Top Things To Do in Chicago: A Weekend Guide

For nearly three decades, the African Caribbean International Festival of Love has brought reggae and world music performances, Afro-Caribbean food, games, crafts and more to Washington Park. This year, the fest will take place over Independence Day weekend, with performances from I-Octane, Mr. Killa, Al Hudson & One Way, Roody Roodboy and more.

Looking for free concerts near Chicago? Hop on the Blue Line to Rosemont’s Parkway Bank Park for Thursday night performances—with a few holiday and weekend dates sprinkled through the summer—from classic rock cover bands like Yachtley Crew (’70s and ’80s hits), Ticket to the Moon (Electric Light Orchestra) and Rush Tribute Project (Rush, obviously), complete with a fireworks show at the end of the night. Beverage tents will be located on site, but we won’t fault you if you prefer to pre-game with a fishbowl-sized spiked punch from nearby Sugar Factory. For a full schedule of shows, visit the Parkway Bank Park website.

Steppenwolf Theatre mounts a new staging of the Tony Award-nominated play Choir Boy, a story of a young gay Black man struggling to solidify his identity within the confines of a prep school’s elite choir. Written by Steppenwolf ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight), the show delves into a world rife with rituals, peer pressure and quiet longing using a cappella hymns as a stirring background track.

The Art Institute of Chicago has teamed up with London’s Tate Modern to mount the first major retrospective of Paul Cezanne’s work in more than 25 years, exploring the Impressionist painter’s legacy across a variety of mediums and genres. Visitors can explore some of Cezanne’s most enduringly iconic works—including his lush still life paintings and landscapes—as well as rarely-seen compositions pulled from private collections, encompassing a total of 90 oil paintings, 40 watercolors and drawings and two complete sketchbooks. You’ll need an additional ticket to gain access to the exhibit, but you’ll rarely find such a comprehensive perspective on this seminal artist’s life and work.

The Museum of Contemporary Art hosts the first career-spanning retrospective of Chicago artist Nick Cave’s work at Forothermore, a comprehensive dive into Cave’s acclaimed body of visual art alongside his roles as an activist and community builder. Dedicated to those who exist as the “other” (whether through racism, homophobia or other modes of discrimination), Forothermore spans everything from installations and sculpture to fashion, performance and video work, with never-before-seen highlights like a continuation of Cave’s lauded Soundsuits series.

From June through September this year, dozens of movies will screen in parks all over Chicago as part of the city’s annual Movies in the Parks program. From recent blockbusters like Encanto and Sing 2 to classics like The Princess Bride and Space Jam, you’re sure to find good something to watch (for free!) beneath the stars this summer.

Screenings typically begin at 8:30pm each evening. Take a look at the full list of movies and participating parks.

Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija’s incisive artwork and culinary installation (who’s afraid of red, yellow, and green) transforms Wrightwood 659’s second-floor gallery into a communal dining space, where visitors are intermittently served Thai curries while a large-scale mural depicting Thai political protests is painted on the walls. The interactive exhibit—which comes from the collection of the Smithsonian’s Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC—invites visitors to consider the ties between food and politics, and to consider the work alongside their fellow diners while sharing a meal.