It's going to be an extremely cold weekend ahead of us with temperatures dipping well below zero! So while there are plenty of events going on (like the start of Chicago Restaurant Week and the International Puppet Theatre Festival), remember to stay safe and bundle up!
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 "ParkLife" BY Blake Jones and Friends!
- 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 Further Isn't Far Enough, Paintings and Prints by Chuck U!
- 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
EVENTS THIS WINTER SEASON!
- NOW - 1/25 Ice Skating @ Rosemont's Parkway Bank Park
- NOW - 1/31 Happy’s Holiday Bar @ Chicago Athletic Association
- NOW - 2/1 Ice Skating in Millennium Park
- NOW - 2/16 The Peninsula Sky Rink @ Peninsula Chicago
- NOW - 3/8 Ice Skating at Maggie Daley Park
- NOW - 3/30 Indoor Winter Farmers Market @ Roosevelt Collection (Saturdays) & Water Tower Place (Sundays)
EVENTS THIS WEEKEND!
THURSDAY, JANUARY 22 (& BEYOND)
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! Check out their talk with Ed Helms below!
- 1/22 Tina Post on Coziness
- 2/9 George Saunders on Vigil @ Francis W. Parker School
- 3/5 Jokermen Live: Cut Worms with Jeff Tweedy
- 4/15 Michael Pollan: A World Appears @ Francis W. Parker School
- 4/18 Dr. Ibram X. Kendi: Chain of Ideas @ Ramova
- 4/23 A Night With NPR’s Planet Money @ Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture
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
FRIDAY - SUNDAY, JANUARY 23 - 25 (& BEYOND)
Chicago Restaurant Week 2025 @ Various Restaurants, Various Times
WHAT: Another edition of this annual culinary celebration!
SO WHAT: Over 550 restaurants (a new record) will take part in Restaurant Week (which is actually 17 days long!), letting everyone have a taste of Chicago’s restaurant scene from Italian, French, Spanish, Chinese and more! You can feast on delicious multi-course menus all across the city and suburbs. You can find all the participating restaurants on the Restaurant Week website!
NOW WHAT: These multi-course meals are $30 for brunch or lunch, and $45 or $60 for dinner (excluding beverages, tax, gratuity, and delivery fees).
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, JANUARY 24
Mac & Cheese Crawl @ Wrigleyville's Best Bars & Restaurants, 11:00am - 7:00pm, 21+
WHAT: Chicago's cheesiest bar crawl!
SO WHAT: Spend the day checking out all the Wrigleyville bars and restaurants at this fun bar crawl. You'll get to try some new drinks and enjoy some tasty mac and cheese in this full day of winter time fun !
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $15-20 and include admission to all bars on the crawl, 7 free mac & cheese servings, drink specials, giveaways and more!
2026 Plunge, hosted by the Chicago Polar Bear Club @ Oak Street Beach, 11am-1pm, all ages
WHAT: A chilly fundraiser
SO WHAT: Another year, another plunge in the icy waters of Lake Michigan! This annual plunge to raise money for families in need is back and whether you're diving in head first or watching on the fringes, it's a great winter event for a good cause!
NOW WHAT: Head over to their website to buy tickets and/or donate ! Since it will be EXTREMELY cold this weekend, they will be closely monitoring weather and beach conditions at Oak Street Beach, in partnership with the Chicago Park District, to ensure they can make the best decision for this weekend.
THE WHOLE CURATED WEEKEND & BEYOND
Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival @ Various Locations, Various Times
WHAT: Discover the world of puppetry!
SO WHAT: Add a little something different to your weekend plans as the Chicago International Puppet Theater festival spends the last half of January in town. Check out a variety of shows, experiences, and workshops throughout town and home letting audiences immerse themselves in a world of puppets. Special events like neighborhood tours will be great multi-day highlights! Check out this weekend's schedule at their website!
NOW WHAT: You can find full ticket info in the links above or on the festival's website!
Buddy Guy and Special Guests @ Buddy Guy’s Legends, 700 S Wabash Ave, Various times, 21+
WHAT: Experience one of the great musicians of all time performing live!
SO WHAT: Chicago blues legend Buddy Guy is back for 16 electrifying shows over the next four weekends at Buddy Guy’s Legends. He’ll be performing with 15 amazing musicians including Bobby Rush, Corey Dennison, Kingfish, Laretha Weathersby and more! Check out the remaining dates below!
- Thurs Jan 22 — Buddy Guy w/ Katie Kadan
- Fri Jan 23 — Buddy Guy w/ Laretha Weathersby
- Sat Jan 24 — Buddy Guy w/ The Shaelyn Band
- Sun Jan 25 — Buddy Guy w/ A Patch of Blues
- Thurs Jan 29 — Buddy Guy w/ Nicholas Alexander
- Fri Jan 30 — Buddy Guy w/ Carlise Guy and The NuBlu Band
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $85 for standing room and $135 for reserved seating !
Tomorrow Never Knows Festival @ Lincoln Hall / Schubas / Metro / Sleeping Village / Hideout / Gman Tavern / Ramova, Various Locations, Various Times
WHAT: Tomorrow Never Knows unites some of our favorite venues for a fantastic festival
SO WHAT: TNK curates the best of rising musicians (with a focus on local acts) for an incredible early-year fest! Usually it's only a five day shindig but this year they've spread the love over the entire month of January! This one is stacked as always with killer lineups to make your evening all the better! Click here or on the image below to grab tickets to all these great shows!
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. This weekend is the start of their month long festival TNK, so you can check out what those show have going on just above this!
- 1/22 - Schubas Open Mic HOSTED BY SHARRON PALM and SAM SELBY @ Schubas
- 1/23 - Meet Me Upstairs Presents Dark Heaven Presents: Kaleidoscope Urakan (live), Frail808, D-Bars, Tyrus, okaymario @ Schubas
NOW WHAT: Head out to Schubas & Lincoln Hall and enjoy this great lineup of shows!
Winterland @ Gallagher Way, 3635 N Clark St, various times, All Ages
WHAT: Some more winter festivities
SO WHAT: Enjoy the return of Gallagher Way’s Winterland with all the fun activities! Enjoy Holiday Movie nights, ice skating, the Holiday train, and plenty of popups around the area! This weekend will feature Ice Bumper Cars and a Themed Skate Night With Chicago Mascots Benny the Bull, Clark the Cub, Skye the Lioness, and Southpaw.
NOW WHAT: Entry to the Winterland is FREE!
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 Father Mother Sister Brother, Sound of Falling, Working Girl: The Films of Barbara Stanwyck, The Testament of Ann Lee, January Giallo 2026 and so much more!
NOW WHAT: Sit back and enjoy a new film at one of our favorite movie theaters in the city!
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!
