Happy birthday, Gillian Anderson! You’re from Chicago but also Great Britain and don’t seem to age.
Also, tell all your friends to subscribe to the Chicago mailing list. We gave away tickets to Chicago mailing list subscribers.
We write stuff. Here’s some of that stuff from the last week that may be applicable to your preferences
- It’s August. Have Your Best August.
- Bill Murray’s greatest television appearance was 30 years ago this week.
- Bobby McCoy is our Funny Human of the Week.
OK. Sorry.
ACTIVE: Work out outside with the folks at Shred415 and Lululemon near the Ashland entrance to the 606. It’s free, too.
CULTURE: The latest installment of Public Newsroom, an ongoing series of workshops and discussions about issues facing Chicago, features a discussion about the racial and power dynamics that influence Aldermen across the city.
FILM: The Siskel Film Center is showing a collection of short films as a part of the ongoing Black Harvest Film Festival.
FOOD + DRINK: The Hungry Brain’s got a real cool pop up pasta party tonight, featuring music from La Tosca and food from Pasta Ninth.
FREE: The Chicago Athletic Association and the Museum of Contemporary Art has teamed up for a party based around the MCA’s latest exhibition, I Was Raised on the Internet. Expect VR experiences, DJ sets, and more!
MUSIC: Americana favorites Son Volt play Evanston Space.
OUTSIDE: Take a long lunch and head to the Chicago River to watch the annual Chicago Ducky Derby, a massive rubber duck race featuring 50,000 rubber duckies launched into river all at once. If your duck wins, you could win a car! Holy cow!
STAGE: They’re doing Shakespeare in the Park at Humboldt Park tonight, featuring a performance of A Midsummer’s Night Dream.
STAY IN: Grab a copy of the harrowing, heavy new book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America, by Beth Macy, an in-depth look at the opioid crisis that is ravaging rural America. Not fun but totally necessary reading!
ACTIVE: “Hike” out to Northerly Island for Camp Northerly, an urban camping experience where you can set up a tent and enjoy various outdoor activities like smores making and AM yoga.
CULTURE: Take an architectural tour of the beautiful venue/restaurant/bar complex Thalia Hall, while eating small bites and sipping on fancy cocktails.
FILM: Big old shark movie The Meg comes out this weekend, is there a better place to see it than the drive in? Head up to McHenry, IL to the McHenry Outdoor Theater for a killer time, featuring a double feature of The Meg and Skyscraper.
FOOD + DRINK: The Chicago History Museum’s celebration of our big messy local favorite sausage Chicago Hot Dog Fest 2018 goes down this weekend. Expect music, family-friendly activities, and a lot of hot dogs.
FREE: Grant Park’s Spirit of Music Garden’s got a Chicago Summerdance event soundtracked by house musician Forever Monna.
MUSIC: Celebrate the release of Chicago footwork legend RP Boo’s newest album I’ll Tell Ya What at Gramaphone Records, featuring an extended set from RP Boo plus special discounted pricing storewide!
OUTSIDE: Big Sadie plays The Hideout’s outdoor folk music series Picnics on the Porch.
STAGE: SNL main dude Lorne Michaels drops by a gala event at the Museum of Broadcast Communications as a part of their ongoing exhibition Saturday Night Live: The Experience.
STAY IN: Demetri Martin’s latest standup special, The Overthinker, hits Netflix today. You love Demetri!
ACTIVE: Legacy Dance Studio’s got a Kitty Cats & Yoga Mats fundraiser/cat-ful yoga session planned. Do some stretches while a bunch of adoptable cats wander around the studio, while raising money for the Whiskers & Tails rescue!
CULTURE: Ginza Holiday Festival, a celebration of Japanese Culture, comes to the Midwest Buddhist Temple in Old Town.
FILM: New retro horror picture Summer of 84 screens at midnight at the Music Box tonight, followed by a Q&A with the writer Stephen Smith.
FOOD + DRINK: A handful of restaurants and bars in River North have a nice looking Taco Crawl planned for you.
FREE: Chicago cultural institution the Bud Billiken Parade, the largest African American parade in the country, happens this morning on the South Side starting on King Drive near Oakwood Boulevard.
MUSIC: Ambient musician Steve Hauschildt celebrates the release of his newest album, Dissolvi at Sleeping Village, joined by the equally excellent soundscapist Juliana Barwick.
OUTSIDE: The My House Music Festival is today and tomorrow in Pilsen, celebrating this iconic Chicago art form.
STAGE: The Lagunitas Beer Circus comes to Douglas Park today, with beer, burlesque, circus acts, and more! This will be a wild time.
STAY IN: No Country for Old Men is on Netflix instant. Have you watched it lately? It’s the best!
ACTIVE: The BTN Big 10k is a big old run at Soldier Field, celebrating the various colleges that make up the Big Ten Conference.
CULTURE: Festival Cubano in Riis Park is a massive celebration of Cuban music, food, and culture. This looks awesome.
FILM: Just one movie in the park tonight, The Secret Life of Pets at Walsh Playground Park.
FOOD + DRINK: Check out the Near North Food Truck Social, featuring a bunch of food trucks offering up bite-sized samples of their menu items for you to sample for a very small fee.
FREE: The Kite Festival at the Chicago Botanic Garden is a delightful thing, featuring professional kite flyers showing off their stuff, followed by a family friendly public flight.
MUSIC: The Thirsty Ears Festival, billed as Chicago’s only classical music street festival, closes out two days of classical music today up in Ravenswood. Super classy lookin event, here.
OUTSIDE: Iconic Boystown street fest the Northalsted Market Days is upon us, featuring music, artisanal vendors, food, and more.
STAGE: Steve Martin and Martin Short bring their acclaimed An Evening You Will Forget For the Rest of Your Life show to Ravinia tonight.
STAY IN: Ballers and Insecure are both back on HBO tonight for new seasons. I hear these are both very good but for very different reasons!!
