Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 1/26 and Beyond

This year's been off to a great start with plenty of events rolling in! So let's keep that going with another great weekend of concerts, movies, and more!

While it feels like the pandemic is behind us, you still need to be mindful when you go out this weekend and beyond. The winter season has seen a lot of colds, flu, RSV, and of course bouts of COVID. It's better to be safe and wear a mask when you go out to big events. And if you're still a little hesitant to go out, there are many events and things to do from home. So whether you're staying in or going out, keep safe and stay healthy!

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

THURSDAY & FRIDAY, JANUARY 26th & 27th ( & BEYOND)

Sleeping Village Turns 5! @ Sleeping Village, 3734 W. Belmont Ave., Various times, 21+
WHAT: Celebrate five years of this phenomal venue!
SO WHAT: Sleeping Village is half a decade old and is celebrating with a fun lineup of shows! Check out this wonderful Avondale venue and experience what many of us have been raving about since it opened its doors in 2018! Check out the lineup below and at their website!

NOW WHAT: Tickets are available at the links above or at the Sleeping Village website!

FRIDAY - SUNDAY & BEYOND, JANUARY 27th & BEYOND

Opening Weekend @ Alamo Drafthouse Wrigleyville, 3519 N Clark St., various times
WHAT: The iconic movie theater makes its way to Chicago!
SO WHAT: If you're a movie fan you've certainly heard tales of Alamo Drafthouse. The theater chain is dedicated to making the best movie-watching experience while providing full-service meals. For their opening weekend you'll get the chance to see new films like Avatar: The Way of Water, Infinity Pool, and M3GAN; as well as three Chicago-set classics like Thief, Candyman, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Plus a screening of a modern classic: Everything Everywhere All at Once!
NOW WHAT: Head over to their website for a weekend of movies!

The Neo-Futurists' The Infinite Wrench @ The Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N Ashland, Friday and 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

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28th

Argyle Lunar New Year Celebration @ Argyle & Winthrop, Noon - 4:00pm, all ages
WHAT: Join Uptown United and 48th Ward Alderman Harry Osterman on Argyle Street in 2023 as Uptown continues its annual tradition (going back 40+ years) of celebrating the Lunar New Year!
SO WHAT: Welcome the Year of the Rabbit with the Lunar New Year Parade (kick-off at 1:00pm sharp at Argyle & Winthrop) featuring 20+ local community groups, cultural institutions, dancers and performers!  There will also be some fun pop-ups with family-friendly activities and performances! Check out their website for more details! And of course check out all the amazing art in the area anytime (and for some guidance check out the Uptown Public Art Map)!
NOW WHAT: It’s free! Mask up and enjoy the celebration!

Mac & Cheese Crawl @ Wrigleyville's Best Bars & Restaurants, 11:00am - 7:00pm, 21+
WHAT: Chicago's Cheesiest bar crawl!
SO WHAT: Spend the day checking out all the Wriglyville bars and restaurants at this fun bar crawl. You'll get to try some new drinks and enjoy some tasty mac and cheese in this full day of winter time fun !
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $20-30 and include admission to all bars on the crawl & 7 free mac & cheese servings, drink specials, giveaways and more!

2023 Chicago Winter Whiskey Tasting Festival @ Hubbard Inn, 110 W Hubbard St, 3:00pm - 6:00pm
WHAT: A fantastic event for whiskey lovers!
SO WHAT: Take your whiskey love to the next level with the Winter Whiskey Tasting Festival! You'll get the chance to taste over 20 different local and international whiskies and learn about them directly from whiskey ambassadors. There will be plenty of food and live music in addition to all the amazing whiskey!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $60 - $110!

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29th

Lunar New Year Celebration @ Chinatown, 24th Street and Wentworth Avenue, 1:00pm – 3:00pm, All Ages
WHAT: Celebrate the Lunar New Year at Chicago’s Chinatown!
SO WHAT: Take part in this wonderful tradition in Chinatown as the community gathers to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit! The parade will begin at the intersection of 24th Street and Wentworth Avenue and travel north on Wentworth towards the viewing stand at Cermak and Wentworth. This magnificent cultural display will feature traditional dragon and lion dancing teams, colorful floats, marching bands and marching groups.
NOW WHAT: It’s Free!

MOST OF THE SELF-DISTANCING WEEKEND & BEYOND

Chicago Restaurant Week 2023 @ Various Restaurants, Various Times
WHAT: The 16th annual culinary celebration!
SO WHAT: Over 300 restaurants will take part in Restaurant Week (which is actually 17 days long!), letting everyone have a taste of Chicago’s restaurant scene from Italian, French, Spanish, Chinese and more! You can feast on delicious multi-course menus all across the city and suburbs. You can find all the participating restaurants on the Restaurant Week website!
NOW WHAT: These multi-course meals are $25 for brunch or lunch, and $42 and/or $59 for dinner (excluding beverages, tax, gratuity, and delivery fees).

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 and Lincoln Hall!
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 really to fill that art house need in you with some excellent movies including with Infinity Pool, Broker, Skinamarink, Memoria, Sunset Boulevard, a midnight screening of They Live 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 subscription is $4.99, in person screenings vary, so sit back and enjoy!

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 brings some of the best ideas to the surface with entertaining programming that captures your imagination. Be on the lookout for updates to the upcoming season as their website is constantly updated with new talks.  Here is a taste of what's coming up!
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

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

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