It's Mother's Day weekend and we have you covered with this weekend's event roundup. There are so many excellent concerts at our favorite venues, film festivals throughout the city, markets, art exhibitions, and so much more just waiting for you!
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 Dead Presidents! 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!
- Chicago Gamespace is the perfect spot to check out the hairy present and future of the gaming realm!
- 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 some awesome art from Eggstravaganza!
- 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! Right now is the Garfield Park Conservatory Spring Flower Show: Rooted in Mystery
- Lincoln Park Conservatory is open! Book a reservation to see all the beautiful gardens
- 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 - 7/13 Titanique The Musical @ Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place
- NOW - 6/7 ART on THE MART
EVENTS THIS WEEKEND!
- 5/8 Allison Russell - All Returners Tour @ The Vic Theatre
- 5/8 Gang of Four @ Bottom Lounge
- 5/9 An Evening with Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue @ Thalia Hall
- 5/9 Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory w/ Special Guest Love Spells @ The Salt Shed
- 5/9 Sturgill Simpson @ Allstate Arena
- 5/9-5/11 Tower Thoughts: A Carillon New Music Festival @ Rockefeller Chapel
- 5/10 Saturday Night at the Zoo @ Lincoln Park Zoo
- 5/10 Zoo Uncorked: Flocktails & Feathers @ Brookfield Zoo
- 5/10 Switch on Summer @ 301 S Columbus Dr.
- 5/10 Ballpark Brew Fest @ Wintrust Field
- 5/10-5/11 Northbrook Art in the Park
- 5/10-5/11 May Fest & Spring Market @ Cantigny Park (Wheaton)
- 5/11 Squid with FearDorian @ Thalia Hall
FRIDAY - SUNDAY, MAY 9 - 11 (& BEYOND)
Chicago Dogs Home Opener & Mother's Day Game @ Impact Field, 9800 Balmoral Ave., Rosemont
WHAT: A weekend of baseball fun!
SO WHAT: Take a seat and enjoy a Chicago Dogs game this Mother's Day Weekend! Their Home Opener on Friday is sold out but Saturday's fireworks extravaganza will be a fun one! Mother's Day will treat moms with a free hat, mimosas and hot dog to enjoy during the game!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are available now! So don't hesitate!
Chicago Cabaret Week @ Various Locations, Various Times
WHAT: Chicago Cabaret Week returns for its second year!
SO WHAT: Chicago Cabaret Week is a 10-day festival featuring a variety of blues, jazz, American songbook, world music, pop, and Broadway by some of Chicago’s finest artists. This is the perfect opportunity to experience Chicago’s revitalized cabaret scene. There will be 95 performers at 17 venues across the city!
NOW WHAT: Tickets vary, head over to the event page for the week’s schedule and links to tickets!
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
THE WHOLE CURATED 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
- 5/8 - Schubas Open Mic HOSTED BY SHARRON PALM, and SAM SELBY @ Schubas FREE
- 5/9 - Hope Tala + KAIRO @ Lincoln Hall
- 5/9 - Martha Wainwright 20th Anniversary Tour + Haley Blais@ Schubas
- 5/9 - Meet Me Upstairs Presents: Collectivenergy Crew @ Schubas
- 5/10 - Alix Page + Susannah Joffe @ Lincoln Hall
- 5/10 - Uwade + Moyana @ Schubas
- 5/11 -Jack Van Cleaf + Emma Ogier @ Schubas
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 movie theater
SO WHAT: The Music Box Theatre recently underwent some great renovations,and it's ready for all your movie needs with some excellent films like The Shrouds, Clown in a Cornfield, Secret Mall Apartment, Tall Tales (2025), The Fishbowl (Featuring a post-film Q&A with Director Glorimar Marrero-Sánchez moderated by Tracye Matthew), Murder and Murder (Post-screening discussion between actress Kathleen Chalfant and Annie Howard), The Legend of Kingdom Come (Featuring a post-film Q&A with Executive Producer Sal Abbinanti, Director Remsy Atassi, and Special Guests TBA), Johnny Guitar as part of Sapphopalooza, The Life of Chuck, a midnight screening of Hundreds of Beavers in 35mm and so much more!
NOW WHAT: Sit back and enjoy a new film at one of our favorite movie theaters 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. There's tons of talks going on this season, so head over to their website which is constantly updated with new talks. In fact they just announced a good portion of their Spring lineup! And be sure to check out their podcast Chicago Humanities Tapes, which features conversations with some of their best presenters and other great humanities-minded minds! Take a look at some of their upcoming events below:
- 5/9 Celebrating Differences: Immigration, Sanctuary, and Food @ SANCTUARY
- 5/10 Melissa Clark and Emily Weinstein: Easy Weeknight Dinners @ Ramova
- 5/10 Sustainability, Community, and the Arts in Chicago @ Co-Prosperity
- 5/10 Maggie Nelson on Like Love @ Ramova
- 5/10 Heavy Pages Press with Andrew and Kelsey McClellan @ Co-Prosperity
- 5/10 Rebecca Solnit: No Straight Road Takes You There @ Ramova
- 5/10 Tom Torluemke in Conversation @ Co-Prosperity
- 5/10 Eve L. Ewing: Original Sins @ Ramova
- 5/10 Kristen Kish: Accidentally on Purpose @ Ramova
- 5/10 Rick Atkinson on The Fate of the Day @ Ramova
- 5/10 microplastique in Concert @ Co-Prosperity
- 5/14 Nils Frahm in Concert @ The Salt Shed
Check out their talk "Edward Burns Shares a Pint with Chicago" below!
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 2025
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 bohola – Jimmy Keane and Pat Broaders; Rhys Jones, Joseph Decosimo & Nokosee Fields; The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee; Nathan Gourley, Laura Feddersen, and Brian Miller; T'Monde; Izaki Metropoulos, Sophia Metropoulos Laouto & Geroge Lawler; Gabe Carter, 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!