Summer in Chicago means packed weekends full of festivals! Thee are just so many things going on like
Southport's Sidewalk Sale,
The Windy City Rib Fest,
Naperville's Rib Fest,
the 25th Annual International Festival of Life, and so much more. There is no excuse to stay in (especially since there is no new episode of
Twin Peaks this week)!
So let's get on with our curated weekend!
THURSDAY, JUNE 29th
OHMME / James Elkington @ Constellation, 3111 N Western Ave., 8:30PM
WHAT: Two record releases on one amazing night
SO WHAT: Experimental mavens Macie Stewart and Sima Cunningham, the duo now known as
OHMME, will be celebrating the vinyl release of their amazing self titled debut. The amazing guitarist
James Elkington will also be celebrating his debut album
Wintres Woma. This night is going to be a perfect example of the talent and inventiveness that is infused in the Chicago music scene. Seriously, don’t miss this show.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are only $10 for this evening of locally based excellence!
Empty Bottle Staff Art Show @ Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave., 9:00PM
WHAT: An Empty Bottle Employee Group Show!
SO WHAT: The workers at one of the best rock venues in the city will be showing their art! Witness the wide spectrum of talent that will be adorning the Bottle's brick walls with a collection of mixed-media art, made by your favorite venue staffers. There will also be an extra special, one night only public viewing of our new green room mural! The party will feature tunes from Flamingo Rodeo, DEHD, Skip Church and Dj Twin Spin.
NOW WHAT: This 21+ art show is FREE!
FRIDAY & BEYOND, JUNE 30th - JULY 15th
The Music Box 70MM Film Festival @ Music Box Theatre, 3733 N Southport Ave.,Various Times
WHAT: Film in an exceptional format at the best movie theatre in Chicago
SO WHAT: It's the start of the Music Box's 70MM Film Festival! This year's lineup looks wonderful and this opening weekend will feature tons of showings of
2001: A Space Odyssey and two showings of
Hook! Check out
Justin Freeman's preview of the event and get ready to see some amazing films in a format that gives you all the wonderful detail these works of art demand
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $12 for each film, $14 for 2001: A Space Odyssey, and$75 for a festival pass
FRIDAY, JUNE 30th
Galerie F & Secret Walls: The Chicago Collaborators' Pop-Up@ Galerie F, 2415 N Milwaukee Ave, 6:00PM - 10:00PM
WHAT: Secret Walls is back in town!
SO WHAT: Galerie F and Secret Walls, which pits artists in live art battles, are teaming up for an all day fest and an evening battle hosted at East Room on Saturday, July 1: Secret Walls x Chicago. On the night before, there will be a very special pop-up exhibition and battle pre-party to support the Secret Walls event. Since the battle itself consists of two teams of four, we were eager to bring out some more talent from 30 artists in a monochromatic exhibition.
NOW WHAT: Join the artists on Friday night for a monochrome event with beverages from Old Style Beer and Essentia Water!
Ratboys / Mother Evergreen / Special Death / Sincere Engineer @ Schubas, 3159 N Southport Ave., 8:30PM
WHAT: DIY sounds to make your Friday night a little better
SO WHAT: Ratboys, the musical project of Julia Steiner and Dave Sagan, will be releasing their second full-length album GN, full of beautifully simple songs that will have you swaying along in no time. Joining them for this record release will be Mother Evergreen, Special Death, and Sincere Engineer.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 with an album download, or $12 at the door.
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, JULY 1st & 2nd
7th annual Chicago Botanic Garden Art Festival @ Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL, 10:00PM - 5:00PM
WHAT: Art among nature
SO WHAT: 7th annual Chicago Botanic Garden Art Festival will showcase the work of 95 unique artists in a pristine setting overlooking a lake, spectacular gardens and 385 acres of majesty. All of the artwork will embody a botanic theme, use or material. Festival-goers will have the opportunity to see the masters at work, with interactive art demos and booth chats taking place all weekend long!
NOW WHAT: Entry to to the festival Autism Speaks is the charity chosen for the Green Ribbon Project for this festival. Participating artists put the green ribbon on a piece of their choice in their booth and IF the piece is sold the artist agrees to give 10% of the proceeds to Autism Speaks.
Live on Lincoln 2017 @ Lincoln and Belmont, Noon to 10:00PM
WHAT: A brand new street festival
SO WHAT: Live on Lincoln 2017 will be bringing together some of the best names in indie rock, jam band, and funk music alongside vendors from the community. The street festival will feature pretty enticing lineup the entire weekend including the wild sounds of Chicano Batman (
Saturday), local funk rock master Mungion (
Sunday), and headliners like synth-pop band POLIÇA (
Saturday) and funk band The Motet (
Sunday).
NOW WHAT: There is a suggested donation of $10. Live On Lincoln is benefiting
West Lakeview Neighbors, a neighborhood organization focused on the community welfare of residents and businesses in West Lakeview.
SATURDAY, JULY 1st
It Came from … the Neo- Futurarium XII: Dawn of the Neo-Futurarium! @ Neo Futurarium, 5153 N Ashland Ave, 7:30PM
WHAT: Neo-Futurist alumnae Rachel Claff and Dina Walters curate
It Came from … the Neo-
Futurarium XII: Dawn of the Neo-Futurarium!
SO WHAT: It Came from … the Neo-Futurarium XII: Dawn of the Neo-Futurarium! is the 12th annual series of staged readings of the best worst film scripts of all time. The summer 2017 edition of the festival will run on Saturdays until July 15th featuring some of the clunkiest, junkiest movies ever made brought to life by past and present Neo-Futurists and acclaimed guest artists. This week’s film is
Face-Off! Come to this over-the-top reading featuring Dina Walters as Nicolas Cage and Kristie Koehler-Vuocolo as John Travolta.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $15 for each performance, $12 for students (with ID), or $50 for a festival pass to all four shows.
SUNDAY, JULY 2nd
The Capitol Steps @ City Winery, 1200 W Randolph St, 5:00PM
WHAT: Some much needed political humor
SO WHAT: The Capitol Steps are a troupe of staffers-turned-comedians who travel the States satirizing the very people and places that once employed them. Although not all the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, in total, the performers have worked in a total of eighteen Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience.They dig into the headlines of the day and they created song parodies & skits which conveyed a special brand of satirical humor.
NOW WHAT:
Tickets start at $42 for this night of comedy.