And that's a wrap on August! The kids are back in school but it's Labor Day weekend, so we have an extra day to relax and enjoy the events that keep rolling in. Spend this final weekend of the month and the start of the next the right way with some fun concerts, festivals, movies, and so much more!
Now, let's get on with your Chicago 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 "REGULARS"A Solo Show by PITR! 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! You can also see "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" ! Or the All Decked Out virtual show!
- Chicago Gamespace is the perfect spot to check out the hairy present and future of the gaming realm!
- 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!
- 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
- “Mold-A-Rama™: Molded for the Future” @ Museum of Science and Industry
- Art on the Mart
- 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.
- NOW- 11/30 Green City Market @ Lincoln Park on Saturdays and Wednesdays!
- NOW - 10/31 Chicago: Home of House Exhibit @ Navy Pier
- NOW - 10/27 Wicker Park Farmers Market on Sundays!
- NOW - 10/27 "007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond" @ Museum of Science and Industry
- NOW - 10/27 Wolff's Flea Market @ Allstate Arena on Sundays!
- NOW - 10/13 Mercury Canine Cruise
- NOW - 9/2 "Titanic: The Exhibition"
- NOW - 9/2 Rooftop Cinema Club Fulton Market @ The Emily Hotel
- NOW- 9/1 Sportsman’s Club Summer BBQ Series
- NOW - 9/15 Ravinia Festival
- NOW - 8/31 Millennium Park Summer Workouts (Saturdays)
THIS WEEKEND!
- NOW - 8/30 Chicago Latin Restaurant Week
- 8/29 & 8/31 Pearl Jam @ Wrigley Field
- 8/31 Chicago Fire FC vs. Inter Miami CF @ Soldier Field
- 8/31 Silent Discos In Amazing Spaces @ Church of The Epiphany
- 8/31 - 9/8 The Big Bounce America @ Skokie Sports Park
- 9/1 Bike the Drive @ DuSable Lake Shore Drive
- 9/1 The Sandlot 30th Anniversary Meet & Greet @ Sluggers World Class Sports Bar
FRIDAY - SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 1 (& BEYOND)
ARC Music Festival @ Union Park, 1501 W Randolph St, 2pm – 10pm
WHAT: ARC is back in Union Park for 3 days of EDM goodness!
SO WHAT: ARC Music Festival is holding the second edition of their festival in Union Park! The fest has its sights set on connecting the global electronic music scene including modern house music icons, Chicago’s own originators, international techno artists and multi-genre live performances. There are some great sets to catch including Disclosure, Derrick Carter, Charlotte de Witte, Dom Dolla, and many more!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are selling out fast! Single day tickets start at $199 and VIP is still available for 3 day passes
North Coast Music Festival 2024 @ SeatGeek Stadium, 7000 Harlem Ave, Bridgeview, Friday & Saturday 2pm – Midnight, Sunday 2pm – 10:30pm
WHAT: A lot of EDM for your Labor Day Weekend
SO WHAT: NCMF has transformed over the years, changing venues and musical styles in the past few years. It has now reached its full-on EDM era with three days of nonstop dance music. Headliners for the Stadium stage include Illenium, Subtroionics, and Two Friends! The rest of the lineup looks great too with Above & Beyond, San HOlo, Tchamio x Malaa, and many more! Check out the full lineup on their website!
NOW WHAT: Three day tickets are sold out but single day passes start at $176.74 and many tiers of VIP passes are still available!
Taste of Polonia Festival @ Copernicus Center, 5216 W. Lawrence, Friday 5pm – 10:30pm, Saturday & Sunday Noon – 10:30pm, Monday Noon - 9:30pm, All Ages
WHAT: Don’t know what to do with the kids this Labor Day weekend? Check out the Taste of Polonia for pierogis, kabobs, Polish sausage and potato pancakes.
SO WHAT: Non-stop live music, food and fun for days! It’s a must-do family event with enough scheduling to keep both little kids and adults happy. Cooking classes, carnival rides, craft beer tent and more.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $10 for Friday only, $15 for single day passes, $45 for the weekend pass, and kids 12 and under are Free. Shuttle and parking available. For more info visit Taste of Polonia.
West Loop Art Fest @ Fulton Market, Washington St starting on the corner of N Halsted St., Friday 5pm - 10pm, Saturday 10am - 10pm, Sunday 10am – 8pm, all ages
WHAT: A place to shop for some wonderful art
SO WHAT: Take a nice late summer stroll around the West Loop neighborhood as you take in the beautiful art on sale at the West Loop Art Fest. Four blocks of amazing artists will be on hand with their unique and varied works ready to go to their new home! Plus some live music and plenty of local restaurants make this street fest all that more enticing!
NOW WHAT: It’s free, just head out and enjoy the wonderful art and purchase some for your place!
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 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, AUGUST 31
Wave Wall Wax & Summer Fireworks @ Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Avenue, 5:30pm – 10:10pm
WHAT: Enjoy the spectacle of fireworks and great music 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. Plus before the fireworks the fantastic Wave Wall Wax event will be dishing out some incredible tunes!
- August 31 | 5:30PM-10PM
- Ron Carroll & Ariana DJ
NOW WHAT: It’s free! Just make your way to Navy Pier, find a spot, and enjoy the show !
THE WHOLE CURATED WEEKEND & BEYOND
Chicago Jazz Festival @ Millennium Park, 201 E Randolph St, 11am-9pm, All Ages
WHAT: A full weekend of free jazz (pun intended)
SO WHAT: The Chicago Jazz Festival is a fantastic Labor Day weekend tradition that celebrates all forms of jazz with free amazing live musical performances. The festival’s mission is to showcase the vast jazz talent of Chicago alongside national and international artists to help further the awareness of this beautiful musical genre. Performers this year include Catherine Russell, Kenny Garrett and Sounds From The Ancestors, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Jeff Parker/New Breed, and many more!.
NOW WHAT: The festival is free to enjoy, just head there early and bask in the sounds of some great musicians. You can check out the full schedule here.
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!
- 8/29 - Grease - 8pm
- 8/29 - The Notebook - 10pm
- 8/30- Mamma Mia! -8pm
- 8/30 -Nightmare on Elm St. - 10:15pm
- 8/31 - Mean Girls (2004) - 8:00pm
- 8/31 -Scream (The Original) - 10pm
- 8/25- Shrek - 7:30pm
- 8/25 - Nightmare on Elm St. - 9:30pm
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $35 per car for these movies, so bring the family for a safe movie watching experience
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 currently undergoing some great renovations, but they are always ready to fill that art house need in you with some excellent movies like Between the Temples, Grand Hotel, and more! Plus this weekend is Pluto TV Summer of Cinema: Free Movie Weekend where there will be FREE screenings of Weekend at Bernie's, The Paragon, and Between the Temples!
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
- August 29 - Schubas Open Mic HOSTED BY SHARRON PALM, and SAM SELBY @ Schubas FREE
- August 29- Daundry + The Courts + My Sister, The Heron + daarling @ Schubas
- August 30 - Joshua Quimby + Mason Via @ Schubas
- August 30 - Boyce Avenue + Megan and Jaclyn Davies @ Lincoln Hall
- August 30 - Meet Me Upstairs Presents: rylescan @ Schubas
- August 31- Jonah Marais Young & Optimistic: The Tour + Savanna Leigh + Patrick Martin @ Schubas
NOW WHAT: Head out to Schubas & Lincoln Hall and enjoy this great lineup of shows!
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.
- 9/3 Jesmyn Ward: Let Us Descend @ Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture
- 9/15 Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Pre-event Member Reception @ Harris Theater for Music and Dance
- 9/16 Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson: Lovely One @ Harris Theater for Music and Dance
- 9/17 Abra Berens and Greta Johnsen: From Seed to Market to Plate @ Chop Shop
- 9/26 The Interview Show: Edward Burns + Elizabeth Moen @ FitzGerald's
- 9/29 aja monet @ Thalia Hall
- 10/5 Anna Marie Tendler: Men Have Called Her Crazy @ UIC Dorin Forum
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!