14 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Weekend
By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 31, 2017 3:22PM
Image courtesy of Ipsento.
May your weekend be as delightful as a bunch of mini-donuts.
FRIDAY MARCH 31
FREE DONUTS: Ipsento 606 is celebrating finally their perfected donut recipe by giving you free donuts! Their mini-donuts are made from scratch using freshly milled kamut, sweet potato and are fried in organic coconut oil. Friday only.
AMERICA WOKESHOPS: The School of the Art Institute of Chicago presents a free three-day event to get citizens more engaged in their own democracy. “United, States, America: Three Problematic Concepts” is a series of “Wokeshops” for Informed Participation with experts in civil rights, policy, race, immigration, and the media. Check out the full agenda and rsvp here.
Image via Baconfest's Facebook page.
BACONFEST: The name says it all. Baconfest is an entire festival dedicated to bacon. Food Network stars, Michelin honored chefs and local chefs will all be on the roster this weekend, preparing bacon-loaded dishes for you, bacon-lover, to enjoy. There are three sessions to choose from at the UIC Pavilion: Friday dinner and Saturday lunch and dinner. Tickets are $100 and include tastings, drink tickets, a Baconfest tote bag and a souvenir program guide.
GIORDANO DANCE: Giordano Dance Chicago presents their Spring Engagement at Harris Theater Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The program features a new work by Liz Imperio and Frank Chaves' restaging of "Grusin Suite." Tickets start at $15.
'60s SWINGING GROOVES: Foxygen has been a band with a pretty uneven past. When they are on—both on album and live—they are on and a thrill to see. But part of what makes it such a thrill is the knowledge going in that the volatile group cold be about to trigger absolute collapse. On this year's Hang, we think the band has finally hit their stride and gained the ability to deliver something uniformly terrific. The album features a full on orchestra driving each song, with the music being based in the sound of '60s London sophisticated pop. The result is a lush and lovely listen. It's a complete, and very welcome, departure from their train wreck of a last album, 2014's ...And Star Power. If you've never heard of Foxygen this is an excellent introduction and if you've been turned off by them in the past, now is the time to give them another chance. Foxygen plays Friday night at The Vice and tickets are $22.
MEET YOUR CONGRESSMEN: It's called First Tuesdays, but local journalists Mick Dumke and Ben Joravsky are holding their celebrated monthly live political talk show on a Friday this month so that you can spend Friday night with Illinois Congressmen Danny Davis and Luis Gutierrez. They'll talk about how the Democrats are trying to fight back in the era of Trump. Topics of discussion include budgets, healthcare, immigration, and the intelligence committee hearings. First Tuesdays with Mick & Ben - Special Congressional Edition is happening at The Hideout,1354 W. Wabansia Ave., at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 31. Tickets are $5.
SATURDAY APRIL 1
Image via Cavalia's Facebook page.
ODYSSEO’S BIG TOP: Maybe you’ve seen the White Big Top erected in Soldier Field’s south lot. This month, 65 majestic horses will star in Cavalia Odysseo, a theatrical multi-sensory experience. A talented group of acrobats and musicians and a three-story video screen will wow audience members. Performances run through April 23. Visit the Cavalia website for the full schedule. Tickets start at $34.50.
SKY YOGA: Namaste at the top of the city during weekly Sky Yoga classes at the John Hancock's 360 CHICAGO Observation Deck beginning this Saturday. The one hour gentle flow class begins at 9:30 a.m. and is open to all levels. Preregistration is required. Tickets are $25.
FEEL GOOD ROCK: The Seattle trio of Dude York plays everything big and loud. On Sincerely they bash out joyful, cranked up, timeless noise thta's heavy of hooks and melody. Getting lost in their euphoric racket has been one of our favorite "happy places" to retreat to since the album was released in February, so we're excited to see the band live at Cobra Lounge on Saturday night.
TOM HANKS DAY: Who doesn’t love THanks? The guy is like our dad-next-door while at the same time more amazing than any of us could hope to be. From his comedic beginnings in Bosom Buddies to wowing us with dramatic turns in Philadelphia and Castaway, the legendary actor can be and do anything. The 14th annual "International Tom Hanks Day" Party and Lincoln Hall celebrates all that is Hanks from noon to 5 p.m. A $10 donation toward his favorite charity, Lifeline Energy(www.lifelineenergy.org), gets fans specially priced drinks and food, plus a raffle ticket for Hanks' memorabilia.
DANCE TO THE ROCK: The Dig's earlier work was tuneful and pleasant, but always seemed stuck in second gear. On this year's Bloodshot Tokyo these New Yorkers have sharpened their focus and come up with a blend that winks equally at Britpop and soul. The result is a slinky collection of songs that shows a renewed swagger and bounce to their step. The band plays Schubas Saturday night.
VOLUNTEER TOGETHER: Onward Together is a volunteer & advocacy fair that wants to connect local organizations with the people who are eager to help our most vulnerable communities. The two-day event will have more than 30 organizations set up in total. Visit the National Museum of Mexican Art on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the Center on Halsted from 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. For more information on what organizations are participating, visit the Facebook event page.
SUNDAY APRIL 2
Image via The Logan Theatre's Facebook page.
COCKTAIL SUMMIT: Two days of tastings, demos, workshops and educational seminars will make up the 2nd Annual Chicago Cocktail Summit at Logan Theatre this Sunday and Monday. Brought to us by co-founders Billy Helmkamp (The Whistler, Logan Square Arts Festival) and Erik Westra (Westra & Co., Maximum Fun), the event will feature cocktail experts on beverage-focused panels, plus live tapings of The Sporkful podcast, the Chicago premiere of the documentary Bartender At Large, and much more. Find the full schedule and info on after hours events on their website. Single session tickets are $15 and full-access tickets are $50 per day.
FIRKIN FEST: What the firk is a firkin? Craft beer lovers call them “real ale” brews, tapped directly from the cask--not cold-filtered, pasteurized or carbonated by outside equipment. Headquarters Beercade River North hosts their very own 4th Annual Firkin Fest this Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., tapping rare brews from 4 Hands, Saugatuck, Two Brothers and nearly 40 other brewing companies. Tickets are $40.