23 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Weekend
By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 24, 2016 4:10PM
Photo via SummerDance's website.
We're PROUD to be in Chicago this weekend. The 47th Annual Pride Parade is Sunday and there's many more music, shopping and street festivals to hit up.
FRIDAY JUNE 24
SUMMERDANCE: Swing, Salsa, Steppin’, Ballroom...learn it all at SummerDance. This is the 20th Anniversary season of the outdoor music and dancing series which kicks off Friday at 6 p.m. in the Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park. Dancers of all levels are welcome for free one-hour lessons followed by live music and dancing. Visit SummerDance’s website for the full schedule.
LOGAN SQUARE ARTS FEST: Live art and live music are the focus at this weekend’s Logan Square Arts Festival. Screaming Females and Blitzen Trapper are among the bands headlining, and street artists like Rada and Cyfn will be doing live canvases. The fest also has family-friendly activities and so much more throughout the day. Admission is a $5 suggested gate donation.
AMPERBASH: Ravenswood’s Ampersand Wine Bar celebrates their first anniversary with a wine walk from 5 to 9 p.m. Other local businesses will also get in on the block party like Bang Bang Pie Shop, Amy’s Candy Bar and District. Tickets are $30 in advance.
Photo via the Art Institute's website.
NIGHT HEIST: The Art Institute’s Evening Associates step it up a notch from the museum’s usual after-hours event for the sixth annual Night Heist benefit. The 1930s-inspired event will feature eight specialty cocktails created by top mixologists like Paul McGee of Lost Lake, Danny Shapiro of Scofflaw and more. 9 p.m. to midnight. Tickets are $175.
SUPER BIG GAY HAPPY HOUR: Get prepped for Pride with "No Pride: A Super Big Gay Happy Hour" at Uptown Underground. Jeff-Award winning actor Rob Lindley teams with Chuck Larkin on piano for a show about life’s ups and downs. Special appearance by Miss Chic Filet. 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.
JETSET: Imagine you're in Saint-Tropez at ROOF on theWit as they transform the space for their JetSet Weekend. Each month they pick a different jet-setter destination and music, drinks and food follow the theme. DJs Flipside, Impulse and Pierce Fulton will provide the tunes all day all weekend. Cover charge is $10 for ladies, $20 for guys.
Photo courtesy of The NeoFuturists.
30 QUEER PLAYS IN 60 STRAIGHT MINUTES: The Neo-Futurists are back doing what they do best, presenting a special Pride edition of their improv show "Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind." Watch and marvel as they perform "30 Queer Plays in 60 Straight Minutes" this weekend. Tickets are standard TML... pricing ($9 + the roll of the die or $20 in advance with a roll-back refund at the door).
MOTOBLOT: Motorcycles, Hotrods and Rock n' Roll. This three-day street fest and rally takes over the block at Fulton and Ashland thanks to the guys at All Rise Brewing. Naked Raygun and Black Tusk headline the festivities that have a vintage motorcycle and hot rod street show, a beer hall BBQ, burlesque dancing girls and more. Tickets are $12 a day in advance or $30 for the whole weekend.
SATURDAY JUNE 25
FEEDBACK FEST: Rachael Ray brings a festival of food and music to Lincoln Park Zoo. The evening festival is inspired by the celebrity cook’s SXSW party in Austin with her favorite musicians and food pairings all in one place. Chicago’s lineup includes Grace Potter, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Los Colognes and more. Gates open at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $49.50.
RANDOLPH STREET MARKET: "Red, White & Cool" is the theme for Randolph Street Market this month in advance of Independence Day. All the usual perks will be in effect at the market including art, antiques, fashion, vintage furniture and plus food and drink vendors and a live DJ. They’ll also have on-site appraisals with the Leonard Auction team. Open Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance.
Photo via KOVAL's website.
RAVENSWOOD ON TAP: Get to know the breweries and distilleries of Ravenswood at the first ever Ravenswood On Tap Festival this Saturday from 3 to 9 p.m. The North Side neighborhood is home to nine breweries who will be pouring including Half Acre, Begyle and Empirical, plus KOVAL Distillery who has made a name for themselves with premium gins, liqueurs and whiskeys. The fest will also feature eats from popular Ravenswood-based food trucks. Entry is a $5 requested donation supporting the Ravenswood Community Council and Bowmanville Community Organization.
ELSTON SAUSAGE + MUSIC FEST: Sausage and music. What more does a street fest need? The 2nd annual Elston Avenue Sausage & Music Fest features tunes from area rock bands like Local H, Smoking Popes and Murder By Death, plus food from Byron's, Paulina Meat Market, Nottoli & Son Italian Sausage Shop and more. Admission is a $5 suggested gate donation benefiting the neighborhood's Athletic Field Park and John B. Murphy Elementary School.
VEGANFEST: It's an all-day all-vegan food and drink fest in Grant Park on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Popular vendors will be in attendance from local gems like Chicago Diner to Gothamist favorite from New York, The Cinnamon Snail. Tickets are $15.
Photo courtesy of Chicago Tap Theatre.
TAP DANCE + QUEEN: Chicago Tap Theatre hosts a special one-night-only show at Athenaeum Theatre set to the music of legendary glam rock band Queen. Fittingly titled We Will Tap You!, the performance showcases the work of guest choreographers Rich Ashworth, Kirsten Uttich and Jeremy Plummer. And in honor of Pride Week, Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, Lakeside Pride Freedom Marching Band and Chicago Spirit Brigade will join them onstage for an aerial tap dance collaboration. The evening will be hosted by the always outrageous Mattrick Swayze. 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35.
SIDEWALK SALE: The Wicker Park Bucktown Summer Sidewalk Sales return for another weekend, this time on Milwaukee Avenue between Ashland and North Avenue. Transit Tees, Ragstock and more will have special deals plus other attractions on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
ROOFTOP DJ YOGA: Get down(ward dog) with Deep House Yoga for a morning rooftop session at Whiskey Business at 9:15 a.m. DHY Resident DJ alissa.jo will spin ambient to deep house tunes. In honor of Pride weekend, they’ll be collecting donations for #OneOrlando supporting victims of the Pulse tragedy and their families. They’re also accepting non perishable food items for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Tickets are $22.50, but if you enter code YOGA10 at check-out you get $10 off.
PIG ROAST: Solemn Oath Brewery teams up with Wyler Road for a Pig Roast on their updated patio at 1 p.m. They’ll have limited edition brews, specialty cocktails and DJs for the afternoon hang. Cost is $15.
SUNDAY JUNE 26
PRIDE PARADE: The LGBT community in Lakeview has been going strong for decades, and the recent massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando has only made support stronger. This year marks the 47th Annual Pride Parade in Chicago, and while it may have grown out of oppression and strife, it remains celebration of being true to yourself. Almost anything goes at the rainbow celebration, with plenty of skin, beads and fabulousness spilling into the streets. Parade steps off at noon. Free.
JUICE PARADE PARTY: Keep the party going at the Annoyance Theater with the Juice Pride Parade Party. The event, hosted by New York artist and photographer Ryan Burke, overlooks the parade route and will have curated exhibits, installations, music, dancing, fashion, and drinks and more.
Photo via Chicago Mariachi Festival's Facebook page.
MARIACHI FESTIVAL: The Mariachi Heritage Foundation presents the 2nd Annual Chicago Mariachi Festival at 3 p.m. in Millennium Park. They’ll have world renowned headliners as well as a student mariachi showcase performance. Free.
COCKTAIL DEMO + TASTING: Learn how to make (and then ingest) the Czech Mate and the Chartreuse Smash at Bohemian House’s European Spirits Demo & Tasting from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. BoHo’s Beverage Director Danny Bautista will lead the demonstration of these summer beverages featuring Slivovitz plum brandy and Becherovka herbal liqueur. Tickets are $15. Call 312-955-0439 for reservations.
BELLYQ BACKYARD BBQ: Chef Bill Kim kicks off his Backyard BBQ Series at bellyQ with Chef Giuseppe Tentori at 1 p.m. The last Sunday of each month this summer he’ll team up with other Chicago chefs for a different take on the summer BBQ menu. This month they’re serving up Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs, Lobster, Corn & Red Bell Pepper Salad and Triple Grilled Beef Strip Loin with Moroccan BBQ. Tickets are $45 and include two drink tickets.
NOT THAT KIND OF SPORTS: There's a super urgent '90s energetic indie vibe to SPORTS' last LP, All Of Something. Led by the sweetly plaintive vocals of guitarist Carmen Perry, the band spits out swiftly paced sing-alongs that don't quickly fade from memory. To these ears the band sounds like a snappier paced Bettie Serveert, and that's a very good thing. SPORTS plays at Subterranean on Sunday night and tickets are $13-15.