We're inching our way to the end of the month! For a lot of people this is the last weekend of summer, so why not make it a fun one 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
- NOW - 8/31 Millennium Park Summer Workouts (Saturdays)
THIS WEEKEND!
- NOWE - 8/30 Chicago Latin Restaurant Week
- 8/24 Sonido Fest @ National Museum of Mexican Art
- 8/24 The Firehouse Block Party @ The Firehouse Community Arts Center of Chicago
- 8/24 Sunday in the Park with Lyric @ Millennium Park
- 8/25 Chicago Triathlon
- 8/25 Luke Bryan @ Wrigley Field
FRIDAY - SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 - 25 (& BEYOND)
Chicago Rosemont Tattoo Arts Festival @ Donald E Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N River Rd, Rosemont, Friday 2:00PM to Midnight, Saturday 11:00AM to Midnight, Sunday 11:00AM to 8:00PM
WHAT: Body art skills on display
SO WHAT: Ever been interested in the world of tattoo art? Well this convention is bringing a huge list of special guests along with plenty of entertainment including tons of amazing live acts such as Cenobyte Suspension, Camille Zamboni Contortionist, Reggie Bügmüncher, Verona Fink, and more!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are only available on site and are $25 a day or $50 for the three-day pass
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, AUGUST 24
Thalia Hall Free For All @ Thalia Hall, 1807 S Allport St, 4:00pm
WHAT: Take in the entirety of the amazing Thalia Hall
SO WHAT: Thalia Hall is opening every one of its doors to let you explore everything it has to offer. This full building crawl will include some amazing programming throughout the venue like J. Copes performing downstairs at Punch House, a curated art market in the Beer Cellar, tasty food from Mariscos San Pedro; Drag Show hosted by Batty Davis featuring Lilith Babylon, Wanda, Derry Queen, and Kitty Banks; and incredible live music in the Tack Room and Thalia Hall; and Mariachi Herencia de Mexico will be wandering through all the spaces! Check out the lineups below!
- THALIA HALL
- Bobby Oroza
- Elizabeth Moen
- Color Green
- Pinksqueeze
- Late Nite Laundry
- TACK ROOM
- Tasha
- Andrew Sa
- The Spiders
- Kevan Eftekhari
NOW WHAT: It's FREE! Go discover all that Thalia Hall has to offer!
Chalk Howard Street @ Howard Street East of the Howard Red Line Stop, 11:00am – 8:00pm, All Ages
WHAT: Chicago’s only chalk art festival fully returns
SO WHAT: Chalk Howard Street welcomes local street artists, neighbors, families, and street art lovers to transform Howard Street in Rogers Park into a beautiful canvas. Enjoy some amazing 2D and 3D art as you explore Howard Street’s shops, restaurants and food options! Plus there will be tons of street squares available to purchase and live music to set the fun mood! Check out their website for the full lineup!
NOW WHAT: Its free!
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!
- 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 !
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, AUGUST 24 & 25
Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) @ Zhou B Art Center, 1029 W 35th St,, Saturday 11:00am – 6:00pm, Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm All Ages
WHAT: An alternative to the typical comic book fare
SO WHAT: Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) is a weekend-long celebration of independent comics. The event is inspired by Chicago’s long history as home to many of underground and alternative comics’ most talented artists. CAKE is dedicated to fostering the comics community and opening dialogue between independent artists, small presses, publishers, and readers. This cool event will have comics for sale, workshops, exhibitions, panel discussions, and more. You can check out the schedule of panels and workshops here.
NOW WHAT: This event is free, so go out and discover the world of alternative comics. Remember, Masks are strongly encouraged!
LatiNxt Music Festival @ Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., Saturday 2:00pm-11:10, Sunday 2:00pm-8:00pm
WHAT: The sixth annual celebration of modern Latin music and arts
SO WHAT: This two-day festival will feature a variety of cutting-edge music from the Latin American community, filling Navy Pier with some amazing sounds. Additionally there will be artisan vendors selling their unique wares. The LatiNxt Festival is curated by Future Rootz, a collective of Latinx musicians, artists, taste-makers, and cultural innovators. Acts include Chillona, Karennoid, Cedeño, Chava, Ana Tijoux, and more! Check out the full lineup at their website!
NOW WHAT: It’s free!
Bucktown Arts Fest @ Holstein Park, 2200 N Oakley Ave., 11:00AM – 7:00PM, All ages
WHAT: An all-volunteer-run arts festival
SO WHAT: The Bucktown Arts Fest is an incredible opportunity to support some talented local artists. The fest invites over 100 artists every year to participate, giving them the opportunity to share their great art work with the community. In addition to the art there will be plenty of food and drink, two stages of live music, and tons of activities for kids!
NOW WHAT: This fest is free and open to the public. Check out their map and parking details then go and celebrate some wonderful art! All proceeds from the fest go to fund, develop and support arts education programming at Holstein Park and in the Bucktown/Wicker Park classrooms.
THE WHOLE CURATED WEEKEND & BEYOND
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!
- 8/22 - Shrek - 8pm
- 8/22 - Nightmare on Elm Street - 10pm
- 8/23- Kung Fu Panda Part 4 -8pm
- 8/23 - Friday the 13th - 10pm
- 8/24 - The Notebook - 8:00pm
- 8/24 - Scream (The Original) - 10:30pm
- 8/25- Jurassic Park - 8pm
- 8/25 - Nightmare on Elm Street - 10:30pm
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 currently undergoing some great renovations, but they are always ready to fill that art house need in you with some excellent movies like Didi, Between the Temples 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
- August 22 - Schubas Open Mic HOSTED BY SHARRON PALM, and SAM SELBY @ Schubas FREE
- August 22- Master Steve Album Release Show + S-O-S + THREEZERO@ Schubas
- August 23- Meet Me Upstairs Presents: Cocojoey + Sharperheart + Squonk @ Schubas
- August 23- https://lh-st.com/shows/08-23-2024-totally-cashed/
- August 24 - Torture + Payasa + Prevention + Primitive Rage @ Schubas
- August 25- Dogs On Shady Lane + Morgan Powers + Harvey Waters @ Schubas
- August 25 - Leanna Firestone + Brye @ 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.
- 9/3 Jesmyn Ward: Let Us Descend @ Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture
- 9/15 Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Pre-event Member Reception @ Harris Theater for Music and Dance
- 9/16 Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson: Lovely One @ Harris Theater for Music and Dance
- 9/17 Abra Berens and Greta Johnsen: From Seed to Market to Plate @ Chop Shop
- 9/26 The Interview Show: Edward Burns + Elizabeth Moen @ FitzGerald's
- 9/29 aja monet @ Thalia Hall
- 10/5 Anna Marie Tendler: Men Have Called Her Crazy @ UIC Dorin Forum
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!