It seems a little crazy but we're at the end of the month! Summer is going by so quickly, but don't let that get you down. There are still plenty of sunny days ahead with fantastic events to fill your days. So start planning your weekend with some incredible concerts, festivals, movies, and so much more!
Now, let's get on with your Chicago Curated Weekend!
ART GALLERIES & SPECIAL EVENTS
- All Star Press is constantly putting up new prints for you to decorate your space with! RIGHT NOW they are showing "REGULARS"A Solo Show by PITR! Plus you can check out some of their prints from their Vertical Gallery collab, which you can purchase here!! There is also a virtual gallery featuring all the works! You can also see "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" ! Or the All Decked Out virtual show!
- Chicago Gamespace is the perfect spot to check out the hairy present and future of the gaming realm!
- 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!
- 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
- “Mold-A-Rama™: Molded for the Future” @ Museum of Science and Industry
- Art on the Mart
- Wonderverse takes popular franchises like Ghostbusters, Bad Boys, and more and puts them together in this immersive venue! Enjoy tons of activities including escape rooms, virtual reality games, racing simulators, and more! Plus there are plenty of themed food and drinks for you to try.
- NOW- 11/30 Green City Market @ Lincoln Park on Saturdays and Wednesdays!
- NOW - 10/31 Chicago: Home of House Exhibit @ Navy Pier
- NOW - 10/27 Wicker Park Farmers Market on Sundays!
- NOW - 10/27 "007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond" @ Museum of Science and Industry
- NOW - 10/27 Wolff's Flea Market @ Allstate Arena on Sundays!
- NOW - 10/13 Mercury Canine Cruise
- NOW - 9/2 "Titanic: The Exhibition"
- NOW - 9/2 Rooftop Cinema Club Fulton Market @ The Emily Hotel
- NOW- 9/1 Sportsman’s Club Summer BBQ Series
- NOW - 9/15 Ravinia Festival
- 7/27 Roaring Nights @ Brookfield Zoo
- 8/18, 9/22 Andersonville Vintage Market
THIS WEEKEND!
- 7/25 - 7/28 iO Fest @ iO Theater
- 7/26 Lincoln Park Zoo Summer Wine Fest
- 7/26 - 7/28 Ginza Holiday Festival @ Midwest Buddhist Temple
- 7/26 - 7/28 Andersonville Summer Sidewalk Sale
- 7/27 - 7/28 Chinatown Summer Fair
- 7/27 - 7/28 Bantu Fest @ Midway Plaisance
- 7/27 GhanaFest @ Washington Park
- 7/27 Ritmo Del Mar @ Shedd Aquarium
- 7/27 Stan's Donut Race
- 7/27 Ravenswood Garden Crawl
- 7/27 - 7/28 Faces of Fitness
- 7/27 Chicago SummerDance
- NOW - 8/21 Millennium Park Summer Workouts (Saturdays)
FRIDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 26 - JULY 28 (& BEYOND)
Wicker Park Fest @ Milwaukee Ave between Paulina St and North Ave., Friday 5:00pm – 10:00pm, Saturday & Sunday Noon - 10:00pm, all ages
WHAT: An amazing festival celebrates 20 years in one of the cooler Chicago neighborhoods.
SO WHAT: It wouldn’t be a summer weekend in Chicago without a worthwhile festival taking place. Wicker Park Fest brings together great local food, arts and crafts, a kids’ area, local retail vendors, and an insane lineup of music. The lineup includes Jamila Woods, Superdrag, Citizen, La Luz, Fiji Blue, Jonah Kagen, and tons more!
NOW WHAT: It’s only a suggested $10 donation, which keeps this great festival going year after year, so it’s no excuse not to head to Wicker Park and have a great time.
Taste of Lincoln Avenue @ N. Lincoln Ave between Fullerton & Wrightwood, Friday 3:00pm – 10:00pm, Saturday Noon to 10:00pm & Sunday Noon to 8:30pm
WHAT: A little taste of what Lincoln Avenue has to offer!
SO WHAT: Take a walk down the iconic Chicago avenue and discover some local food favorites, a myriad of arts and crafts, a kids' carnival, a Sunday Dog Parade, and a music stage with amazing regional and local entertainment. Check out the lineup of musicians over at their event page! There will also be “Whiskeys on Lincoln – A Midwest Tasting Event” happening on Saturday where you can sample over 100 different types of whiskeys from over 30 distilleries!
NOW WHAT: Entry is free! Tickets for the whiskey tasting are only $40
Out of Space Skokie @ Illinois Science + Technology Park Field, 1030 Central St, Evanston, 5:00pm, all ages
WHAT: Evanston Space’s incredible series of outdoor concerts, Out of Space, is back!
SO WHAT: The multiple meaning, pun titled Out of Space will be welcoming an impressive lineup of musicians to a new location this year at Illinois Science + Technology Park Field while Canal Shores finishes up their massively impressive renovation project. This weekend Out of Space is aiming to impress with an amazing lineup, so check out all the great performers below and enjoy some excellent shows!
- July 26: Courtney Barnett with Bob Mould and Squirrel Flower – $49.50 (GA) | $129.50 (VIP)
- July 27:Thee Sacred Souls and St. Paul and the Broken Bones – $49.50 (GA) | $129.50 (VIP)
- July 28: Guster with The Lone Bellow and Devon Gilfillian – $49.50 (GA) | $129.50 (VIP)
NOW WHAT: Ticke
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!
NOW WHAT: Join the Neo-Futurists this weekend for $20! The Infinite Wrench Goes Viral will be continuing til February (and possibly beyond) over at their Patreon
SATURDAY, JULY 27
Wave Wall Wax & Summer Fireworks @ Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Avenue, 5:30pm – 10:10pm
WHAT: Enjoy the spectacle of fireworks and great music all summer long
SO WHAT: Take a trip to Navy Pier and check out their dazzling display of fireworks! Each show features dramatic and popular music soundtracks with some special occasion soundtracks sprinkled throughout the season. Plus before the fireworks the fantastic Wave Wall Wax event will be dishing out some incredible tunes!
- July 27 | 5:30PM-10PM
- Zeetus Lapetus & DJ Ca$h Era
- August 3 | 5:30PM-10PM
- Gabriel “Rican” Rodriguez, Juan “Too Big” Perez & DJ Cool Carlos
- August 10 | 5:30PM-10PM
- Oliver Fade, DJ Film 42 & Janesita B2B Czboogie
- August 17 | 5:30PM-10PM
- Axsent, DJ Lego & Charlie Glitch
- August 24 | 1PM-10PM (LatiNxt)
- August 31 | 5:30PM-10PM
- Ron Carroll & Ariana DJ
NOW WHAT: It’s free! Just make your way to Navy Pier, find a spot, and enjoy the show !
THE WHOLE CURATED WEEKEND & BEYOND
52nd Annual Fiesta del Sol @ Pilsen, Cermak Rd from Ashland Ave to Morgan St., Thursday 3:00pm - 10:00pm, Friday-Sunday 11:00am - 10:00pm
WHAT: Join the Pilsen community for the 51st annual Fiesta del Sol!
SO WHAT: Fiesta del Sol celebrates the Pilsen neighborhood’s culture with live entertainment featuring great music, local art, a variety of food, carnival rides, a children’s area, educational resources for parents and youth, soccer games, and much more. This event spans an eight-block space down Cermak Road from Ashland to Morgan St. and can be seen from miles around thanks to the carnival’s huge Ferris Wheel!
NOW WHAT: Admission is free for these great cultural festivities!
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!
- 7/25 - Mean Girls (2004) - 8:30pm
- 7/26 - Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - 8:30pm
- 7/26 - Friday the 13th - 11pm
- 7/27 - The Notebook - 8:30pm
- 7/27 - Scream (The Original) - 11pm
- 7/27 - Jurassic Park - 8:30pm
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $35 per car for these movies, so bring the family for a safe movie watching experience
Movies on the Big Screen and Home @ Music Box Theatre, 3733 N Southport Ave, various times
WHAT: A great way to support a great local theater
SO WHAT: The Music Box Theatre is ready to fill that art house need in you with some excellent movies like MaXXXine, Seven Samurai, The Nature of Love, Crumb Catcher (Director Chris Skotchdopole and producer Larry Fessenden in attendance for a post-film Q&A at the 6:30pm Satuday showing), The Third Man, A Time of Roses (Featuring an introduction and post-film discussion by Stephanie Sack), Rap World (Featuring a Post-Film Q&A with Conner O’Malley and Cast/Crew moderated by Aidy Bryant) and midnight screenings of Deep Blue Sea and Rocky Horror Picture Show and more!
NOW WHAT: Sit back and enjoy a new film at one of our favorite movie theatres in the city!
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
- July 25 - Schubas Open Mic HOSTED BY SHARRON PALM, and SAM SELBY @ Schubas FREE
- July 25 - Sonny Falls Record Release Show + Chris Coleslaw Band + Chaepter @ Schubas
- July 25 - Hey Riddle Riddle @ Lincoln Hall SOLD OUT
- July 26 - all under heaven + She's Green + Illusion of Choice + Old Coke @ Schubas
- July 26 - Sexy Unique Podcast Live @ Lincoln Hall SOLD OUT
- July 26 - Meet Me Upstairs Presents: DJ I'm Dead @ Schubas
- July 27 - Sexy Unique Podcast Live @ Lincoln Hall
- July 27 - Six Foot Blonde + CalicoLoco + Superkick @ Schubas
- July 28 - Frontier Ruckus + Dogs at Large @ Schubas
- July 20- The Strike + Alt Bloom @ Lincoln Hall
NOW WHAT: Head out to Schubas & Lincoln Hall and enjoy this great lineup of shows!
Chicago Humanities: 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. Their year may be over, but certainly be on the lookout for updates for next year's season as their website is constantly updated with new talks.
- 9/29 aja monet @ Thalia Hall
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 The Price Sisters, Brian Conway, Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton, Ruby John, Sean "Mack" McDonald, and many more!
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!