Fall temps are finally here and we're inching closer and closer to Halloween! But let's not get ahead of ourselves, there are tons of markets, concerts, great movies, and so much more throughout our city this very weekend! So don't just sit around waiting for the 31st, find something fun to do with a little help from our event roundup!
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 Goodmanthrough 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! They are currently showing some awesome art from Cherry Moth Cake & Monster Bloodbath
- 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 - 12/31 Hershey Super Sweet Adventure @ Water Tower Place
- NOW- 11/30 Green City Market @ Lincoln Park on Saturdays and Wednesdays!
- NOW - 11/3 Jack's Pumpkin Pop-Up @ 1265 W Le Moyne St
- NOW - 10/31 "Titanic: The Exhibition"
- NOW - 10/31 Rooftop Cinema Club Fulton Market @ The Emily Hotel
- 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!
SEASONAL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND!
- 10/18 Holy Ghost Bingo @ Beverly Arts Center
- 10/18 Xantolo Comes Alive in Chicago @ National Museum of Mexican Art
- 10/18 - 10/20 Bozo's Circus @ Madame Zuzu's
- 10/19 Sole Summit Sneaker Convention @ Northern Illinois University - Naperville Campus
- 10/19 Lincoln Roscoe Beer Stroll
- 10/19 Lakeview Halloween Pup Crawl @ Halsted st. from Aldine to Cornelia
- 10/19 - 10/20 Oktoberfest @ Gallagher Way
- 10/18 - 10/20 Bozo's Circus @ Madame Zuzu's
- 10/20 Bloody Mary Fest @ Theatre on the Lake
- NOW - 10/27 Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns @ Chicago Botanic Garden
- NOW - 10/26 Halloween at Chicago Athletic Association
- NOW - 10/31 Seadog Haunted Tours
- NOW - 11/3 Nightmare on Clark Street
- NOW - 11/3 Jack's Pumpkin Pop-Up @ 1265 W Le Moyne St
FRIDAY - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18 - 20 (& BEYOND)
Chicago Vintage Festival @ 18th and Blue Island, Noon – 7:00pm
WHAT: A wonderful market for all!
SO WHAT: Head over to Chicago Vintage Festival and discover the wares of over 100 vendors sharing vintage finds and handmade items! Plus you can enjoy some delicious food and drinks from a couple of food trucks on hand. There will also be plenty of music and a gamers lounge!
NOW WHAT: It’s free!
FRIDAY - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18 - 20 (& BEYOND)
The Neo-Futurists’ The Infinite Wrench @ The Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N Ashland, Friday and Saturday 10:30pm, Sunday 7pm, 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, OCTOBER 19
Arts in the Dark Parade @ State Street between Lake and Van Buren, 6:00pm – 8:00pm, All Ages
WHAT: A magical evening parade!
SO WHAT: The event brings together some incredible local institutions, important programs, and aspiring artists in every field to put on a beautiful evening of floats, puppets, performances, and more!
NOW WHAT: It’s free !
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19 & 20
Open House Chicago @ Various locations, Various times, all ages
WHAT: A chance to see some of the beautiful buildings Chicago has to offer.
SO WHAT: The Chicago Architecture Foundation will be opening doors to the city’s most interesting places, with more than 170 sites in 20+ neighborhoods offering behind-the-scenes access. You’ll be able to explore the culture and diversity of our amazing city through its impressive architecture. All the tours are free (unless otherwise noted), 40 events and programs at the sites, and are first-come, first-served. Visit the Open House Chicago website for a full list of locations.
NOW WHAT: Head over to their website and plan these 48 hours accordingly.
BOO! at the Zoo @ Brookfield Zoo, 8400 W 31st St, 10:00am – 6:00pm, All ages
WHAT: Add a little Halloween fun to your Zoo Trip!
SO WHAT: Brookfield Zoo turns into a Halloween wonderland during the spooky season with tons of photo ops, a corn maze, a Creepy Carousel, Virtual reality 4D theater show Jinxed, a Magician, Pumpkin feedings for the animals, fun zoo chats and so much more! Head over to their event page for all the ghoulish details!
NOW WHAT: Entry to the Zoo is $29.95 for adults, $24.95 for seniors, $20.95 for children 3-11, and children 2 and under are free!
THE WHOLE CURATED WEEKEND & BEYOND
The 60th Chicago International Film Festival @ Various Theaters & Streaming straight to your home, various times
WHAT: An annual film tradition expanding moviegoers' tastes
SO WHAT: The 60th Chicago International Film Festival is here and ready to deliver quality filmmaking to Chicago! You'll get the chance to enjoy a stunning collection of feature-length films, shorts, and in-person celebrations over 12 days right here in Chicago! Check out our preview of the festival here!
NOW WHAT: You can check out their website for more details on this fantastic festival! You can also see their full schedule in their festival guide!
Pinball Expo '24 @ Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, 1551 N Thoreau Drive, Schaumburg, Thursday Noon - Midnight, Friday 10am-Midnight, Saturday 10am - Sunday 2:00am
WHAT: Pinball wizard's favorite weekend!
SO WHAT: It's another year of the world's largest and longest running pinball show! Pinball Expo '24 will be taking over the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel this weekend with a slew of tournaments, exhibits, seminars, and even the chance to purchase your very own pinball machine! There will also be plenty of cool retro games available to play as well as screenings of Tommy & Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are available now!
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 recently underwent some great renovations,and are ready for all your movie needs u with some excellent films like Daaaaaali!, Rumours, Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II & Faust as part of the Music Box of Horrors: The Dream Child; Music Box of Horrors - Half Marathon and more!
NOW WHAT: Sit back and enjoy a new film at one of our favorite movie theatres in the city!
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!
- 10/17 - Some Like it Hot! - 7pm
- 10/18 - Hocus Pocus - 6:30pm
- 10/18 - Hocus Pocus - 8:45pm
- 10/18 - Halloween (The Original!) - 10:45pm
- 10/19 - Beetlejuice - 6:30pm
- 10/19 -Hocus Pocus - 8:30pm
- 10/19 - Scream- 10:30pm
- 10/20 - Jurassic Park - 7pm
- 10/20 - Halloween (The Original!) - 9:30pm
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $35 per car for these movies, so bring the family for a safe movie watching experience
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
- 10/17 - Schubas Open Mic HOSTED BY SHARRON PALM, and SAM SELBY @ Schubas FREE
- 10/17 - Pokey LaFarge + The Tailspins @ Lincoln Hall
- 10/17 - Trevor Spitta + Keshore @ Schubas
- 10/18 - The Lemon Twigs + Brower @ Lincoln Hall SOLD OUT
- 10/18 - Meet Me Upstairs Presents: Gush Magazine Launch Party + CTRLZORA + Special Guest @ Schubas
- 10/18 - JW Francis + Jaguar Sun + Work Wife @ Schubas
- 10/19 - Marc Scibilia + Cassandra Coleman @ Lincoln Hall
- 10/19 - Hello Mary + Bleary Eyed + Twin Coast @ Schubas
- 10/20 - Kevin Chung + Ni/Co + Zach Paradis @ Schubas
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. There's tons of talks going on this season, so head over to their website which is constantly updated with new talks.
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!