Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 7/6 and Beyond

It's been a rough week with the air quality not being the best. Add the NASCAR Chicago Street Race to the mix and it was a hectic weekend in the city. But this weekend there are plenty of incredible movies, amazing festivals, and more on the calendar for you to enjoy if you're feeling ok to brave the tumultuous atmosphere!

Now, let's get on with your Chicago Curated Weekend!

THURSDAY, JULY 6th

French Market @ Gallagher Way, 3635 N Clark St , 4:00pm – 8:00pm, All AgesWHAT: A little taste of France in Wrigleyville! SO WHAT:French Market will be a perfect way to spend your Thursday evening with its casual, European flair and wide variety of vendors. Each day of the market will feature 20+ vendors! Whether your looking for some tasty treats, hand made goods, or just a good time in the setting summer sun, French Market is there for you! Plus there will be a kids craft corner to keep the kid’s imaginations growing. You can bring your blanket on the grass or pick a patio table to sit back and enjoy the live music each week! Check out the music schedule below!

NOW WHAT: Entry is free, just bring your totes and stock up on some amazing food and wares!

FRIDAY - SUNDAY, JULY 7th - JULY 9th (& BEYOND)

Square Roots Festival 2023 @ Lincoln Square, on Lincoln Avenue between Montrose and Wilson, Friday 5:00pm -10:00pm, Saturday Noon – 10:00pm, Sunday Noon – 9:00pm, All Ages
WHAT: Lincoln Square’s excellent summer party!
SO WHAT:  Join this bustling neighborhood for the Square Roots Festival featuring great food and regional craft beer, as well as unique and exciting market vendors. There will also be some amazing bands and artists from around the world entertaining the crowd on four stages throughout the fest! Artists include Superchunk, Real Estate, Momma, Lala Lala, Slow Pulp, Divinio Nino, Eleventh Dream Day, the Cosmic Country Showcase, and more!
NOW WHAT: Square Roots’ suggested donation is $10 for adults, $5 seniors/kids, and $20 for families. Your donations support Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce and Old Town School of Folk Music!

West Fest 2023 @ Chicago Ave. between Damen Avenue and Wood Street, Friday 5:00pm – 10:00pm, Saturday & Sunday Noon – 10:00pm
WHAT: This wonderful fest is perfect for your July weekend!
SO WHAT: Celebrate all of the best of West Town Chicago with a three-day fest filled with plenty of food, vendors, fest areas specifically for kids and pets, and some of the best music you could ask for. West Fest will feature a DJ stage and an Empty Bottle-curated stage. The lineup includes Grapetooth, FACS, Nick Hakim, The Hecks, Derrick Carter, Mark Farina, Anna Morgan, B2B, Nikki Nair, and so many more. Check out the full lineup on their website.
NOW WHAT: A $10 optional donation gets you entry to this family and pet friendly fest! Proceeds benefit local non-profits and the West Town Chamber of Commerce

Roscoe Village Burger Fest @ Belmont and Damen, 2000 W Belmont Ave, Friday 5:00pm – 10:00pm, Saturday and Sunday 11:00am – 10:00pm, all ages
WHAT: Fire up the grills for a good ole burger party!
SO WHAT: Roscoe Village Burger Fest returns for its 16th mouth-watering year of delicious burgers! This year’s vendors include Byron’s Hot Dogs, Chicago Dog House, Epic Burger, Fatso’s Last Stand, Lola’s Coney Island, Recliamed Bar & Restaurant, Reggies Chicago, Select Cut Steakhouse, Tandoor Char House, and  The StopAlong. Add in two stages of music, arts and crafts, and the action-packed “Kids Zone” area, and you got yourself a certified good time! Weekend visitors even have the opportunity to vote for Chicago’s Best Burger!
NOW WHAT: The $10 suggested donation benefits the Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce.

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!
NOW WHAT: Join the Neo-Futurists this weekend for $15! 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, JULY 8th

Freedom Fest 2023 @ Revolution Brewing Taproom, 3340 N Kedzie, 1:00pm - 4:00pm & 6:00pm - 9:00pm, 21+
WHAT: Sour rainbow-iridescent brews, delicious food, great tunes, and fun games!
SO WHAT: Revolution Brewing is throwing a Freedom Party hosted by Chicago drag icons Irregular Girl, Chanel Mercedes Benz, Secret Queen, and Neutral Gena! They’ll be tapping 18 Freedom variants, 10 of which are specially crafted for this festival. Plus there will be live drag performances with DJ Ca$h Era spinning tunes, face painting stations, tasty food from Happy Lobster, Honey Butter Fried Chicken, and The Fat Shallot, and more!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $40 ! This year, Freedom Fest is proudly benefitting Chicago House, which since 1985 has been supporting individuals and families impacted by HIV and whose TransLife Care program provides comprehensive resources to the transgender community.

Passport Vibes Street Festival 2023 @ The Promontory, 5311 S Lake Park Ave West, Noon - 10:00pm
WHAT: A fun sample of Afrobeat jams
SO WHAT: The Vibes: Passport Vibes started in April 2018 hosting three popular DJs from different genres and bringing them together to play to one diverse crowd. Expanding that initial experience, this street festival has become an Afrobeats playground. The energetic vibes at the street fest aims to expose more people to the beautiful genre and letting the lifelong lovers of Afrobeat & African music have a fun filled day to groove. In addition to the local & international DJs, there will be plenty of food and retail vendors, outdoor laser tag & VR courtesy of MKETAG, photo installations and much more!
NOW WHAT: It's Free!

Chosen Few DJs Picnic and Festival @ Jackson Park, E Hayes Dr & E 63rd St, 8:00am – 10:00pm
WHAT: A full day of great music and more!
SO WHAT: After a pair of digital editions of the fest, Chosen Few DJs Picnic and Festival are returning to an in-person event! The wonderful day will include DJ sets from The Chosen Few DJs Alan King, Andre Hatchett, Jesse Saunders, Mike Dunn, Terry Hunter, Tony Hatchett, and Wayne Williams. There will also be sets from special guests Kenny Dope / John Morales / Jamie 3:26 / Stan Zeff / Be Be Winans / Lidell Townsell / Lori Branch !
NOW WHAT: Tickets start at $60 for this amazing outdoor fest! Kids 12 and under are free to enter!

Summer Fireworks @ Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Avenue, 10:00pm – 10:10pm
WHAT: Enjoy the spectacle of fireworks all summer long
SO WHAT: Take a trip to Navy Pier and check out their dazzling display of fireworks!. Each show features dramatic and popular music soundtracks with some special occasion soundtracks sprinkled throughout the season. It’s the first fireworks show of the year so kick off summer with this explosive tradition.
NOW WHAT: It’s free!  Just make your way to Navy Pier, find a spot, and enjoy the show !

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, JULY 8th & 9th (& BEYOND)

MOST OF THE SELF-DISTANCING WEEKEND & BEYOND

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!

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 below for showings this weekend and in the future!

NOW WHAT: Tickets are $33 per car for these movies, so bring the family for a safe movie watching experience

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 Looney Tunes on 35mm, Scarlet, The Exotic Ones + Please Don't Touch Me, If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do? + The Burning Hell, Asteroid City, Squaring the Circle, midnight screenings of The Room & Rocky Horror Picture Show 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 a month, $49.99 a year, in person screenings vary, so sit back and enjoy!

Raw Hope @ Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes Street, Evanston, opening artist talk and book signing on June 1 at 7 p.m.; exhibition runs June 2-August 9. FREE.
WHAT: Post-pandemic explorations via mixed media fiber art, a book, and Buddhism.
SO WHAT: Area native and SAIC graduate Janet Jaffke returns to Chicago from her tiny French farm to share new works that are crafted from burlap or hessian, thread, gauze, plant material and other natural fibers. “I also use reclaimed coffee bags that originate from all over the world,” Jaffke said. “Each has distinctive physical characteristics. Their diverse colors and weaves are unique to their origin and represent the beauty of diversity in the world. I use the inherent qualities and associations of burlap to explore the resilience of the human spirit. No matter how torn or unraveled life becomes, there are ways to patch the pieces back together.”
NOW WHAT: Jaffke’s book Catch was co-created with Laurie ShoulterKarall, who wrote short narratives remotely in response to the art.

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. 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 2023

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 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!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K42ZUUBeHSY&t=3s

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 a great watch!

Julian Ramirez