19 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Weekend
By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 11, 2015 4:20PM
Big Al is one of many abandoned cats rescued by Tree House. Honor him and others who have passed on Saturday at their annual "Lights of Love" Open House. Photo via Tree House's website.
So. Much. To. Do. In Chicago this weekend. The holiday season is in full swing with themed markets, bar crawls, toy drives and much, much more.
FRIDAY DECEMBER 11
IRISH MARKET: Northcenter gets into the holiday spirit with Chicago’s Irish Christmas Market all weekend. The Northcenter Town Square will be transformed into a European outdoor marketplace complete with live entertainment and products from more than 25 vendors. Free.
TAP FUNDRAISER: The 1st Annual ARC ANGEL event benefiting The American Rhythm Center and Chicago Human Rhythm Project takes place from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. inside the Fine Arts Building. The fundraiser will have refreshments along with a raffle and ugly sweater contest, plus performances from CHRP ensemble BAM!, Founder and Artistic Director Lane Alexander's Tap 2 and more. Tickets are $10.
Photo by Marc Monaghan.
NUTCRACKER: This weekend Hyde Park School of Dance presents their annual presentation of The Nutcracker with dancers ranging from the age of 4 to grandparents. This year they’ve added a Holiday Bazaar with an opportunity to meet characters from the show, make holiday crafts and shop for gifts from local vendors. They’ll also have a hot chocolate bar and other treats available. The bazaar opens on Saturday, but showings of The Nutcracker begin Friday night at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 ($15 for seniors, $10 for children age 5-18).
DIVA CHRISTMAS: Emmy Award Winning Actor/Comedian Leslie Jordan joins Amy and Freddy for the annual tradition show, How The Diva Stole Christmas. See the fabulous story at Hydrate at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Tickets are $30.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 12
JINGLE BASH CONCERT: Get hip to the pop music of today with the B96 Jingle Bash taking over Allstate Arena at 6:30 p.m. The local station brings in some of the hottest names in radio for their holiday concert including Demi Lovato, 5 Seconds of Summer, Pentatonix and more. Tickets start at $60.
TBOXMAS PUB CRAWL: You’ll find drinking Santas just about everywhere in the city this weekend. One of the biggest bar crawls happening is the TBOX (that’s Twelve Bars Of Xmas) Pub Crawl in Wrigleyville from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Yes, that’s early, but they’ve got twelve bars to hit, so don’t expect Santa to be productive come tomorrow. Tickets are $45.99.
OLD TOWN CHRISTMAS CRAWL: Don’t feel left out, Old Town, there’s a holiday-themed pub crawl for you, too. The Chicago Christmas Crawl puts the emphasis on food as well as cocktails at more than 15 participating venues. This one starts at 10 a.m. Tickets are $35 and include admission, specials, a bunch of fun props and more.
SANTACON PUB CRAWL: Santas in Logan Square will get in on the libatious Christmas fun, too, with Santacon beginning at noon at the eagle statue on the square. Organizers tell us to think of this as a wintery Burning Man, since Santacon was started in San Francisco by the same folks. Free.
HOLIDAY MARKET: The last Randolph Street Market of the year takes place this weekend at Plumbers Hall. Still going with the holiday theme for the month of December, it’s the perfect place to shop for one -of-a kind vintage and modern gifts from more than 125 vendors. They’ll also have DJs, live music, photo booth, tastings and free gift wrap. The market is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $8 ($10 at the gate).
HOLIDAY BAZAAR: The Bitter Betty Bazaar takes up shop at Innertown Pub from 12 to 6 p.m. Find jewelry, records, soaps, leather goods, candles, vaporizors, comics, original art, greeting cards and more for gifts or for yourself. Free.
GRILLED CHEESE MELTDOWN: TimeOut Chicago presents a grilled cheese extravaganza at First Ward inside Chop Shop on Saturday. The Grilled Cheese Meltdown will offer tastings from local restaurants including The Fat Shallot, Gayle’s Best Ever Grilled Cheese, Lady Gregory’s and many more. They’ll even have beer pairings to enjoy. Choose from three sessions (11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. or 4:30 p.m.). Tickets are $30.
Photo courtesy of Unabridged Bookstore.
BOOKSTORE PARTY: Unabridged Bookstore celebrates 35 years with an anniversary party beginning at 6 p.m. Bibliophiles of all types and ages are invited to the Lakeview bookstore for themed refreshments, a store-wide 10 percent discount, raffles and a special look back at at the history of the space. Free.
AFRICAN DANCE: Muntu Dance Theatre presents their Fall Concert, One Root, Many Branches, at the Reva & David Logan Center For The Arts this Saturday and Sunday. The show will feature the world premiere of a new work from internationally renowned choreographer Christopher Walker. Tickets are $30 ($10 for kids under 12).
LIGHTS OF LOVE FOR KITTIES: Visit the final Lights of Love Open House at Tree House’s headquarters before they move into their new space. Purchase a Tribute Light to honor a beloved pet or loved one who has passed. All the proceeds go to rehabilitating Chicago’s neediest cats as well as helping to fund the construction of their new adoption center and clinic. 6 p.m. Admission is $5 suggested donation or bring an unopened can or bag of cat food for the Pet Food Pantry.
LOL 2015 Gitana and Al from Tree House Humane Society on Vimeo.
SUNDAY DECEMBER 13
MUSIC UNDER GLASS: Garfield Park Conservatory expands their “Under Glass” series with Music Under Glass, a Classical Music Series beginning Sunday from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. The inaugural event is a holiday brass concert featuring the Western Brass Quintet in Horticulture Hall. Tickets are $25.
PUNK ROCK TOY DRIVE: Join The Punk Rock Allstars at Liars Club on Sunday for their 12th annual Toy Drive. Jake Burns from Stiff Little Fingers, John Haggerty from Naked Raygun and Scott Lucas from Local H are just a few of the special guests. $10 or a toy gets you in. Donations support Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital’s KidsRehab program.
HOLIDOSE MARKET: Dose Market sets up shop at Morgan Manufacturing Co from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The holiday themed market features more than 100 small businesses under one roof selling curated goods from founder April Francis. Tickets are $10 in advance only.
WALK WITH LIGHT ON THE BLOOMINGDALE: Light up the (early) night during Walk With Light on the 606 trail. Festivities begin at 4:30 p.m. with an illuminated walk on the elevated trail followed by a Festival of Lights at Walsh Park with music, craft installations, s'mores and more at this family friendly event. Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail will also be collecting donations for their winter clothing drive. Free.
JUGBAND CHRISTMAS: Emmet Otter has special meaning to those of us who grew up in the heyday of the Muppets, and on Sunday local artists will recreate the Jim Henson musical that has become a tradition in many homes at The Hideout. Popular web duo Adventure Sandwich will start off this family friendly event, and Tiny Cover Band will close out the evening. Tickets are $7 to $10 and organizers ask that audience members also bring a gently used childrens book to donate to Bernie's Book Bank. 6 p.m.
024 Tiny Cover Band from Kyle Obriot on Vimeo.