It seems fitting that Aframes Eyewear should sponsor this holiday mix from the frequently bespectacled and always stylish Chicago DJ Matt Roan, eh? If you're looking to inject a little oomph and bounce to the ounce and general get-the-get down into your holiday soiree, Roan's got you covered. Stream or download his entire It's Christmas! mix below! It will get even the Grinchiest of booties out onto the dancelfoor. more ›

Get ready for crazy holiday parties (and the ensuing bad behavior) with this app, designed to measure your sobriety and warn you not to drunk-text your boss. more ›

Tonight's the night! It's time for the reader meet-up we're co-hosting with Do312 atThe Owl from 8 p.m. on ... and two people are about to win a whole bunch of Pink Floyd albums too! more ›

Things have been busy around the Chicagoist HQ and that's why it's been so long since we've been able to leave our office and come out to see you in the flesh! Let's fix that! more ›

Believe it or not this is a beer commercial, despite the fact that there's no beer. Or anything that overtly brands it as a commercial. Here's to your weekend; may it be this full of fun and positivity. (Also, and we may be a little biased, it really reminds us of a certain other video.) more ›

If you haven't bought tickets for the Slow Food Chicago Pig Roast on Sunday, September 11, what is wrong with you? If you love meat, beer, or meat with beer, this is the night for you. Chicago's best chefs are getting together at Goose Island Beer Company for a huge party, with food, drink, live music and dessert. You get a commemorative beer glass - and there's even a vegetarian option! What more could they offer? more ›

Have you ever wanted to see what sort of music Stephanie Izard likes to dance to? Now you can experience it first hand. "Stagiaire Records," a chef-driven party at Old Town Social every Tuesday night from 10 PM to 2 AM lets you rock out with some of Chicago's most famous chefs, and the proceeds go to benefit the Green City Market. Quietly running since May, the party is now ramping up for the summer. more ›

After Pitchfork Music Festival caps out each day there are a number of after-party options. There's Bitchfork's smoking in the parking lot aesthetics, Dickfork's cool kids club, Sailor Jerry's brawny rocking and now, for the clubbier minded amongst you, there's the Vitaminwater Uncapped dance party going down this Friday through Thursday just blocks from the rilly big shew. The full line-up is below, but be sure to RSVP for free entry and little perks like free booze (like you'll need more) and food (which you probably will need some of by that time). Do it! more ›

It's Thursday, y'all - time to break out of those trapped-inside blizzard blues. What better way to do it than with free booze? Tonight, The Southern will be celebrating their first anniversary, and they are rewarding their customers. The reception was originally scheduled for last night, but the weather forced a change. But now, you can actually get to them! A free cocktail reception from 5-7 will start off the evening, and they will be pouring out a "low country boil" at 6:30 - we can't think of a better dish for cold weather. If you feel like spending some money on top of the free stuff, grab a glass of the apple pie bourbon and be thankful that you are safe and warm. more ›

Been dying for a taste of the new Mac and Cheese truck from the folks at the Southern? The truck launches on February 3rd (follow it on Twitter) but if you want a more indoor version of their mac and cheese, how about a super bowl party? During the game, The Southern will be hosting a mac and cheese buffet. Four new flavors (all featured on the truck) will be served, and the cost will be $10. They will also have some great drink specials, like $3 shots of Bulleit bourbon. more ›

Three years ago two enterprising young men noticed a serious hole in the Chicago club scene; there were plenty of parties out there but there didn't seem to be a party that literally invited everyone to attend. They threw out the club kid hierarchy, adopted an anything goes attitude to the genres they would spin and decided that Monday nights would be the best time to test drive this concept they would name Rehab. That test drive grew into a road trip that grew into a regular transatlantic cruise of partying. more ›

Family get-togethers. Cocktail parties. Office parties. They’re coming at you this week, and you can neither run nor hide. Use our simple Windy City Party Etiquette guide to get through any holiday party, big, small, or otherwise. more ›

We don't usually think of the esteemed Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba as a restaurant to stumble into in our pajamas. Actually, since our college dining hall, we haven't thought of ANY restaurant as someplace to stumble into in our pajamas. But once a year, on New Year's Day, such behavior is more than a tolerated consequence of publican excess; it is encouraged. At Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba, the 7th annual Pajama Brunch starts at 10 AM on January 1, 2011. Make it your first meal of the new year. more ›

An off-campus keg party of Northwestern Students drew the attention of Evanston police and the university's Dean of students last week when the part grew so big neighbors complained about public urination and vomiting, sexual intercourse and "hollering about blow jobs." You know, basically every college kegger ever. more ›

We're co-hosting a listening party for the new Interpol album tonight at The Burlington from 9 p.m. until 10 p.m. and PBR is being kind enough to provide a hosted bar for all attendees during that time! more ›

The last time we had a meetup with you readers, we said that we enjoyed it so much we were going to schedule them on a regular basis. That was back in December. more ›

In honor of its 10th brithday, the Chicago-based T-shirt company Threadless is loading up a few vans and a 25-foot trailer with staff members and T-shirts and going on a nationwide tour to say thank you to its fans. more ›

Searching for the perfect bottle to stretch across your Easter Sunday brunch can be challenging when appeasing to a crowd, while also budgeting to feed them. We headed over to Drinks Over Dearborn to enlist their advice to pick a food-friendly white or rosé wine (we already had our red picks set aside). more ›

Girl Talk’s New Year’s Eve show was just what we expected: the biggest, craziest, hoppin-est dance party we’ve ever seen. Except for the traditional ball drop, it had all the familiar elements of a NYE party. There was the standard midnight countdown, a whole lot of borderline-porno PDA, a drunk girl simultaneously dancing, crying and vomiting, and an on-stage marriage proposal that got the whole crowd all sentimental and teary-eyed. And of course a few thousand people dancing wildly as Girl Talk (A.K.A. Gregg Gillis) mashed together a non-stop flow of guilty pleasure pop songs and hip hop beats. more ›

That’s right. Apparently Old St. Nick will be getting his drink on at Avenue Tavern tonight from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. during the Sixth Annual Slam One Back with Santa Party. You can take a seat on Santa’s lap and have a complimentary picture taken with him and his sexy elves. But don’t get too naughty, because a duplicate copy will be displayed on the tavern wall through the holiday season. more ›

Hey, we already told you that Metric is THE show to see tonight, but afterward we're heading over to Lincoln Hall for the second installment of a new monthly party curated by local photographer Clayton Hauck. Just Desserts seems to follow in the "anything goes" mode of partying fun, and the DJs he's got lined up knows how to pick out party jams and bypass the crap tat you might hear at more mainstream clubs. Think of it as a college house party with less attitude, far less puking, and way more dancing. more ›

Rehab, our personal favorite Chicago weekly party, won the America's Best Party award at last night's Paper Magazine Nightlife Awards in New York. This is a pretty solid endorsement of the Chicago party scene considering Rehab won the big prize when almost every other category was dominated by New York-based events. Big ups to Rehab organizers Team Bayside High for a job well done! more ›

Are you tired of these reminders yet? Too bad! We know we've got some snow between now and then, but that's no reason to be deterred from coming out after the snow has fallen. Ric Hess, Phil Kuhl and the fine folks at Sheffield's (3258 N. Sheffield, 773-281-4989) have graciously allowed us the use of their Beer School bar for the occasion. We're also using this as an opportunity to give back during the holidays, also making it a food drive benefiting the Greater Chicago Food Depository, which is seeing a greater demand for its services in this recession. So if you come, please bring a can or bag or two of food along with you to donate. Some of what the Food Depository needs the most of include: beans, chili, peanut butter, soup, canned veggies, cereal, pasta, rice, tuna, and canned fruits. more ›

We like: Twisted Oak 2006 Calaveras County *%#&@! more ›

Zagat's 2009/10 Chicago Restaurants survey hits shelves Thursday and just in time for Taste of Chicago to start. To get the word out, Zagat is sponsoring a dining pavilion at this year's Taste, hosting a culinary competition at the festival and hosting a four-course meal tomorrow night. more ›

Tonight is our party. We hope you make it. Rest assured, by the end of the night, our illustrious editor-in-chief Marcus will probably wind up looking and signing exactly like the kid in this classic You Tube clip, diaper and all. more ›

One more week! That's all the time left before our AMAZING anniversary party at The Whistler on Saturday, May 30! We've got terrific bands lined up -- Grammar and The Interiors and a surprise musical guest -- and a few Chicagoist DJs -- Pocket Taco, SuperBird, and Tankboy -- to keep your ears happy. more ›

We just wanted to remind you to keep May 30 open on your calendar so you can join us at The Whistler and celebrate Chicagoist's fifth birthday party. We're bringing in some of our favorite bands -- Grammar and The Interiors (plus a surprise musical guest) -- to light up The Whistler's stage and a few of your Chicagoist DJs will keep the soundtrack going in to the night. more ›

For Memorial Day, The Chopping Block is hosting a BBQ Bash at their Lincoln Square location. The bash is an "open-house-style cooking class and party" on their patio with all the proceedes going to veterans via the Disabled Patriot Fund, a not-for-profit that helps Illinois veterans wounded in Iraq or Afganistan. Cook and dine on slow-smoked BBQ pork, balsamic-glazed skirt steak, beer can chicken, three bean salad, blueberry pie a la mode and sip on (free) lemonade and Goose Island Beer. The classparty is from 12-3pm, sponsored by Goose Island, Paulina Market and Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet and is $75 per person. Yes, more than your typical back yard party but it's for a good, local cause. So do it. With a smile and hungry stomach. more ›

Sometimes you just need to face reality and come to terms with the fact that when you're thisclose to 40 like us, you need a little kick in the ass to get you to sunrise. Gone are the days when we had the world by the curlicues, when Mom lived equidistant between Marie's Riptide Lounge and the old Blue Note on Armitage, and we could stagger out of either establishment at sunrise for some biscuits and gravy. more ›