We're already past the half way point of the month but that doesn't mean the events are slowing down! There are tons of shows, food, and markets to check out this weekend so don't let the chilly and snowy weather get you down. Head out and discover something new in town!
While it feels like the pandemic is behind us, you still need to be mindful when you go out this weekend and beyond. The winter season has seen a lot of colds, flu, RSV, and of course bouts of COVID. It's better to be safe and wear a mask when you go out to big events. And if you're still a little hesitant to go out, there are many events and things to do from home. So whether you're staying in or going out, keep safe and stay healthy!
Now, let's get on with your Chicago Curated Weekend!
- Support Local Venues
- Kingston Mines is open with some great lineups this weekend
- Fitzgerald's is also back in full swing
- Evanston Space
- Head over to the Hideout's regular shop and get yourself some great merch! Their 2020 Holiday Sale page is also still up with links to great local artists!
- Metro shop is full of fantastic concert posters from yesteryear and cool merch
- Lincoln Hall/Schubas always has great items in their shop waiting for you! Plus Schubas/Tied House is open and events are on their way back!
- Same goes for Thalia Hall's merch store (those holiday socks? *chef's kiss*)
- Let's not forget Empty Bottle's fantastic merch shop! Plus they just added some new stuff designed by some awesome people that is sure to catch your eye! Shows are going on now as well, so head over to their venue site and go to some concerts if you're comfortable
- Art Galleries and Special Events
- Chicago Gamespace is the perfect spot to check out the hairy present and future of the gaming realm! Currently they are showing LIGHT CYCLES: 40 Years of TRON in Games & Film
- All Star Press is constantly putting up new prints for you to decorate your space with! Plus you can check out some of their prints from last year's Vertical Gallery collab, which you can purchase here!! There is also a virtual gallery featuring all the works! You can see their previous show "Saturday Morning Fever” featuring the works of Griffin Goodman through their virtual gallery! And don't forget to check out the virtual edition of JC Rivera's new exhibition "Still Undefeated" !
- Galerie F has a fun stock of prints from concert posters, pop culture prints and more!
- Rotofugi is the perfect nexus of art and toys! Head over to see what new pieces of art they have in stocks and on display in their gallery space! They are currently showing
- 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. Plus Keith Haring!
- Garfield Park Conservatory is open! Book a reservation to see all the beautiful gardens safely!
- Lincoln Park Conservatory is open! Book a reservation to see all the beautiful gardens safely
- “Harry Potter: Magic at Play” @ Water Tower Place
- “Mold-A-Rama™: Molded for the Future” @ Museum of Science and Industry
- Wicker Park Winter Market Series @ the Robey
FRIDAY - SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17th & BEYOND
The Neo-Futurists' The Infinite Wrench @ The Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N Ashland, Friday and Saturday 10:30pm, Sunday 7:00pm, 16+
WHAT: Quick plays live and online!
SO WHAT: The Neo-Futurists are back ! Their Infinite Wrench is an ongoing, ever-changing attempt to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes for a live audience. Now it's actually a live audience that will be enjoying the performance in person! With plenty of COVID precautions in place, you'll be able to enjoy the funny, disgusting, profound, terrifying, irreverent, and downright entertaining show with friends! Plan ahead as vaccination cards will be checked and booster will be required to be fully vaccinated.
NOW WHAT: Join the Neo-Futurists this weekend for $10! Head over to their website to see all they have planned now that in-person audiences are a thing again! If you're still a little anxious about going out, The Infinite Wrench Goes Viral will be continuing til February (and possibly beyond) over at their Patreon
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18th
SnkrFest Chicago @ Schaumburg Convention Center, 1551 N. Thoreau Drive Schaumburg, Noon - ^;00pm,
WHAT: A sneaker lovers dream come true
SO WHAT: Over 200 sneaker vendors will be on hand at SnkrFest to help sneakerheads find that perfect show this weekend in Schaumburg. Shop all the newest and most hyped shows at this gigantic event! In addition to all the shoes, DJ Milehigh will be on hand setting the vibes!
NOW WHAT: Tickets start at $20 !
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18th & 19TH
The Chicago Pancake & Booze Art Show @ Reggies, 2105 S State St, 8:00pm – 2:00am, 21+
WHAT: The breakfast, booze and art party celebrates its 10th anniversary!
SO WHAT: Pancakes & Booze is an underground art event that aims to delight attendees with a mix all things art, booze, and of course pancakes. There will be over 100 emerging artists displaying their work as well as live body painting happening throughout the night. Between perusing the art you can dance the night away with DJs or head to the free pancake bar for, you guessed it, all you can eat pancakes.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $10 for early birds! Once those tickets are gone it’s $15 in advance and at the door!
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19th
Chicago Vinyl Connection 015: Northside @ Emporium Arcade Bar Logan Square, 2363 N Milwaukee Ave., Noon – 5:00pm,
WHAT: A vinyl pop up at a great arcade bar
SO WHAT: Chicago Vinyl Connection is back for 2023 with a nice lineup of vendors selling some choice slabs of wax. Presented by Miyagi Records & South Rhodes Records & Beverly Phono Mart, this vinyl market will feature amazing record dealers like Conservatory Vintage & Vinyl, Cornucopia Records, nickdvyne Records, Roger’s Records, Round Trip Records, Tropicalazo and Wild Prairie Vintage & Vinyl! While you look for a hidden gem or have a drink at the bar you can enjoy some DJ sets from Sonido Del Pueblo, The Vibes On Logan DJs (DJ D.R.E.A.M., DJ Material, Shazam Bangles), and La Queen. There will alaso be food from Zeitlin’s Delicatessen
NOW WHAT: Entry is free! This is an all ages event from 12pm-5pm only, must be accompanied by 21+ legal guardian while shopping, no free roaming, no sitting at the bar, must wear a red wrist band.
MOST OF THE SELF-DISTANCING WEEKEND & BEYOND
2023 Chicago Auto Show @ McCormick Place, 2301 S Martin Luther King Dr, 10:00am -10:00pm, All Ages
WHAT: Chicago Auto Show is back
SO WHAT: Head out to McCormick Place to see the latest vehicles, experience added outdoor test tracks, or take a test drive on city streets! It’s North America’s largest auto show and will be open to the public February 11 – 20, so indulge in your love of automobiles! Check out our photo gallery of 2021’s show here!
NOW WHAT: Ticket are $15 adults, $10 seniors 62+, $10 for children 4-12, and children 0-3 are free!
Chicago Theatre Week @ Various Locations, various times
WHAT: A glorious return of Chicago Theatre Week,
SO WHAT: Chicago Theatre Week is meant to give theater lovers a chance to discover a new theater company in person. This year they are back in person with over 100 performances throughout the city ready to dazzle you with improv, dramas, musicals and more! Check out the lineup of theaters and shows over at their website!
NOW WHAT: Tickets range from $15 to $30 or even less! head out and discover some incredible shows!
Chicago Black Restaurant Week @ Various Locations, Various Times, All Ages
WHAT: Two weeks of this incredible dining opportunity
SO WHAT: Chicago Black Restaurant Week returns with another exciting lineup of local eateries. CBRW was designed to create a platform for African-American owned eateries inviting foodies to check out our town’s hidden gems and maybe find some new favorite locales in the process.
NOW WHAT: Check out all the participating restaurants on their website and get ready for some great food!
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!
- February 16 - LHST Comedy Presents: Schubas Open Mic HOSTED BY NAOMI SPUNGEN, ADRIENNE STOUT, AND SUZ BALLOUT @ Schubas
- February 16 - Early Eyes Look Alive! Tour / Huhroon / Corn on my Dinner Plate @ Schubas
- February 17 - Origami Button / Lobby Boxer / FOOTBALLHEAD @ Schubas
- February 17 - RXK Nephew / Buggin / DJ Taye @ Lincoln Hall
- February 17 - Lover’s Lounge with COWBOY PICASSO @ Schubas
- February 18 - Friday Pilots Club / OSTON@ Lincoln Hall
- February 18 - vaultboy / Bigkid@ Schubas
- February 19 - Emily Jane Powers / Bret Koontz & Truancy Club / Annie Fish@ Schubas
NOW WHAT: Head out to Schubas & Lincoln Hall and enjoy this great lineup of shows!
Back on the Big Screen and Virtual Cinema @ Music Box Theatre, 3733 N Southport Ave and at your home, any time you want to watch a movie
WHAT: A great way to support a great local theater
SO WHAT: The Music Box Theatre is really to fill that art house need in you with some excellent movies including with Infinity Pool, Close, Full Time, 2023 Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts, 2023 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts, One, Two, Three, a midnight screenings of The Room, Rocky Horror Picture Show, What Have You Done to Solange? and more! But if you want to watch some first-run movies at home, you can still watch great movies and support them online! They are currently screening films via their The Music Box Direct series! There are also tons of select titles available on their new platform!
NOW WHAT: Digital subscription is $4.99, in person screenings vary, so sit back and enjoy!
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 stil 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 Balfa Toujours, Donka & Nikolay Kolev, Juan Rivera, Henry Barnes & Conner Vlietstra, Po' Ramblin' Boys, Jerron Paxton; Tim Britton, John Williams and Katie Grennan!
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!
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. Be on the lookout for updates to the upcoming season as their website is constantly updated with new talks. Here is a taste of what's coming up!
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 2022
Masque of the Red Coronavirus! @ Black Button Eyes Productions, Any time on your computer or mobile device. For 18+.
WHAT: Written by Black Button Eyes Productions producing artistic director Ed Rutherford, this short satirical piece is available online free as a combined script-and-video experience.
SO WHAT: In addition to reading the play, you will see various Chicago artists act out portions of the script on video, recorded remotely. The event includes puppets, burlesque, original music, fire dancing and more in a brief, darkly comedic confection.
With the Red Coronavirus running rampant across the countryside and a vaccine still months away, what's a Prince to do? Lock himself in a secure bunker in an undisclosed location along with a cohort of his top donors, of course. To prevent him and his rich supporters from becoming bored, the Prince has also brought a few artists into the bunker to entertain the crowd. But as the hour grows later and the night grows weirder, it's clear that something else has also invaded the party.
NOW WHAT: Settle down for an evening of magical weirdness. Click here and begin reading and watching the videos