It's the scariest time of the year as we head into the first weekend of October! Get ready for all the Halloween and fall events flooding the city. Whether your speed is super scary or more autumnal and chill, there's something for you.
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! Right Now they're showing the "Staff Only" show, featuring works by Gwen Gilbert-Gebhart, Sean One, Ethan Hutchinson, Ella Markovic, and Sam Theis.
- 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!
- NOW-Nov. 2: Jack’s Pumpkin Pop-Up @ West Town
- Oct. 2: Destroyer: Dan’s Boogie Tour with Jennifer Castle@ Thalia Hall
- Oct. 2-5: Halloween Hollow @ Mokena
- Oct. 3-4: Oktoberfest @ Naperville
- Oct. 3-5: The Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest & Skeletons on Display
- Oct. 3-5: West Town Art Walk @ West Town
- Oct. 3-5: Andersonville Arts Weekend
- Oct. 4: Family Fall Fest @ Elmhurst
- Oct. 4: Cider and Ale Festival @ Lisle
- Oct. 4: Fall Fest at Lombard Common
- Oct. 4: Villa Park Brewfest
- Oct. 4-5: Lincoln Square Ravenswood Apple Fest
- Oct. 5: Sundays on State @ Loop
- Oct. 5: Andersonville Fall Wine Walk
FRIDAY - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3-5 (& BEYOND)
West Town Art Walk @ West Town, on Chicago Avenue, Division to Hubbard, Halsted to Kedzie, Friday 5:00pm – 8:00pm, Saturday 10am– 6pm, all ages
WHAT: West Town Art Walk is ready to show you the best the neighborhood has to offer
SO WHAT: Art in all its forms will be taking over West Town, all along the booming Chicago Avenue destination corridor and beyond. 41 participating businesses will have their doors open for the Art Walk, celebrating a variety of arts: visual, musical, performance, fashion, culinary and more. Check out the full list of participating businesses at their website!
NOW WHAT: Entry is free!
Lincoln Park Wine Fest @ Jonquil Park, 1001 W. Wrightwood Ave., Friday 5pm -10pm, Saturday 11am – 10pm, Sunday 11am - 7pm 21+
WHAT: A little bit of wine for your October fun
SO WHAT: Back for another great year, the Lincoln Park Wine Fest is turning Jonquil Park into a wine-lovers dream come true. Taste some amazing varietals and learn from the expertise of brand ambassadors and sommeliers.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are selling out quick so head over to their event page and get your weekend set up now! Proceeds benefit the Wrightwood Neighbors Conversation Program including care of Jonquil Park.
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!
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4
Chicago Beer Festival @ The Field Museum, 1400 S Lake Shore Dr, 7:00pm – 11:00pm, 21+
WHAT: Wonderful beer and fantastic exhibits in one trip!
SO WHAT: Spend your evening trying out some excellent brews from over 65 breweries at the Field Museum. In addition to all the unique beers, a select number of the museum’s exhibits will be open to attendees!
NOW WHAT: The $55 general admission ticket gets you three hours at the event (8:00pm – 11:00pm), while $70 gets you early entry (7:00pm)! Tickets come with 40 taster vouchers. Tickets will not be sold at the door, so get them in advance here!
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4 & 5
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!
Modern Vintage Chicago Fashion & Home @ Ravenswood Event Center, 4025 N Ravenswood Ave., 10am – 5pm
WHAT: This fun street market is back for a fall affair for their 20th year
SO WHAT: Celebrate the Modern Vintage Chicago Fashion & Home where you can experience 50+ premiere vintage sellers with a wide variety of items perfect for the fall season! Shop all the amazing vintage items while enjoying a drink and the DJ playing throughout the market! They will also have complimentary tote bags while supplies last!
NOW WHAT: Tickets start at $5!
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!
- 10/4 Hocus Pocus 7pm
- 10/4 Halloween (the 1978 Original!) 9pm
- 10/3 Beetlejuice! 7pm
- 10/3 Nightmare on Elm Street 9pm
- 10/4 Hocus Pocus 7pm
- 10/4 Halloween (the 1978 Original!) 9pm
- 10/4 Nightmare on Elm Street 11pm
- 10/5 Superman (2025) 7pm
- 10/5 Scream (The Original!) 9pm
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5
High Vis / Secret World / Locked Shut / Cold Gawd @ Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake St, 7:30pm,17+
WHAT: A stacked lineup to finish your weekend off right!
SO WHAT: Bottom Lounge is hosting one hell of a night with four acts taking over their stage for some great sounds! High Vis will bring their post-punk madness from the UK, Australia's Secret World and Missouri's Locked Shut will dish out some hardcore punk, and Cold Gawd will gulf you with some heavy shoegaze!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $32.39 for this packed show!
THE WHOLE CURATED WEEKEND & BEYOND
World Music Festival Chicago @ Various Locations, Various Times
WHAT: A little taste of music from around the world
SO WHAT: World Music Festival Chicago brings award-winning artists from around the world to share their amazing music for this citywide, multi-venue festival. Across 10 days and 11 venues, the World Music Festival Chicago will feature artists from all over the world!
NOW WHAT: It’s free! Head over to their website to check out this year’s schedule and RSVP for all the shows you want to see!
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
- 10/2 - Schubas Open Mic HOSTED BY SHARRON PALM and SAM SELBY @ Schubas
- 10/2 - Christian Kuria + Free Whenever @ Lincoln Hall
- 10/2 -Laura Stevenson + Oceanator (Solo) + Katie Malco @ Schubas
- 10/3 - Winter + A Country Western @ Schubas
- 10/3 - Pool Kids + Truth Club + PONY @ Lincoln Hall
- 10/4- JASMINE.4.T + Sunday Cruise @ Schubas
- 10/4 - Antic + Conoley Ospovat (Live) + QTC + Nathalian @ Schubas
- 10/4 - Felly + John-Robert @ Lincoln Hall
- 10/5 - Pig Swig Record Dig @ Schubas
- 10/5 - Billy Raffoul + Theo Kandel @ Lincoln Hall
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 One Battle After Another, Plainclothes, Good Boy, Music Box of Horrors: Dead and Loving It!, midnight screenings of Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight 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:
- 10/2 Wildflowers: Kurt Elling with Christian Sands @ Old Town School of Folk Music - Maurer Concert Hall
- 10/4 Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need @ Illinois Tech - Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship
- 10/4 Nate Silver and Richard Thaler in Conversation @ Illinois Tech - Hermann Hall
- 10/4 Illinois Tech Afternoon Member Reception @ Illinois Tech - Hermann Hall
- 10/4 Bronzeville Bus Tour With Shermann Dilla Thomas 12:30pm @ Illinois Tech - Hermann Hall
- 10/4 Christian Davenport on the Rocket Dreams of Musk and Bezos @ Illinois Tech - Hermann Hall
- 10/4 Kate McKinnon: Secrets of the Purple Pearl @ Illinois Tech - Hermann Hall
- 10/4 The Wrigley Building: The Making of an Icon @ Illinois Tech - Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship
- 10/4 Disability Advocate and Online Creative Molly Burke: Unseen @ Illinois Tech - Hermann Hall
- 10/4 This is a Rehearsal: Catalogue Launch and Conversation @ Illinois Tech - Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship
- 10/4 Robin Givhan on Virgil Abloh @ Illinois Tech - Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship
- 10/4 A Performance with Angela Davis and Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble @ Illinois Tech - Hermann Hall
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!
