Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 3/2 and Beyond

It's the first weekend of March, with plenty of amazing concerts, markets, restaurant weeks, and shows of all kinds are happening all weekend long.

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, MARCH 2nd & 3rd

Lincoln Square and Ravenswood Restaurant Week 2023 @ Various Restaurants, Various Times
WHAT: A great way to explore cuisine and fine dining at restaurants throughout Lincoln Square and Ravenswood
SO WHAT: Take a break from eating at home and check out some of the great restaurants ion the Lincoln Square and Ravenswood neighborhoods with their Restaurant week! Enjoy cuisine from all over the world- from Argentinian, French, and Italian to southern comfort food and beyond. Restaurants in will show off their wide array of dining options with special prix fixe menus to enjoy.
NOW WHAT: Head over to their website and check out all the [participating restaurants and their offerin

FRIDAY - SUNDAY, MARCH 3rd & BEYOND

Jurassic Quest @ Navy Pier, 600 E Grand Ave, Friday Noon - 8:00pm, Saturday 9:00am – 8:00pm, Sunday 9:am - 7:00pm, All Ages
WHAT: Dinosaurs invade Navy Pier
SO WHAT: Jurassic Quest is one of the largest and most realistic dinosaur exhibitions. Guests will walk through the Cretaceous period, the Jurassic period and the Triassic period and experience what it would have been like to be among living, breathing dinosaurs. Ride a dinosaur, dig for some fossils and more at this dino-centric event!
NOW WHAT: Admission is $22 for GA, $19 for seniors, and $36 for VIP access.

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, MARCH 4th

Brewsology Beer Fest @ Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S DuSable Lake Shore Dr, 6:00pm – 11:00pm, 21+
WHAT: A little bit of beer for your museum trip!
SO WHAT:The Brewsology Beer Fest is the boozy museum field trip. The event will be making over the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry after hours with over 60 local craft breweries and cideries. Honestly, the lineup is enormous with Revolution Brewing, Pollyanna, Noon Whistle, 3 Floyds, and Temperance Beer Co. barely scratching the surface! You’ll be able to access the museum with beer samplings included with admission.
NOW WHAT:Tickets are $50 for GA (8pm-11pm) and $ $65 for Early Admission (7pm-11pm).

SUNDAY, MARCH 5th (& BEYOND)

Polar Plunge @ North Avenue Beach, 1600 N Lake Shore Dr., 8:00AM
WHAT: Jumping into really cold water…for charity
SO WHAT: This yearly event sees people jumping into the lake during an absurd time of the year. Luckily it’s for a great cause like Special Olympics Chicago.
NOW WHAT: It’s free, so go watch people make some money for a worthwhile cause by jumping into near freezing water.

Rosemont Restaurant Week 2023 @ Various Restaurants, Various Times
WHAT: A great way to explore cuisine and fine dining at restaurants throughout Rosemont
SO WHAT: Take a break from eating at home and make the trek out to Rosemont as they celebrate foodies with their Restaurant week! Restaurants in will highlight their dining options with special prix fixe menus to enjoy at a variety of price points and with tons of other activities and places to stay in Rosemont, you can make a little staycation out of it!
NOW WHAT: Head over to their website and check out all the participating restaurants and their offer

MOST OF THE SELF-DISTANCING WEEKEND & BEYOND

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!

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 Return to Seoul, 2023 Oscar Nominated Documentary Shorts 2023 Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts, 2023 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts, Irreversible, The Virgin Suicides Part of: Sofia Coppola March Matinees, midnight screenings of Metropolis (2001)& Death Laid an Egg, 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!

University of Chicago Folk Festival @ Your favorite spot in your home, All Ages
WHAT:A fantastic folk festival
SO WHAT: University of Chicago Folk Festival might have come and gone but their digital presence is still around, making sure the wonderful music reaches as many people as possible! You can check out the past few years of performances on their Facebook page and their YouTube channel any time you want! This past year's performers included Balfa Toujours, Donka & Nikolay Kolev, Juan Rivera, Henry Barnes & Conner Vlietstra, Po' Ramblin' Boys, Jerron Paxton; Tim Britton, John Williams and Katie Grennan!
NOW WHAT: Head over to their Facebook page and their YouTube channel and enjoy the show! We highly encourage you to donate to help support this fantastic folk festival!

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K42ZUUBeHSY&t=3s

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