16 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Week
By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 10, 2016 3:02PM
The final ACTIVATE alley event of the season is this Thursday. Photo by James John Jetel.
The weather may be cooling off, but the events around town—including a wine riot, chef battles, South African industrial rap and Chicago Museum Week—are just beginning to heat up.
MONDAY OCTOBER 10
CIDER CLASS: Learn about cider pairing at the next Cider Class series at The Northman. From 7 to 9 p.m. the cider-dedicated bistro will focus on pairing ciders with four small plates while discussing tannin, funk, acid and sweetness. Tickets are $40.
MYSTIC PIZZA: Get a mystic tarot card reading and pizza to benefit Howard Brown Health from 7 to 11 p.m. Chicago mystic, Kali Butterfly will read your future with other magical activities. Proceeds from food, drink and tips benefit the LGBTQ health center.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 11
WINE DINNER: avec’s Island Wine Dinner series travels to Corsica for the evening. The Mediterranean five-course meal will be paired with wines indigenous to the island. The menu from Chef de Cuisine Perry Hendrix, Sommelier Eduard Seitan and Pastry Chef Heather May will include Smoked Trout Rillettes, Fresh Figs, and Braised Wild Boar Shank. Tickets start at $60. For reservations call 312-377-2002.
BRING THE NOISE: Despite early erroneous reports, Die Atwoord is not breaking up. This is excellent news, since the world would be a poorer place artistically without Die Antwoord's unique blend of lyrical provocation and inventively aggressive music. Fronted by Ninja and Yolandi Visser—whom you might recognize from a certain movie if you don't already know their musical output—and riding aggressive beats from God (fka DJ Hi-Tek), the band's live shows are tumultuous and memorable affairs. The trio is touring behind Mount Ninji and da Nice Time Kid, which was released just a few weeks ago. Expect a show that is assaultive yet oddly catchy in all the right ways when they play The Aragon Tuesday night.
OOTOBERFEST: Opera on Tap Chicago brings opera out of concert halls and into unconventional venues. Their OOToberfest fundraiser takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 at The Taproom at Lagunitas Brewing Company. There will be a greatest hits concert, auctions and of course, Lagunitas brews. Tickets are $15.
WOMEN OF WINE: Rachael Lowe (Spiaggia), Liz Martinez (The Purple Pig),Sian Ferguson (Alinea), Liz Mendez (Vera) and Rachel Driver Speckan (City Winery) are among the sommeliers participating in the Women of Wine & Food dinner at Cafe Spiaggia at 6 p.m. They’ll pair and pour wines with a five-course menu from Breckin VanRaalte. Tickets are $105.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 12
Photo via Chef Battle's website.
CHEF BATTLE: WBEZ hosts their Ninth Annual Chicago Chef Battle at Kendall College from 6 to 10 p.m. Five local chefs will take the shared ingredient—Goose Island Sours—and prepare two dishes for you to vote on. That means ten dishes for you to taste and judge. There will also be a full kitchen demonstration from Kendall College MasterChef. Tickets are $35.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 13
Image courtesy of Museum Week.
MUSEUM WEEK: 12 museums and 15 additional Chicago cultural institutions participate in this year’s Chicago Museum Week, offering discounted admission, exclusive offers and special programs. Plus, as an Illinois resident you'll get 10 to 25 percent off admission at Adler Planetarium, The Field Museum, The Art Institute and more.
GET SCUZZY: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club cloaks their melodies in walls of fuzz, and Death From Above 1979 approaches their songs with a similar attack, but with a little more emphasis on "attack." Both bands provide the soundtrack to adrenaline-fueled late night debaucheries, so this Thursday show at the House Of Blues should be full of the smells of soaked leather jackets and sweat. The only thing we're having a hard time wrapping our heads around is how we'll slip into the proper mindset when the show starts at the very un-rock and roll hour of 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $28.
ACTIVATE SENSES: The downtown alley-transforming event holds its last installment of the season in Sullivan Center Alley from 5 to 10 p.m. Throughout the summer, ACTIVATE events have explored the fives senses, and for the conclusion, they’ll bring back some highlights from previous events in a sensory-explosion of light, color and music. Free. RSVP in advance for a complimentary drink ticket.
Photo courtesy of The Joffrey Ballet.
ROMEO + JULIET: The Joffrey Ballet opens their season with Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo & Juliet as part of Shakespeare 400 Chicago. The contemporary-minded ballet tells the classic tale of star-crossed lovers with a multimedia video backdrop illustrating real-world politics. The run opens at 7:30 p.m. at Auditorium Theatre and continues through October 23. Check website for all show times. Tickets start at $34.
NEO-FUTURISTS: Saturn Returns is the latest Neo-Lab production, premiering Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Neo-Futurist Ensemble Member Tif Harrison created the show which deals with loss, specifically her mother’s cross-country move, her father’s death and a major break-up. The show runs through Nov. 19. Tickets start at $10.
CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: “Because Everybody Loves Movies.” That’s the tagline for the 52nd Chicago International Film Festival, and ain’t it the truth. Indies, documentaries, shorts and musicals are just some of the new films screening at AMC River East 21 through Oct. 27. The festival prides itself in presenting “young filmmakers and daring visions, and the latest from the masters of world cinema." Visit the CIFF website for the full schedule and to purchase passes or tickets.
DANCE: Contemporary dance company The Seldoms premieres a new work from ensemble member Philip Elson this weekend at the Dance Center of Columbia College. "The Fifth" deals with issues of hacktivism, digital crusading, disruption and security—the new warfare of cyberspace. Thursday’s opening night show includes a artist/audience talk post-performance. Tickets are $30.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 14
WINE RIOT: Sample 250 wines while learning from experts at Wine Riot at Venue One. Choose from three sessions over Friday and Saturday that include a DJ, photo booth, local food vendors and unlimited (yes unlimited) glasses of vino. There’s also an app to guide you through the event and track your favorites for later. Tickets are $60.
ARTS WEEKEND: It’s the 14th Annual Arts Weekend in Andersonville with more than 30 businesses showing off works from visual and performance-based artists. They'll have a pop-up gallery at 5438 N. Clark serving as the hub for the weekend where a lot of the performances will take place. Live music, visual artists, dioramas and more will be showcased. Free.