We're at the tail end of a mini heatwave and stepping into a rainy weekend. But don't fret, there are so many great events happening that will get your mind off the scorching temps and wet days! Tons of great concerts, festivals, movies and more are going on to make the next few days fun and exciting!
Let's get on with your 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 Dead Presidents! 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!
- Chicago Gamespace is the perfect spot to check out the hairy present and future of the gaming realm!
- Rotofugi is the perfect nexus of art and toys! Head over to see what new pieces of art they have in stock 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.
- Garfield Park Conservatory is open! Book a reservation to see all the beautiful gardens! See what current exhibits are on display now.
- Lincoln Park Conservatory is open! Book a reservation to see all the beautiful gardens
- 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.
EVENTS THIS WEEKEND!
- 7/23 - 7/27 Lake County Fair
- 7/24 - 7/27 Lincolnwood Fest
- 7/24 - 7/27 DuPage County Fair
- 7/25 Summer Wine Fest @ Lincoln Park
- 7/26 Willow Springs Blues Fest
- 7/26 Homegrown Arts & Music Festival @ Lisle
- 7/26 Uncorked: The Forge Wine Festival @ Lemont
- 7/26 Cocktails in the Park @ Batavia
- 7/26 - 7/27 Vintage Days @ Long Grove
- 7/26 - 7/27 Geneva Arts Fair
- 7/26 - 7/27 Art at the Glen @ Glenview
- 7/26 - 7/27 Chinatown Summer Fair
THURSDAY & FRIDAY, JULY 24 & 25 (& BEYOND)
Rockin’ in the Park @ Parkway Bank Park, 5501 Park Place, Rosemont
WHAT: A long lineup of great bands ready to rock
SO WHAT: Rockin’ in the Park will take over Parkway Bank Park for 18 shows full of fun tribute bands and rock-focused bands. Then after the shows enjoy a musical fireworks display (except on Fridays)!
NOW WHAT: It’s free! Head out and enjoy the shows!
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, JULY 25 & 26 (& BEYOND)
Taste of Lincoln Avenue @ N. Lincoln Ave between Fullerton & Wrightwood, Friday 4pm – 10pm & Saturday Noon to 10pm
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 $20
Broadway Night: The Magic of Rodgers & Hammerstein @ Grant Park Music Festival, 205 E. Randolph Street, Friday 6:30 pm & Saturday 7:30 pm
WHAT: Broadway at Grant Park
SO WHAT: Three Broadway stars and the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus come together to celebrate the enduring legacy of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Led by dynamic conductor Lawrence Loh, this concert will feature songs from South Pacific, Carousel, The Sound of Music, The King and I, Oklahoma!, and more.
NOW WHAT: It's free!
FRIDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 25 - JULY 27 (& 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, pet activities, local retail vendors, and an insane lineup of music. The lineup includes Letters to Cleo, Glare, MSPAINT, Hotline TNT 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.
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' Infinite Wrench is an ongoing, ever-changing attempt to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes for a live audience.
NOW WHAT: Join the Neo-Futurists this weekend for $15-20! The Infinite Wrench and more is also available over at their Patreon!
THE WHOLE CURATED WEEKEND & BEYOND
Out of Space Skokie @ North Field at Illinois Science + Technology Park Field, 4900 Searle Parkway in Skokie, 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 the 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 24: Sylvan Esso w/ Bully and Case Oats – $64.32 (GA) | $121.65 (VIP)
- July 25: Shakey Graves w/ Joy Oladokun and Shovels & Rope – $64.32 (GA) | $121.65 (VIP)
- July 26: Rodrigo Y Gabriela w/ Anderson East and Daniel Villarreal – $64.32 (GA) | $121.65 (VIP)
- July 27: The Decemberists w/ Kevin Morby and Craig Finn – $77.39
NOW WHAT: Tickets are available at the links above!
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 at their website for showings this weekend and in the future!
- 7/17 Mean Girls (the orginal!) 8:30pm
- 7/17 Night of the Living Dead (The Original) 10:30pm
- 7/18 Shrek 8:30pm
- 7/18 Final Destination Bloodlines 10:30pm
- 7/19 The Notebook 8:45pm
- 7/19 Scream (The Original!) 10:30pm
- 7/20 Ferris Bueller's Day Off 8:45pm
- 7/20 Halloween (the 1978 Original!) 10:30pm
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 24 - Schubas Open Mic HOSTED BY SHARRON PALM, and SAM SELBY @ Schubas FREE
- July 24 - Open Mike Eagle + Cavalier + Rhys Langston @ Schubas
- July 25 - Esha Tewari Wraith Tour + Sierra Sikora @ Lincoln Hall SOLD OUT
- July 25- Scoochie Boochie + Groovebox @ Schubas SOLD OUT
- July 25 -Meet Me Upstairs Presents: Anthony Cruz and Double Dipp Present: Full Circle + Aguila @ Schubas
- July 26 - White Denim + Tagua Tagua @ Lincoln Hall
- July 20 - Meet Me Upstairs Presents: TED.FM @ Schubas
- July 20 - Vandoliers + Nate Bergman @ Schubas
NOW WHAT: Head out to Schubas & Lincoln Hall and enjoy this great lineup of shows!
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 movie theater
SO WHAT: The Music Box Theatre recently underwent some great renovations,and it's ready for all your movie needs with some excellent films like , Eddington, AJ Goes to the Dog Park (Featuring a post-film Q&A with Writer/Director Toby Jones, AJ Thompson, Crystal Cossette Knight, and Demon Lord Krogloch (aka producer Ben Hanson) on Thursday), Skyscraper (Preshow performance by Grelley Duvall & vinyl DJ set by Gaudy God), 25 Cats from Qatar (Director Mye Hoang and Subject Katy McHugh in attendance for a post-film Q&A on Sunday),The Amusement Park, Fabulous Fleischer Cartoons, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Juice (1985) (Please note, this film is XXX, Adults Only!), and so much more!
NOW WHAT: Sit back and enjoy a new film at one of our favorite movie theaters in the city!
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. And be sure to check out their podcast Chicago Humanities Tapes, which features conversations with some of their best presenters and other great humanities-minded minds! Take a look at some of their upcoming events below:
Check out their talk "Edward Burns Shares a Pint with Chicago" below!
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 2025
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 bohola – Jimmy Keane and Pat Broaders; Rhys Jones, Joseph Decosimo & Nokosee Fields; The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee; Nathan Gourley, Laura Feddersen, and Brian Miller; T'Monde; Izaki Metropoulos, Sophia Metropoulos Laouto & Geroge Lawler; Gabe Carter, 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!
