15 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Weekend
By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on May 6, 2016 3:00PM
The Chicago Beer Classic is Saturday at Soldier Field. Photo via Chicago Beer Classic's facebook page.
Don't forget to call your mom on Sunday. Or treat her to one of the lovely events we've found for Mother's Day. There's plenty of other fun stuff below to fill up the rest of your weekend.
FRIDAY MAY 6
WIRED FRIDAY: Maurice “Ice” Culpepper takes the decks at Wired Fridays this week. Get down at the lunchtime series that spotlights legends in the world of electronic music. Begins at noon at the Chicago Cultural Center. Free.
CASTAWAYS OPENS: Fingers crossed for warm weather and sunshine on Friday for the seasonal opening of North Avenue Beach’s restaurant, Castaways.
DJDS. Photo courtesy of the MCA.
MCA PRIME TIME: The Museum of Contemporary Art’s Prime Time series will honor Prince with a purple theme and a special tribute performance by Chicago-based funk and soul artist Avery R. Young. Metro and SmartBar are the co-curators for the after-hours event this time around, with DJDS headlining with a live, multimedia performance. Local duo The Hood Internet and and DJ’s from SmartBar’s weekly house music party, Queen!, will play even more music. They’ll also have art installations and corsage crafting and more. 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $15 ($20 door).
PURPLE RAIN: The death of Prince is still hard to accept. Join other fans in mourning and celebration at the one of the Brew & View screenings of his 1984 film Purple Rain. Showings are May 6 to May 8 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5.
PUNK LEGEND: Bob Mould helped push hardcore into unexplored territories in the '80s while in Husker Dü, perfected thundering rock anthems with the '90s power-trio Sugar, and dipped his toe into electronic dance floor production during the mid-aughts—and that's just a few of the musical corners he's explored. In the last few years he's turned back towards the power-pop three piece format—augmented by Jason Narducy and Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster—and his last couple albums have proven Mould is as vital as ever. The most recent, March's Patch The Sky, is another winner, stuffed with memorable chords and melodies the simultaneously lift you up and sear your ears. Mould plays at Metro Friday and tickets are $30.
SATURDAY MAY 7
CHICAGO BEER CLASSIC: 2 sessions, 75 breweries and the opportunity to walk the grass at Soldier Field. Lagunitas, Schlafly, Greenbush and Saugatuck are just some of the well known and smaller breweries coming together on the field for Chicago Beer Classic this weekend where you’ll get 48 two-ounce samples. 11:30 a.m. or 4 p.m. Tickets are $65 in advance or $75 at the door (VIP is $85 or $95 at the door).
SWITCH ON BUCKINGHAM FOUNTAIN: Be there when Buckingham Fountain gets switched on for the season. “Switch on Summer” from ComEd and the Chicago Park District will feature free giveaways, family-friendly activities, and live entertainment. The event runs from 4 to 7 p.m. and the fountain will be turned on at 6 p.m.
Photo via DCASE's website.
KIDS AND KITES FESTIVAL: Grab the kids and head to Cricket Hill near Montrose Harbor for the 18th Annual Chicago Kids and Kites Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They’ll have free kite kits, or bring your own to decorate and fly. There will also be other family-friendly activities like face painting, balloon artists and the Big Kite Candy Drop (whatever that is, we’re interested). Free.
COMEDY: Ancien Cycles debuts their Guest List Comedy night on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Guests include Matty Ryan (Zanies, The Laugh Factory, The Hollywood Comedy Store), Jerry Tran (Comedysportz, Comedy Club on State) and Adam Cayton-Holland (Conan, TruTV's Those Who Can't, ABC's Happy Endings). The series will run the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month. Admission is $10 or free with an emailed RSVP.
Photo courtesy of Garfield Park Conservatory.
SEEDLING SALE: Ready to get this year’s home garden started? Head to the Seedling Sale at Garfield Park Conservatory to get your starter plants while supporting the conservatory's Alliance. They’ll have vegetables, herbs and flowers sown using heirloom seeds or seeds saved from their own organic garden. Prices range from $3 to $8 and GPCA members get first access an hour before the sale opens to the public. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
DERBY BENEFIT: You can watch the Kentucky Derby anywhere in town, but you can Derby for a Cause with the National Kidney Foundation at Sidebar Bar & Grill. From 3 to 6:30 p.m. take advantage of those included drink tickets and appetizers while waiting for “the most exciting two minutes in sports.” Tickets are $40 in advance ($50 door).
EXPANSIVE LIVE BAND: Floating Points is U.K. producer Sam Shepherd, and his debut Elaenia mixed together elements of electronic ambient music, symphonic swells and the occasional stab of jazzy left turns. It's a hypnotically entrancing listen that would seem fit more for headphones than the stage. Then we saw video of Floating Points augmented by a full live band and realized that the album was just the barest seed of what Shepherd is looking to accomplish through his compositions. He brings a live band to play with him on Saturday at Metro and we think this show could promise to blow your mind. Tickets are $19.
SUNDAY MAY 8: MOTHER’S DAY
DINNER + A SHOW: Treat Mom to dinner and a show with Hard Rock Cafe and Blue Man Group. The package includes passes to performances at 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. and then a prix fixe meal at Hard Rock Cafe anywhere between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. Tickets are $70 per person. For reservations, contact Kristy Mendenhall at Hard Rock Cafe at 312-943-5572 or Kristy_Mendenhall@hardrock.com.
DOSE MARKET: If Mom loves to shop, take her to the Mini Mama Dose at Nico Osteria from 10:00am-2:00pm. As usual, this mini version of the style market will feature jewelry, handbags and other trinkets plus sips, snacks and treats. Tickets are free with RSVP and include a Nico cocktail.
GARDEN SALE: Does Mom have a green thumb? Take her to the Plants for Pollinators Garden Sale at The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Shop perennials and annuals that will attract butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and other beneficial pollinators to her garden, while combating “the region’s declining number of local pollinator species.” Free.