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A ballet performance of midsummer night's dream
Photograph: Courtesy of Cheryl Mann

The best things to do in Chicago this week

Find the very best things to do in Chicago this week, including cultural events, festivals and shows.

Jeffy Mai
Edited by
Jeffy Mai
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Looking for fun activities to do this week? You've come to the right place! Spring is here, which means it's time to get outside and go hiking or plan an exciting day trip. Here in Chicago, you can check out a variety of film festivals, go on munch march ahead of 4/20 or get down to house music at Daley Plaza. There’s even more on our list below, so scroll through the roundup of the best things to do in Chicago this week and start planning your calendar.

RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in Chicago this weekend

Best events and things to do in Chicago this week

  • Things to do
  • Wrigleyville

Celebrating science fiction and fantasy short films from around the globe, the 10th annual Juggernaut Film Festival will feature more than 90 screenings across three days at Otherworld Theatre. This year’s lineup includes selections like Triggered, The Replicant, Last Trial and The Assassin’s Apprentice. All proceeds will go toward supporting Otherworld’s mission of producing science fiction and fantasy plays and events.

  • Things to do
  • Loop

Record Store Day, the annual celebration of independently-owned record stores around the world, will go down this year on April 20. Collectors and music lovers will convene at some of the best record stores in Chicago for the release of limited edition, exclusive vinyl and CDs. There will also be special events around town, including a pop-up record shop at Virgin Hotels Chicago’s speakeasy-themed space, Upstairs. Guests can browse and shop records while DJ White Owl spins beats from 2-7pm.

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  • Things to do
  • Festivals
  • Loop

Satisfy your 4/20 cravings with a dessert and appetizer crawl around Ravenswood. You’ll be able to try tasting-sized portions of foods like pies and cookies, as well as cocktail and beer samples. The event will take place along Montrose Avenue between Seeley and Ravenswood; participating businesses include Cultivate by Forbidden Root, First Slice Pie, Katherine Anne Confections, Wolcott Tap and more.

  • Things to do
  • Lincoln Park

Sample delicious bites from more than 20 Chicago restaurants at the 45th annual Chef’s Table, happening at Theater on the Lake. This year, the neon jungle-themed event will raise funds to benefit the IRA Educational Foundation. Participating restaurants include Eden, Demera, Gene & Georgetti, Piccolo Sogno, Soul & Smoke and more.

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Zhou B Art Center 3rd Fridays
  • Art
  • Public art
  • Bridgeport

On the third Friday of every month,  resident artists at Bridgeport's Zhou B Art Center open their studio doors to the public for a night of mixing, mingling and, of course, art. Tour individual artist work spaces and shop for one-of-a-kind works from local painters, sculpters, photographers and more.

House on the Plaza
  • Things to do
  • Loop

Take a midday break and head to Daley Plaza for a dance party. Live DJs will be spinning house music so get ready to get down.

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  • Things to do
  • Ukrainian Village

Every third Wednesday of the month, Dorothy plays host to Fruit Salad—a queer open mic night. The all-inclusive event reserves five performance slots for BIPOC individuals, alongside five for any interested performers. The shows have showcased some of the city’s best queer and trans musicians, poets and storytellers, and a portion of ticket sales support local organizations focused on issues ranging from abortion care to cancer awareness.

  • Movies
  • Drama
  • Loop

The Chicago Latino Film Fest returns for its 40th year, showing films from Latin America, Spain, Portugal, the United States and more via screenings at Landmark Century Centre Cinema, Davis Theatre and Cervantes Institute. This year's programming lineup includes highlights like Alonso Alvarez's thriller The Wingwalker as well as Laura González's drama Milonga, which will serve as the festival's closer. For a complete schedule of screenings, check out the Chicago Latino Film Festival website.

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  • Dance
  • Ballet
  • Loop

The Joffrey Ballet is bringing back a favorite to close out its 2023-24 season—Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman’s ballet rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which takes cues from Scandinavian Midsummer traditions rather than Shakespeare. The Lyric Opera Orchestra performs the score by Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson, with Swedish singer Anna von Hausswolff joining the dancers onstage at every performance.

  • Things to do
  • Markets and fairs
  • Lincoln Park

One of Chicago's most popular farmer's markets, Green City Market welcomes vendors selling regional produce to the south end of Lincoln Park (between Clark Street and Stockton Drive) on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Amid the rows, you’ll find farm-fresh eggs from Michigan, cheese from Wisconsin and scrumptious pies baked by Chicago’s own Hoosier Mama Pie Co.

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  • Things to do
  • River North

Tropical speakeasy Three Dots and a Dash is partnering with some of the best Japanese bars from the U.S. and Japan for a pop-up series throughout the month of April. The event will feature guest bartenders creating a menu of specialty cocktails, plus a selection of exclusive and rare Japanese whiskeys. To enhance the ambiance, a retro jukebox spinning vintage vinyls will provide the soundtrack. The guest lineup includes Bar Goto (April 4-7), Katana Kitchen (April 11-14), Bar Trench (April 18-21) and SG Club (April 25-28).

  • Art
  • Film and video

Displaying a 25-story-tall video installation on the side of THE MART, ART on THE MART is the largest permanent digital art projection in the world, with programming that changes seasonally. ART on THE MART's array of 34 digital projectors show the creations after dusk every evening. It’s best viewed from the section of the Chicago Riverwalk between Wells Street and Franklin Street.

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  • Movies
  • Loop

See more than 20 films from China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Canada during the latest edition of the Asian Pop-Up Cinema screening series, which will include in-person and virtual screenings. This season's centerpeice is Good Autumn, Mommy, a story about a rural Chinese mother searching for her missing newborn daughter. For a complete schedule, visit the Asian Pop-Up Cinema website.

  • Things to do
  • Festivals
  • Loop

This annual festival assembles luminaries from the fields of politics, journalism and the arts for a multi-week series of programming across the city, with events ranging from lectures and discussions to screenings and musical performances. Not sure which events to hit? Some of the fest’s biggest speakers this season include former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, architect Jeanne Gang, musician Kathleen Hanna and comedian Reggie Watts. You can see a full schedule of programming on the Chicago Humanities Festival website.

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  • Things to do
  • Hyde Park

The Museum of Science and Industry debuts a new exhibit dedicated to the science and technology behind the world’s longest-running film franchise, James Bond. Fans can check out 13 vehicles and over 90 additional artifacts, including the prototype jetpack used in Thunderball, an MI6 Retina Scanner from GoldenEye and the Parahawk snowmobile hybrid from The World Is Not Enough. You’ll also be able to step into a lab space inspired by “Q” and test your skills developing the perfect vehicle for spy activities, designing stunts and more.

  • Things to do
  • East Garfield Park

Winter is almost over and the Garfield Park Conservatory is here to usher in warmer days with its Spring Flower Show. Make a reservation to explore this year's show, "What's in a Name?" which explains the history and science of botanical nomenclature. You'll find spring bulbs like Tulipa ‘Rococo’, Lilium ‘Josephine,’ Viola ‘Matrix Yellow’ and Anemone ‘Giant Blue Poppy.’ The show only sticks around through Mother's Day weekend, so book your visit soon!

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  • Things to do
  • Streeterville

Navy Pier’s newest attraction is here, transporting guests to some of Chicago’s most epic places via exhilarating flights. The multi-sensory experience incorporates drone technologies with aerial shots and first-person views to showcase the city like never before. Guests will swoop, dip and turn in motion seats as they climb up skyscrapers, check out iconic landmarks, float through fireworks and more.

  • Things to do
  • Logan Square

Chicago Gamespace, a video game museum and gallery, opens a new exhibit that explores the unique and ephemeral history of vector (line) graphics in contrast to the dominant raster (pixel) visual displays that reign today. Notable games like Asteroids, Battlezone and Star Wars will be highlighted, as well as a recently-preserved emulation of Moonlander.

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  • Things to do
  • Skokie

The largest and most immersive touring Titanic exhibition comes to Westfield Old Orchard mall in Skokie. Visitors will experience a narrative journey that brings to light the fates of the passengers and crew aboard the famous ship. Marvel at hundreds of artifacts that survived the sinking, plus props and costumes featured in James Cameron’s blockbuster film Titanic. Music from the era will play as patrons walk through detailed recreations of the ship’s interiors, including the grand staircase, while the Discovery Gallery will simulate what discovery teams saw during dives to the Titanic’s wreckage site.

  • Theater
  • River North

Gather a group of friends for this show, an off-the-cuff ode to Jane Austen that has gained a loyal following in the 15 years since its debut. The cast calls upon an audience suggestion to inspire the show’s title (ensuring a totally new performance each time), then creates a long-form, Regency Era "Rom-Com" with Austen tropes and manners of yore. Expect a tale of laughs, love and surprises.

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  • Things to do
  • Suburbs

Sony Pictures Entertainment has brought its first immersive entertainment destination to Oakbrook Center, inviting guests to enter the worlds of popular franchises like Uncharted, Ghostbusters, Jumanji, Bad Boys, Zombieland and more. The 45,000-square-foot space is home to a variety of activities, ranging from escape rooms to virtual reality and racing simulators to bumper cars. When you need to refuel, drop into the Commissary Restaurant for a full menu of food, desserts and cocktails. Entry to Wonderverse is free, with attractions priced separately.

  • Museums
  • Museum Campus

Escape the planet with exhibits about the first lunar missions, the solar system and more, plus immersive shows in the dome theater. The Doane Observatory is also home to the largest public telescope in the area, and gathers 7,000 times more light than the human eye. Every Wednesday, the Adler stays open late from 4pm-10pm so that folks can visit after work or school. And best of all, admission is free on those nights for Illinois residents.

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  • Comedy
  • Uptown

This weekly “live magazine” is a cavalcade of culture, politics and wit featuring journalists, actors, comedians and musicians offering idiosyncratic reports on the news of the day. Head to Uptown’s iconic Green Mill for drinks, hot takes and laughs; the longstanding Saturday afternoon edition tends to run about two and a half hours.

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  • Comedy
  • Sketch shows
  • Lake View

Bye Bye Liver combines two robust Chicago traditions: comedy and heavy drinking. The show opened over a decade ago for a three-week run, then kept getting extended. A cast of four to six performers portray characters at the fictional "Franks Bar," telling stories that explore the city's robust drinking culture. Each show incorporates interactive audience drinking games, allowing you to sip a cocktail or beer while taking cues from the cast. And if you're up for a nightcap after the performance, you can stick around for the official after party and mingle with the cast.

  • Theater
  • Experimental

For more than 30-years, the Neo-Futurists have been delighting late-night crowds with performances that pack 30 miniature plays into a 60-minute show. Returning to in-person programming (attendees must be vaccinated and masked) after more than a year spent in the virtual realm, the company's signature show is more unpredictable than ever, with a handful of compact new plays premiering every week. Within the span of 10 minutes, you may be treated to a poignant monologue about everyday life or an irreverent diatribe delivered by a pantsless member of the cast—all inspired by the experiences of the performers on stage. Always changing and evolving, it's the rare show that truly offers something different everytime you show up to see it.

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