyvinyl Pop-Up Shop, 717 S Neil St, Champaign IL 61820 USA
- Waiting Room Records, 113 W North Street, Normal IL 61761 USA
- Shuga Records, 1272 North Milwaukee Ave, Chicago IL 60622 USA
Alex Ross @ Chicago Comics, 3244 N Clark St, 2:00pm - 5:00pm, All Ages
WHAT: Chicago Comics welcomes Alex Ross for a rare appearance and signing
SO WHAT: Alex Ross is one of the greatest artist to grace the comic book world and his latest retrospective release brings the heroes of the Marvel universe into dynamic life!
Marveloity includes more than 50 never-been-published sketches, working models and other preparatory art, and a 14-panel portfolio gallery of Marvel’s most beloved characters. It also includes a new 10-page story pitting Spider-Man against the Sinister Six written and illustrated by Ross!
NOW WHAT:
It's free and you can get a single item signed by Alex Ross! Every person who buys a copy of
Marvelocity at Chicago Comics will get an additional 2 items signed. That’s a total of 3. They will also cap the line at 250, so get there early!
Piano and percussion quartet Yarn/Wire to open the new CCCC season. Photo by Bobby Fisher.
Yarn/Wire Concert @ Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St, 7:30pm - 9:30pm, All Ages
WHAT: The
Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition opens its first ever concert season with piano and percussion quartet Yarn/Wire. The concert will be performed at the Performance Hall of the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts.
SO WHAT: Yarn/Wire will perform music by Japanese composer Misato Mochizuki, German composer and conductor Enno Poppe, and two world premieres by University of Chicago composers Will Myers and David Clay Mettens.
NOW WHAT: $15.00, free with student ID.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14th
Midwest Flair Fest @ Thalia Hall,1807 S Allport St, Noon - 4:00pm, All Ages
WHAT: Some flair to keep you looking your best!
SO WHAT: The
Midwest Flair Fest is the perfect opportunity to stock up on some stylish pins, patches and more to liven up your day-to-day wardrobe. 40+ flair vendors from around the world will be on hand for you to find that perfect little accent to you style.
NOW WHAT: It’s free! First 50 people at the door get swag bags, so get there early!
Evanston Oktoberfest @ University Place and Oak Ave., Evanston, IL, 2:30pm - 6:00pm, All Ages
WHAT: Enjoy the fall weather with the 4th annual Evanston Oktoberfest!
SO WHAT: Held at the Evanston Farmers Market location (intersection of Oak Ave. and University Place), you can sample more than 40 different styles of craft beer and hard cider from favorite local and regional breweries, enjoy some games, delicious food and more during this great fest! There will also be a stellar music lineup including Railheart, Nora O'Connor, Kelly Hogan & Scott Ligon of The Flat Five, Al Scorch, Devil In A Woodpile, and The Cactus Blossoms!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $15 for attendees 12 and older. The tickets get you access to a commemorative tasting glass (21+) and support a fantastic non-profit organization Downtown Evanston!
