It's mid November and all the end-of-year holiday festivities are starting to trickle in during this relatively warm weekend! Ice skating, holiday lights, and winter markets filled with gift ideas are waiting for you so get ready for the most wonderful time of the year!
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 Mystic Creepers New Works by 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.
- 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 - Dec 30 Elf'd Up @ Stretch Bar & Grill
- NOW - 1/6 Christmas Around the World @ Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
- Nov. 13: Tom Morello & Friends with special guest The Neighborhood Kids @ the Vic
- Nov. 14: IllumiBrew @ Morton Arboretum
- Nov. 14-16: Winterfest Art Market @ Sturdy Shelter Brewing
- Nov. 14 - 1/4 Lightscape @ Chicago Botanic Garden
- Nov. 14 - 3/8 Ice Skating at Maggie Daley Park
- Nov. 15 Brookfield Zoo Reindeer Run
- Nov. 15 Ravenswood Makers Market @ Koval Distillery
- Nov. 15 - 1/3 Illumination: Tree Lights @ Morton Arboretum
- Nov. 16 Danny Brown with underscores and Femtanyl @ the Vic
- Nov. 16 ChiVinylConnect @ The Promontory
FRIDAY - SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14 - 16 (& 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' 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, NOVEMBER 15
Godfrey Wine Fest @ I|O Godfrey Rooftop, 127 W Huron St , 1:00pm - 5:00pm, 21+
WHAT: A little bit of wine for your fall afternoon
SO WHAT: Chicago's year-round I|O Godfrey Rooftop will be hosting a wine festival featuring a huge array of wines! There is bound to be something for everyone! Enjoy the great wines while you take in panoramic skyline views, fire pits and shimmering water elements.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are still available!
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15 - 16 (& BEYOND)
Randolph Street Holiday Market @ Plumbers Hall, 1340 W Washington St, 10:00am – 5:00pm, All Ages
WHAT: Randolph Street Market Chicago returns for the holidays
SO WHAT: Celebrate the holiday edition of this fun market where you can experience over 125 vendors with a wide variety of items perfect for your gift giving needs! There will also be a market bar for a Bloody Mary, beer, wine or champagne and local eateries while browsing vendors on three floors!
NOW WHAT: Tickets for the market are $12 for general admission, kids 12 and under are free! There are also plenty of great packages available for groups !
THE WHOLE CURATED WEEKEND & BEYOND
Black Harvest Film Festival @ Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St, Various Times, All Ages
WHAT: A celebration of film by Black filmmakers!
SO WHAT: Returning for its 31st year at the Gene Siskel Film Center, Black Harvest Film Festival runs through November 16 featuring dozens of films (short and feature-length, narrative and documentary) from, by and about the Black experience. A decent portion of the selected films have Chicago and Midwestern ties, including the opening night program featuring "presentation of select Black Harvest Film Festival short films and the announcement of the winners of The Richard and Ellen Sandor Family Black Harvest Film Festival Prize, followed by a lively reception."
NOW WHAT: Tickets are available now and you can check out the full schedule here.
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 "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
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 Sentimental Value, Bugonia, Train Dreams, F*** My Son!, The Mystery Of Chess Boxing, Every-Night Dreams, midnight screenings of Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space, and so much more!
NOW WHAT: Sit back and enjoy a new film at one of our favorite movie theaters 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
- 11/13 - Schubas Open Mic HOSTED BY SHARRON PALM and SAM SELBY @ Schubas
- 11/13 - Your Smith the rub tour '25 + Mal Not Bad @ Lincoln Hall
- 11/13 - Will Anderson Acoustic Performance & Poetry Reading @ Schubas
- 11/14 - Rocket + Cashier @ Schubas SOLD OUT
- 11/14 - ROCHELLE JORDAN + Essosa @ Lincoln Hall SOLD OUT
- 11/15 - Meg Memes X Malcolm Fest 100% of proceeds benefit Midwest Immigrant Bond Fund Beach Bunny (solo) + CRASHprez + Free Range (solo) + Living Thing (Solo) @ Lincoln Hall
- 11/15 - Meet Me Upstairs Presents: Private Practice @ Schubas
- 11/16 - Folk Bitch Trio + Alex Amen @ Schubas SOLD OUT
- 11/16 - Tanukichan + Alison's Halo + sunshy @ Lincoln Hall
NOW WHAT: Head out to Schubas & Lincoln Hall and enjoy this great lineup of shows!
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!
- 11/13 Sinners 7pm
- 11/13 Friday the 13th 9:30pm
- 11/15 Elf 6:30pm
- 11/15 Home Alone 8:30pm
- 11/15 Halloween (the 1978 Original!) 10:30pm
- 11/16 Home Alone 7pm
- 11/16 Nightmare on Elm Street 9pm
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!
