新年快乐! It's the Year of the Dragon. Check out some photos from Uptown's Chinese New Year parade. more ›

County Commissioner Bridget Gainer's proposal would require a County Board vote on any amusement tax exemption that costs the city $150,000 or more. Lollapalooza currently enjoys that exemption to the tune of at least half a million dollars. more ›

Apple Fest: the most straightforward festival ever? No surprises here folks, this fest we told you about last week was all about those fruits of fall. more ›

The 47th Chicago International Film Festival runs October 6-20. We look at some of the highlights. more ›

It's the middle of August and we all know what that means in Illinois: Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez Day approaches. If you didn't realize it was coming up on Friday, don't feel too bad. Governor Quinn only announced the designation last week to coincide with the Chicago International Film Festival's Summer Gala, where the two will be guests of honor. The question naturally arises, how does one properly observe Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez Day? We have a few suggestions. more ›

On the heels of Chicago's Food Truck Tuesdays comes Evanston's first Food Truck Meetup, on Sunday, June 26th. If you don't live near a food truck route (or can't be bothered to track them on twitter) it often feels like you are totally left out of this growing trend. Especially if you live in the suburbs, food trucks aren't coming your way very often. If you're a north-sider or an Evanstonian and want a taste of the Hummingbird Kitchen, Flirty Cupcakes or 5411 Empanada trucks, this is the moment for you. more ›

If you're a wine lover (or a lush) an event is coming next week that you can't pass up. Wine Riot , a tasting event held in the Great Hall at Union Station, is visiting Chicago on May 21! After stops in Los Angeles and Boston, Wine Riot will offer Chicagoans a chance to taste over 250 wines of all varietals and from all over the globe. "Crash Courses" will help teach you about wine in free, 20-minute bursts and, if you're in the mood for some grooves to go with your wine, a DJ will help you get in the mood. The price is just $50 per person. more ›

So it turns out that, much like pimping, putting together a three-day experimental music festival ain't easy. But adages aren't enough to keep the enterprising folks at Neon Marshmallow Festival down, even if, as co-runner Matt Kimmel told us via email in March, "The festival really not aimed to be a big money maker, we are just putting together a festival of artists we love ... The risk of financial loss is still very real this time around. We are very excited about this years version and all we can do is hope that other people in town are similarly excited." So what can you, as music fans, do to show your excitement? Buy a tape. more ›

It is of course fitting that Chicago is the first stop for the Architecture and Design Film Festival after a successful run in New York City last fall. Billed as the first of its kind in the United States, the festival showcases 39 films along panels and book signings from its base at the Gene Siskel Film Center May 5-9. As the brainchild of Kyle Bergman, formerly the producer of a play about Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House and Phillip Johnson's Glass House, kicks off with a special screening at Wright auction house of a film about the same subject by artist and filmmaker Sarah Morris. Points on a Line explores the Plano, Illinois and New Canaan, Connecticut icons of modernism by way of the context in which they were created and now reside, meditating on the upkeep and maintenance of the structures and the complicated roles played by structures that were always much more than houses. more ›

Whether you call Logan Square home or just visit for its many bars, restaurants and venues, you can support the ‘hood by attending the third annual "I Love Logan Square" party. Proceeds from this event go to the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, which undertakes the task of uniting neighbors, businesses, schools, and area organizations to establish a stronger, safer community. And unlike fundraisers fueled by expensive dinners or uppity galas, this one takes the form of a casual night of entertainment, neighborly mingling and dancing. more ›

A helpful Web 1.0-style counter at the bottom of Ebertfest.com reminds you that there's only 36 days until the 13th Annual Ebertfest (formerly the Overlooked Film Festival). A glance at the recently-released schedule verifies that it's time to make plans to be in Champaign April 27-May 1. more ›

For film buffs, March does indeed come in like a lion, as a month of European films gets underway tonight at the Gene Siskel Film Center with the 14th annual EU Film Festival. 64 films from 24 European Union nations will offer quite a menu of cinematic delicacies. Things get underway tonight as the Academy Award contender Bibliothèque Pascal. We're looking forward to Álex de la Iglesia's festival favorite The Last Circus, Michael Winterbottom's Steve Coogan vehicle The Trip, films from Manuel de Oliveira, Catherine Breillat and plenty of others. For an appetizer, we took a peek at a Belgian giallo-homage, Amer. more ›

It's that time of year again: Claychella, the locally-focused DJ festival run by photographer Clayton Hauck, returns for its fifth and, sadly, final year. Hauck, who retired from nightlife photography just a few months ago, says he'll "still be around town, just not throwing events." He's going out with a bang, though. While the lineup shows many similarities to last year's, it nonetheless boasts some of the city's best, including The Hood Internet, Autobot (Flosstradamus), Only Children, Zebo and Kid Color. It is - duh - our Weekend Dance Party pick. more ›

If you are interested in attending Whisky Fest, the booziest day of the year in Chicago (aside from St. Patrick's Day) get your tickets now. The Tribune reported last night that the event was down to 250 tickets, out of almost 2000 originally on sale. The event lets whiskey/whisky lovers taste hundreds of whiskeys, scotches and bourbons, along with a few other spirits. There are seminars, meet and greets with distillers and a gourmet buffet to munch on all night long. This event is certainly not for everyone, but if you're a whiskey lover, it could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Tickets are $135 for regular admission, and the event will be held at the Hyatt Regency. more ›

2011 is the year of the first annual Chowdah Fest Chicago, brought to you by the creators of the Chicago Ice Cream Festival. We should admit up front that we aren't objective at all about this - we love chowder, and when chefs like Giuseppe Tentori are cooking it for us, we pretty much start swooning at the thought. At the event, inspired by a similar fest in Boston, nine different chefs and vendors will offer up their take on Chowder. Guests will get to sample all of them, as much as they want, while sipping on craft beers and wines. The event will take place on Monday, January 31 on board the 1910 ship of the Columbia Yacht Club, which should make it an experience not to be missed - the only thing better than eating tons of amazing chowder is eating it on a gorgeous boat. more ›

For the third consecutive year, the Portage Theater gives us a treat during the final week of October and the countdown to the 31st with their "Halloween Havoc," showing two scary movies per night starting tonight through Thursday, with a four-movie marathon capping things off on Friday. They've put together a solid assortment of horror films, mixing masterpieces with lesser films that are, if not classics, then adjacent to the classics. more ›

If you like the idea of "dinner and a movie" but wish those two events could be simultaneous rather than sequential, we've already got one weekend next month planned for you. On September 24 and 25, the inaugural Chicago Food Film Festival opens its doors to the hungry and the entertainment-starved alike. more ›

Some say making wine is like art, while others feel it’s more of a science. The Telluride Wine Festival and Center for Wine Origins wants to know how you express your love for the origins of wine with your art. more ›

The reincarnated Lilith Fair tour will arrive in Chicago on Saturday July 17 and take up residence at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre for the day. more ›

Admit it, it can be pretty hard to wrap your head around all the bands playing Lollapalooza, and the daily schedule can be labyrinthine to navigate. Lollapalooza rolled out a free iPhone app that makes mapping out your three days at the festival easier than ever. more ›

Lollapalooza isn't the only fest on the schedule-release bandwagon this week. Our friends at the 'Fork have just released their schedule for the '09 fest and it looks solid. Also, if you were waiting to pick up Sunday tickets, you're S.O.L. as Pitchfork reports they're all sold out. Single-day tickets for Friday and Saturday are still available, though. more ›

Very few are able to make the transition from internet sensation to star of stage or screen, but funnyman Jon Lajoie might be on his way. The regular Everyday Normal Guy has been touring the country with a new comedy act, Live as F*ck, his most recent stop being the Just For Laughs festival here in Chicago. How exactly do five minute YouTube clips translate into a live performance? Lajoie primarily sticks to what has made him popular, splicing tongue-in-cheek songs with short video clips and bits of loosely structured material. Part concert, part comedy show, Lajoie’s act takes a cue from the oh-so successful Flight of the Conchords, albeit not nearly as polished in its execution. But that lack of shine is a major component of Lajoie’s charm, who readily admits that he doesn’t exactly know what he’s doing on stage. His very good singing voice combined with his unique wit and a popular catalog of songs seem certain to keep a familiar audience entertained. Lajoie will be performing at the Lakeshore Theater again this evening, so if you’re a big fan of his internet offerings, it will probably be worth the price of admission. [Tickets] more ›

If you've not yet heard, today marks the beginning of TBS Presents a “Very Funny” Festival: Just for Laughs. The six-day comedic takeover lays seige to several of Chicago's finest venues and boasts 68 shows, ranging from movie screenings to local standup acts. The list of talent is ridiculous, so somewhere in between Ellen Degeneres and Patrice O'Neal you're bound to find an act that tickles your fancy. And to the delight of our sanity, the 68 shows are not all unique; many of the events will repeat over the course of the festival. In addition to alleviating personal schedule conflicts (thank you, organizers, for not forcing us to choose between Louis CK and David Cross), the repetition will allow us to review the first show of a run, giving you, the reader, an idea of whether or not you'd be interested in catching the encore performance. more ›

There may only be three chords in a typical blues song - but that was no limit to musical variety this weekend. More than 600,000 people were expected to attended the annual free festival in Grant Park. And no matter what stage (or what club) the house was rocked. The best concert we saw (of the more than 60 acts who performed) was blues icon Bettye LaVette. Now 63, LaVette has been in the music business for more than 45 years, a fact she spent several minutes discussing as she transitioned through her set. Age has not proved a barrier though - LaVette even dropped the mic to sing unaided at some points Saturday night. more ›

A: To get to TBS Presents A “Very Funny” Festival: Just For Laughs in Chicago, IL! more ›

As of 4:23 a.m., the golden tickets for this year's DarkLord Day (April 25) at Three Floyds Brewery are now on sale. The brewery implemented the ticket system as a means to get as much DarkLord to the people who actually want to drink it, instead of buying scalped bottles in the parking lot. more ›

Wanting to enjoy the thaw a bit, we attended Sheffield's "Beer School" festival Saturday afternoon. It was the second time in a year we braved the cold to visit Sheffield's; for the second time in a year it was also worth it. Under the direction of Phil Kuhl, the Lakeview tavern's special beer events have begun to rival Map Room's beer school for breadth and scope. When we briefly spoke with Sheffield's owner Ric Hess, he seemed to agree. more ›

Schubas' Tomorrow Never Knows Festival let loose with an initial flurry of bands playing the shows this January 14 18, 2009. There are more to come but the initial burst includes: Bishop Allen, Cursive, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, Thunderheist, The Donkeys, Tulsa, Colourmusic, Bear Hands, The Disappears, Pretty Good Dance Moves, The Wonderful World of Bald Eagle, Allá, and Vacations. There are no super huge surprises so far since all those bands are already pretty Schubas friendly, but we think it's a solid start hinting that there are probably some doozies still to come. This thing always sells out, so make sure to snag single show and / or five-day passes when they go on sale tomorrow, November 26, at noon. more ›

Staff at Delilah's, take note. We love that you put together an annual barrel-aged beer festival, but the size of the bar just doesn't make it enjoyable. Let's take a look the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild's 6th Annual Festival of Wood and Barrel-aged beer, held Saturday at the Journeyman Plumber's Union Hall (1340 W. Washington). more ›

The weather couldn't have been any better yesterday as Chicago Gourmet officially kicked off at Millennium Park. A press release sent to us shortly after 9 p.m. last night announced that over 3,000 visitors attended the event, with last night's Grand Cru wine tasting selling out completely. more ›