Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 2/22 and Beyond

It's unseasonably warm this weekend (except for Saturday, that one seems about right) so let's get out into the city and find something fun to do! There's markets, movies, concerts, delicious food and so much more waiting for you to experience, so don't let the last full weekend of the month go to waste!

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

ART GALLERIES & SPECIAL EVENTS

SPECIAL WINTER EVENTS

THIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY - SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23-25 (& 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!
NOW WHAT: Join the Neo-Futurists this weekend for $20!  The Infinite Wrench Goes Viral will be continuing til February (and possibly beyond) over at their Patreon

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 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 some great 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 $20-30 and include admission to all bars on the crawl & 7 free mac & cheese servings, drink specials, giveaways and more!

Music Frozen Dancing @ Empty Bottle, 1035 N Western Ave, 1:00pm 'til dark
WHAT: Oh you know, just the 10th anniversary of this little block party in the middle of winter
SO WHAT: Clearly the most logical thing to do in February is to throw a party outside the Empty Bottle. Especially this year as Saturday is looking like the sole cold day of the weekend. Presented with their pals at Goose Island Beer Co, Music Frozen Dancing 2024 will be welcoming some fantastic artists to their chilly stage including Lifeguard, the Mall, Upchuck, Cel Ray, Nancy and some fantastic DJs inside all day!!
NOW WHAT: It’s free! Bundle up and rock out! While the show is free, they will be accepting donations at the gate – all proceeds benefit the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.

THE WHOLE CURATED WEEKEND & BEYOND

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 Black-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

NOW WHAT: Head out to Schubas & Lincoln Hall and enjoy this great lineup of shows!

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 theater
SO WHAT: The Music Box Theatre is ready to fill that art house need in you with some excellent movies including 35mm screenings of The Peasants, Perfect Days, Anselm, 2024 Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts, 2024 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts, Eve's Bayou Part of: Melanin, Roots, and Culture, midnight screenings of Olivia, Hard Target, Stop Making Sense; and more!
NOW WHAT: Sit back and enjoy a new film at one of our favorite movie theatres in the city!

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. Their year may be over, but certainly be on the lookout for updates for next year's season as their website is constantly updated with new talks. 

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 The Price Sisters, Brian Conway, Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton, Ruby John, Sean "Mack" McDonald, 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!

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 watch this fun piece

Julian Ramirez