14 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Weekend
By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 28, 2017 4:00PM
Image courtesy of The One of a Kind Show.
Weekends are for fun. We've got it right here.
FRIDAY APRIL 28
THE ONE OF A KIND SPRING SHOW: The One Of a Kind shopping experience is back, this time for it’s annual spring show and sale all weekend at the Merchandise Mart. The showcase and shopping event features hands-on crafts and cooking demonstrations as well as accessories, home goods, paintings and much more for sale. Be sure to check out the Emerging Market, which highlights more than 30 first-time exhibitors and artists. Tickets are $10.
SPARK JOY: If you’ve heard of the KonMari method, you know Marie Kondo. She’ll appear at Harris Theater as part of Chicago Humanities Festival Springfest at 7:30 p.m. Her best-selling book Spark Joy teaches how to properly declutter our homes with a focus on items that bring joy. Tickets are $20.
#EB25: The Empty Bottle continues to celebrate their 25th anniversary with this show headlined by Philadelphia’s Pissed Jeans. The band recently released the hard-charging, heavy, riff- and thundering tom-based Why Love Now, a caustic collection guaranteed to explode into a full-blown punk freakout on stage. The bill recreates their first Empty Bottle appearance in 2008 with support from STNNNG and Chicago surf-punk outfit The Catburglers. Friday's show will also feature tickets at the low, low, 2008 price of $10.
CEREBRAL SORCERY: Magician, storyteller and former Chicagoan David London brings his show Cerebral Sorcery back to the city after premiering here 15 years ago. He'll perform with fellow magician Francis Menotti at Chicago Dramatists all weekend. The duo will take visitors on a "philosophical journey into the human mind" as they solve riddles and puzzles. Tickets are $40. Visit the ticketing site for showtimes.
SATURDAY APRIL 29
ARSENIO HALL: Whoop whoop whoop! Comedian, actor and 90s late-night talk-show host Arsenio Hall graces the stage at City Winery. Having been in the biz for more than 35 years, folks may know him from his talk show days, starring (and writing) in Coming to America or his recent win on Celebrity Apprentice, but Saturday he returns to his stand up roots with two shows: 7 and 10 p.m. Tickets start at $35.
RANDOLPH STREET MARKET: Randolph Street Market gets all “Artsy Fartsy” for their April indoor pop-up. Shop vintage, antique and handmade art at the weekend market, plus the usual fashion, fancy foods and market bar (bloody mary station included). Tickets are $8.
Image courtesy of 20x2.
20X2 QUESTIONS: Live lit series 20x2 Chicago returns to Schubas at 7 p.m. with everyone’s favorite question: “WTF?” The event features 20 people from all different walks of creative life, all answering the same question in only two minutes. Answers could be spoken word or music or film or who knows. You’ll have to show up to find out. Tickets are $10.
http://20x2.org/chicago/
WALK WITH BLOSSOMS: Celebrate the arrival of spring with The 606 by taking A Walk with Blossoms from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be family friendly activities all along the trail including music, poetry, art and nature demonstrations. Visit The 606 website for the full lineup. Free.
Photo via Chicago Zombie Pub Crawl's website.
ZOMBIE CRAWL: The Chicago Zombie Pub Crawl has reached a milestone: ten years in Andersonville. Celebrate the anniversary by dressing up like you’re almost dead and on the hunt for brains (and beer). There will be two hordes meeting at The pH Comedy Theater and then crawling to bars like The Sofo Tap, Simon’s Tavern, Farragut’s and more at 2 p.m. Registration is $20 and includes a commemorative t-shirt, a souvenir cup, and access to drink specials and costume contest prizes. There’s also a Kids Zombie Adventure for your little undead from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
SWEETS RECORD RELEASE: Chicago's the Penthouse Sweets are rock and/or roll lifers. They are one of those bands whose members you've seen in a jillion other Chicago bands, but not the ones that suck. The good ones. These are musicians who don't care about the paycheck or the fame or even impressing anyone other than themselves. And that's why their new album In The House Of The Penthouse Sweets is such a terrific listen. Its eight songs channel a shaggy energy that feels effortless and, well, just plain out and out fun. This is what it sounds like when rock and roll isn't a choice, it's just something you have to let loose or you'll explode. The band celebrates the release of the new album with a show at LiveWire on Saturday night.
SUNDAY APRIL 30
Image via Caitlyn Jenner's website.
CAITLYN JENNER: The one and only Caitlyn Jenner speaks as part of Chicago Humanities Festival’s Springfest/17 at Art Institute’s Rubloff Auditorium at noon. From winning a gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Olympics, to coming out as a transgender woman while living in the “Kardashian” spotlight, Jenner has lived a life like no other. She’ll discuss her new memoir, The Secrets of My Life, with co-author and Pulitzer Prize-winner Buzz Bissinger, and CHF Associate Artistic Director Alison Cuddy. Tickets are $15.
GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE: Celebrate the 197th Anniversary of the Greek Declaration of Independence with the Hellenic Heritage Parade. Stepping off at stepping off at 2:30 p.m., the parade runs from Halsted and Randolph to Van Buren streets.
Photo via OTAT's Facebook page.
ADOPT A SHELTER PET DAY: Find your new best friend at one of two Chicago-area rescues waiving adoption fees for Adopt a Shelter Pet Day. Chicago Canine Rescue and One Tail at a Time are both offering fee-free adoptions for eligible dogs for one day only with the help of Barkworthies. For more woof-derful info, check out our post on the special day.
AN EVENING WITH AMY: NPR super stars Amy Dickinson and Bill Kurtis will have a rousing conversation on the stage of the Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre beginning at 7 p.m. An Evening with Amy Dickinson will cover topics ranging from her “Ask Amy” advice column, her new memoir and what it’s like to appear on Wait, Wait...Don’t Tell Me!. Tickets are $15.