Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 4/28 and Beyond

Cool temps and rainy days ahead, but that shouldn't stop you from having a little fun! There's so much going on this weekend and with the pandemic numbers staying relatively low, it's feeling a little more normal to go out since Chicago dropped the masking and vaccination proof mandates on February 28 (for better or worse).

While we're hopefully at the tail end of things, many venues are keeping their mask and vaccination requirements for the foreseeable future. So if you do plan to go out this weekend, make sure you check out the venue's policies and take initiative. Wear a mask, social distance, and get your vaccination shots and your booster even if the venue/event doesn't require it. And if you still feel that wearing a mask is a must (like many still do), then please wear one. Protect yourself and those around you. If you still don't feel entirely safe to go out (and quite honestly, who can blame you?) you can always stay in and support these places from home.

Now, let's get on with your Chicago Curated Weekend!

THURSDAY, APRIL 28th

Carol Burnett: An Evening of Laughter and Reflection @ Chicago Theatre,175 N State St, 7:30pm
WHAT: A highly acclaimed actor and comedian, Carol Burnett will take questions from the audience and show video clips from her shows in a format that harkens back to the legendary openings of The Carol Burnett Show, where her studio audience had an unfiltered opportunity to engage Carol with questions and receive spontaneous answers.
SO WHAT: Named in 2007 by TIME magazine as one of the “100 Best Television Shows of All Time,” The Carol Burnett Show ran for 11 years, averaged 30 million viewers per week, and received 25 Emmy Awards, making it one of the most honored shows in television history. Burnett has been honored with Emmys, Golden Globes, People’s Choice Awards, the Horatio Alger Award, an Ace Award, and the Peabody. She’s a Kennedy Center Honoree and has also received the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for Humor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
NOW WHAT: Tickets available here for $50-$195+.

FRIDAY - SUNDAY, APRIL 29nd - May 1st

6th Annual One of a Kind Spring Show @ The Mart, 222 Merchandise Mart Plz Ste 470, Various times, All Ages
WHAT: Three days of artists and makers selling their wares!
SO WHAT: 6th Annual One of a Kind Spring Show will feature immersive experiences for shoppers to enjoy! You’ll have the opportunity to shop for handcrafted work from 300 exhibiting artists, makers, and designers from across the country and beyond. The show will also offer new ways for shoppers to get involved including hands-on workshops such as jewelry making and zine making. There will also be a chance to enjoy live entertainment provided by local musicians, a gourmet market, fine art gallery and on-site cafes and bars all weekend long.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $10 per adult, children under 12 receive free admission.

ChiTown Movies @ Pilsen Neighborhood, 2343 S. Throop St, Various Times, All Ages
WHAT: An old school experience for the modern age
SO WHAT: Take a trip back in time and head out to a drive-in movie with ChiTown Movies. Ever since the pandemic started and shut down traditional movie screening, a few pop up drive-ins have arrived and ChiTown Movies has persevered, offering up modern movies in this retro setting. Check out their lineup below for showings this weekend and in the future!

NOW WHAT: Tickets are $33 per car for these movies, so bring the family for a safe movie watching experience

SATURDAY, APRIL 30th

Ravenswood Mother’s Day Gift Market @ Ainslie Arts Plaza, 4836 N Lincoln Ave, 11:00am - 4:00pm,
WHAT: A special market for Mother's Day gifts
SO WHAT: Mother's Day is quickly approaching! Instead of getting her a last minute gift from Amazon, get her something beautiful and local! The Ravenswood Mother's Day Gift Market will feature a variety of local retailers and artisans selling some wonderful products that will be perfect for a Mother's Day Gift. From sweets and baked goods to beauty products, handmade jewelry, original artwork and more; there is something fro everyone!
NOW WHAT: It's free to attend!

Chicago Rum Festival @ Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N Kedzie Blvd, 2:00pm - 7:00pm, 21+
WHAT: The Chicago Rum Festival(aka Midwest Rum Fest) is back for a 6th outing!
SO WHAT: Get a taste of the world of Rum with this fantastic festival! There are three unique session available for Rum lovers all skill levels. The Industry Session offers industry professional a chance to network and taste a variety of rums. The GA Grand tasting is a three our program that offers educational brand seminars, samples of rum, and some mellow music.  The VIP Grand Educational and Tasting Session gives you an additional 2.5 hours to taste the rums available and a souvenir glass from The Neat Glass!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are still available!

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, APRIL 30th & MAY 1st

The Neo-Futurists' The Infinite Wrench @ The Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N Ashland, Saturday 10:30pm, Sunday 7:00pm, 16+
WHAT: Quick plays live and online!
SO WHAT: The Neo-Futurists are back! Their Infinite Wrench is an  ongoing, ever-changing attempt to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes for a live audience. Now it's actually a live audience that will be enjoying the performance in person! With plenty of COVID precautions in place, you'll be able to enjoy the funny, disgusting, profound, terrifying, irreverent, and downright entertaining show with friends! Plan ahead as vaccination cards will be checked and booster will be required to be fully vaccinated.
NOW WHAT: Join the Neo-Futurists this weekend for $10! Head over to their website to see all they have planned now that in-person audiences are a thing again! If you're still a little anxious about going out, The Infinite Wrench Goes Viral will be continuing til February (and possibly beyond) over at their Patreon!

SUNDAY, MAY 1st

New Talks and Video Archives @ Various Locations & Chicago Humanities Festival YouTube channel, your favorite browser or YouTube app, any time you want some inspiration, All Ages
WHAT: Interesting conversations with interesting people!
SO WHAT: Chicago Humanities Festival always bring some of the best ideas to the surface with entertaining programming that captures your imagination. Be on the lookout for the upcoming season as their website is constantly updated with new talks. They just announced their first talk of the new year!  Click the link below for more details!

NOW WHAT: Head over to take a look at their past events here! You should also sign up for their email list to get updates on upcoming talks in 2022.

THE WHOLE SELF-DISTANCING WEEKEND & BEYOND

Chicago Latino Film Festival @ Landmark Century Center Cinema (2828 N Clark St), ChiTown Movies (2343 S Throop St), & Eventive Streaming Platform, the spot in your home with the most movie theater appropriate atmosphere
WHAT: Chicago Latino Film Festival is back for their 38th year in a nice hybrid form!
SO WHAT: Chicago Latino Film Festival gives audiences a look into the work of filmmakers from Latin America, Spain, Portugal and the U.S. As always the festival will feature a variety of shorts and feature films through the entire spectrum of genre, each giving a special insights to unique themes.  You can check out the full lineup of films here!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are available now! Each in person screening at Landmark Century Center is $14, $100 for a 10-film Passport . Virtual screenings are $12 and $90 for a 10 film Virtual Passport. Drive in Presentations are $55 and Special Events at Insituto Cervantes are $25. ILCC members, students and seniors get discounted rates

Weekend Shows @ Lincoln Hall & Schubas, 2424 N Lincoln Ave & 3159 N Southport Ave, various times, 18+
WHAT: A full weekend of amazing shows at Schubas!
SO WHAT: Lincoln Hall and Schubas are some of our favorite venues in the city and they always have something great going on. Check out what's going this weekend at these great venues!

NOW WHAT: Head out to Schubas & Lincoln Hall and enjoy this great lineup of shows! Please note: proof of vaccination is required for entry to all shows at Lincoln Hall and Schubas in Chicago. Click here for more information on this policy.

Back on the Big Screen and Virtual Cinema @ Music Box Theatre, 3733 N Southport Ave and at your home, any time you want to watch a movie
WHAT: A great way to support a great local theater
SO WHAT: The Music Box Theatre is currently open to the public, so if you feel comfortable you can go out and have a theater experience this weekend with Great Freedom, We're All Going to the World's Fair, The Northman, Hatching, The Case of the Vanishing Gods ,Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Part of: Anchors Aweigh Matinees!, 28 Days Later + Pontypool Part of: Music Box of Horrors Presents, midnight screenings of Romy and Michele's High School Reunion and more! But if you want to watch some first-run movies at home, you can still watch great movies and support them online! They are currently screening films via their The Music Box Direct series! There are also tons of select titles available on their new platform!
NOW WHAT: Digital tickets are $12, in person screenings vary, so sit back and enjoy! Remember that a physical/digital vaccination card or negative PCR COVID test is required for entrance!

To Be, William Shakespeare's 458th Birthday @ Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier's Website, the coziest spot in your home, All Ages
WHAT: Chicago Shakespeare Theater celebrates the Bard's 458th birthday with a free 40-minute virtual program by local artists.
SO WHAT: Eleri Ward performs Acoustic Sondheim from her indie-folk album, A Perfect Little Death. Musical performances by Chicago Shakes performers Missy Aguilar, Jerica Exum, Jacquelyne Jones, Evan Tyrone Martin, Liam Oh, Sawyer Smith and more. One of Shakespeare's most famous speeches will be performed by A.B.L.E. Ensemble, which creates theater and film projects for, with, and by individuals with Down syndrome and other intellectual and developmental disabilities.
NOW WHAT: Watch To Be here. Streaming on demand through May 22. 

Fulton Street Collective Jazz Series @ Palmhouse619, 619 W. Howard St., Evanston, IL & Their YouTube channel, or the coziest spot in your home, 8:00pm
WHAT: Some excellent jazz for your evening
SO WHAT: Fulton Street Collective are back with in-person events, but they are still determined to give Chicago its much needed dose of jazz at home! Most of their shows are also streaming so you can see and hear the beautiful music on their YouTube channel, which has a great back catalog for you to enjoy! Below are just some of the upcoming shows from the collective.

NOW WHAT: The shows are free, but there is usually a $15 suggested donation to help support the musicians and Fulton Street Collective. ! Also you should definitely support Fulton Street Collective by becoming a member!

Lyric Opera Streaming On Demand @ Your favorite streaming device, the most lavish spot in your home
WHAT: The Lyric Opera at home
SO WHAT: Revisit some of your favorite Lyric moments, or experience for the first time performances you've missed.Check out their website for schedule of upcoming shows. Currently streaming is Luisa Miller (2019), The Queen of Spades (2020), and Die Walküre (2017).
NOW WHAT: It's free!!

Concerts Livestreams and Local Shows Archives @ Your House, Any time you please, All Ages
WHAT: There's tons of concerts from Chicago's yesteryear available online for your enjoyment!
SO WHAT: Oh My Rockness and Do312 has done a fantastic job of cataloging some of the upcoming live-streams from the awesome musical acts out there! Check out Oh My Rockness' listings here, Do312's roundup of shows here, and tune in to these great shows from the comfort of home! Do312 have also shared some past Chicago shows that are certainly worth a watch. There are also so many great local concerts recorded for posterity and what better time to check them all out than during this self isolation period. Audiotree has a fantastic and huge list of sessions with links to band's websites and merch to help support them even more. In addition to our previous recommendations like Fran, Tasha, KAINA, Divino Nino, and The Ophelias, we also recommend ROOKIE, Emily Blue, Sen Morimoto, Beach Bunny, Tennis, and Gia Margaret! Then head over to their record concerts from Lincoln Hall, Schubas, and beyond to check out Orville Peck, of Montreal, and so many more! JBTV is also a fantastic resource for sessions from bands that have come through Chicago! Just take a look at this playlist of Blind Melon's '95 set at Metro!
NOW WHAT: Stay home, watch some live music, and be sure to check out your favorite artists' social media, you never know who might be live streaming next!

Video Games @ Your home PC or Console, As long as it takes, Just check the game rating
WHAT: Video-games for all!
SO WHAT: Check out our games page for some recommendations of what games to download (and avoid) while we're stuck at home. If you're a PC user, head over to the Epic Games store as they will be releasing a few new FREE games for you to download ! There are also tons of free games on Twitch Prime waiting for you to download!
NOW WHAT: Wash your hands and dive head first into some fun games!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLZdrtsaHis

Masque of the Red Coronavirus! @ Black Button Eyes Productions, Any time on your computer or mobile device. For 18+.
WHAT: Written by Black Button Eyes Productions producing artistic director Ed Rutherford, this short satirical piece is available online free as a combined script-and-video experience.
SO WHAT: In addition to reading the play, you will see various Chicago artists act out portions of the script on video, recorded remotely. The event includes puppets, burlesque, original music, fire dancing and more in a brief, darkly comedic confection.
With the Red Coronavirus running rampant across the countryside and a vaccine still months away, what's a Prince to do? Lock himself in a secure bunker in an undisclosed location along with a cohort of his top donors, of course. To prevent him and his rich supporters from becoming bored, the Prince has also brought a few artists into the bunker to entertain the crowd. But as the hour grows later and the night grows weirder, it's clear that something else has also invaded the party.
NOW WHAT: Settle down for an evening of magical weirdness. Click here and begin reading and watching the videos.

Julian Ramirez