It's a holiday weekend and the events are flowing in! Tons of egg hunts, brunches, markets, concerts, movies and more are waiting to make this week one to remember!
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!
- Support Local Venues
- Kingston Mines is open with some great lineups this weekend
- Fitzgerald's is also back in full swing
- Evanston Space
- Head over to the Hideout's regular shop and get yourself some great merch! Their 2020 Holiday Sale page is also still up with links to great local artists!
- Metro shop is full of fantastic concert posters from yesteryear and cool merch
- Lincoln Hall/Schubas always has great items in their shop waiting for you! Plus Schubas/Tied House is open and events are on their way back!
- Same goes for Thalia Hall's merch store (those holiday socks? *chef's kiss*)
- Let's not forget Empty Bottle's fantastic merch shop! Plus they just added some new stuff designed by some awesome people that is sure to catch your eye! Shows are going on now as well, so head over to their venue site and go to some concerts if you're comfortable
- Art Galleries and Special Events
- Chicago Gamespace is the perfect spot to check out the hairy present and future of the gaming realm! Currently they are showing LIGHT CYCLES: 40 Years of TRON in Games & Film
- All Star Press is constantly putting up new prints for you to decorate your space with! Plus you can check out some of their prints from last year's Vertical Gallery collab, which you can purchase here!! There is also a virtual gallery featuring all the works! You can see their previous show "Saturday Morning Fever” featuring the works of Griffin Goodman through their virtual gallery! And don't forget to check out the virtual edition of JC Rivera's new exhibition "Still Undefeated" !
- Galerie F has a fun stock of prints from concert posters, pop culture prints and more!
- Rotofugi is the perfect nexus of art and toys! Head over to see what new pieces of art they have in stocks and on display in their gallery space! They are currently showing Ghosting Through Life New Works by MUMBOT.
- WNDR Museum is an ever-evolving immersive art and technology experience designed to ignite your curiosity! See exhibits like the Light Floor, Try to Get Higher, and the Digital Gallery. Plus Keith Haring!
- Garfield Park Conservatory is open! Book a reservation to see all the beautiful gardens safely!
- Lincoln Park Conservatory is open! Book a reservation to see all the beautiful gardens safely
- EASTER EVENTS!
FRIDAY, APRIL 7th
Tennis & Kate Bollinger @ Riviera Theatre, 4746 N. Racine Avenue, 8:00PM, 18+
WHAT: Two wonderful acts make their way to the Riv with the Pollen Tour
SO WHAT: How can you not love Tennis? The husband-and-wife duo Alaina Moore and Patrick Rile offer up their infectious throwback ballads that immediately dazzle a crowd. You'll be swaying your night away with the pair and their touring partner Kate Bollinger, whose songs are just as emotive and gorgeous.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $30 for this fantastic musical experience
FRIDAY - SUNDAY, APRIL 7th - APRIL 9th (& BEYOND)
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, APRIL 8th
Handmade Market Chicago @ Empty Bottle, 1035 N Western Ave, Noon – 4:30pm
WHAT: Shopping, eating, and drinking all in one place
SO WHAT: Grab a drink from the Empty Bottle Bar, and start shopping the Handmade Market Chicago! They will bring a nice collection of makers with beautiful and unique items to the Empty Bottle! Join in and see what all the sellers will have to offer. You can check out some of the sellers that will be featured over on their Facebook page.
NOW WHAT: This event as always is free!
SUNDAY-MONDAY, APRIL 9th & 10th
Queer Art Party Market @ Sleeping Village, 3734 W Belmont Ave, Sunday Noon - 5pm, Monday 7pm- Late
WHAT: Palmer Square Art Fair and Queer Social Club are getting together to host Queer Art Party in collaboration with Sleeping Village.
SO WHAT: Queer Art Party is a celebration of queer art, music, food, and community. This is the second edition of the party with all its fun spread across two days. Sunday will be the local art market featuring tons of great items from wonderful vendors and Monday will be the concert within Blesstonio, Gay Meat, Queer Dance Freakout, and CQQCHIFRUIT! Support local artists, enjoy local food, and dance the day (and night) away.
NOW WHAT: Sunday is free!!! Tickets for the concert on Monday are $15 in advance $17 day of show!
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!
- April 6 - LHST Comedy Presents: Schubas Open Mic HOSTED BY NAOMI SPUNGEN, ADRIENNE STOUT, AND SUZ BALLOUT @ Schubas
- April 6- BJ Barham @ Schubas SOLD OUT
- April 6 - The Heavy Heavy / Sun June @ Lincoln Hall SOLD OUT
- April 7 - Robot Heart Throb / Julia Morrison + Mars FM @ Schubas
- April 7 - Meet Me Upstairs Presents: Feral @ Schubas
- April 7 -Schubas Comedy Showcase Hosted by Aaron Klinger @ Schubas
- April 7 - Donovan Woods / Henry Jamison / Isabel Pless@ Schubas
- April 8 - Will Joseph Cook / DBMK @ Schubas
- April 8 & 9 -Varietopia with Paul F. Tompkins @ Lincoln Hall SOLD OUT
- April 9 - Dinner Time / Future Crib / Rotundos @ Schubas
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 Only in Theaters, Enys Men, The Doom Generation, Tori and Lokita, The Innocent, midnight screenings of The Room 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!
Chicago Humanities Festival Spring 2023: 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!
- 4/13 Susanna Hoffs: From Pop Star to Novelist
- 4/21 Rainn Wilson On the Importance of Spirituality
- 4/26 Lane Moore with Mara Wilson: How To Make Friends As An Adult
- 4/29 Congresswoman Katie Porter: Championing Change
- 4/29 The Photography of Ralph Ellison
- 4/29 Minnesota’s Attorney General Keith Ellison on Police Brutality
- 4/29 Beto O’Rourke in Conversation
- 4/29 The Supreme Court’s New Era
- 4/29 Ayad Akhtar and Eboo Patel: On Offense
- 4/29 Surprise: Reading Jane Austen Again
- 4/29 Scott Aukerman: the Hilarious World of Comedy Bang Bang!
- 4/29 Miranda July with Carrie Brownstein
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 2023
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!
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 ev