These 594 activities are worth leaving the house for.
Ask me for something more specific.
Every day at 7pm from Nov. 6 to Nov. 15
Gene Siskel Film Center · Chicago Loop
Seventy-five films from 18 countries fill the 32nd Black Harvest Film Festival at the Gene Siskel Film Center, featuring 60 Chicago premieres, 4K restorations, and more than 50 attending filmmakers leading screenings and conversations.
November 11 at 7pm
Norris University Center · Evanston • Free
Free scary movies under the stars: Norris Programs screens spooky favorites like Sinners and I Know What You Did Last Summer on Cohen Lawn. Bring a blanket, grab your friends, and lean into spooky season.
November 18 at 6:30pm
Chicago Cultural Center · Chicago Loop • $0
This monthly film club digs into what it actually means to make art for a living, screening contemporary films about creative work and its hidden struggles. It's free, thoughtful, and held inside one of Chicago's most breathtaking buildings.
November 5 at 7:30pm +3
Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts · Streeterville • General Public $20 · Full-Time Students $12 · Full-Time NU Students $8–$12
An overhead projector and a 1980s VCR camera set the stage as creator Jared Mezzocchi uses simple technology to transport audiences from a diner to outer space during this multimedia exploration of the Challenger disaster.
November 5 at 2:30pm +63
Apollo Theater · Sheffield & DePaul
Dragged through a cloud of strawberry-scented vapor and a TikTok filter, this unhinged spoof of Grease lands at the Apollo Theater for an eighty-five minute run packed with hallway clout, secret romances, and rivalries.
November 6 at 6pm
Douglass (Anna and Frederick) Park · Marshall Square • Free
Up to twenty-two interlocking hoops shape creatures and stories as Starr Chief Eagle performs traditional Lakota hoop dancing at Douglass Park during an interactive presentation exploring language, art, and cultural knowledge.
November 6 at 7:30pm +20
Steppenwolf Theatre Company · Lincoln Park
Armed with pickleball paddles and hard kombucha, a suburban circle converges on the school board to ban library books in Stephanie Alison Walker's piercing world premiere, directed by Pam MacKinnon at the Ensemble Theater.
November 5 at 7:30pm +3
Symphony Center · Chicago Loop
Da-da-da-DUM: fate knocks at Symphony Center. Hear Beethoven's most famous symphony performed in a hall with stunning acoustics, featuring rising piano star Mao Fujita.
November 5 at 5pm +7
Green Mill Jazz Club · Uptown • No cover charge
Andy Brown performs an early evening set at the Green Mill Jazz Club.
November 5 at 8pm +3
Jazz Showcase · Chicago Loop • $30-$35
Nearly sixty years after leaving Kingston, Grammy-nominated pianist Monty Alexander brings his spirited blend of jazz, blues, calypso, and reggae to the stage, accompanied by bassist Lorin Cohen and drummer Neal Smith.
November 6 at 7:30pm
The University of Chicago · Hyde Park
Craig Taborn bends jazz piano into thrilling new shapes, where acoustic tradition collides with electronic curiosity. His trio delivers improvisations that feel both cerebral and deeply soulful.
Browse Chicago neighborhood by neighborhood, get ideas just for you, or ask me anything.
594 activities · Page 1 / 10
Thu, Nov 12 · 6:00 PM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
The Lion Theatre · Chicago Loop
Fri, Nov 6 · 6:30 PM
Second City Main Stage · Old Town Triangle
Thu, Nov 12 · 8:00 PM
The Green Mill · Uptown
$$
Thu, Nov 12 · 6:30 PM
Foundation Room Chicago · River North
$$
Thu, Nov 12 · 5:30 PM
North River Mental Health · North Park
Fri, Nov 6 · 5:00 PM
Chicago Magic Lounge · Ravenswood
Free
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place · Streeterville
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
The Green Mill · Uptown
$$
Thu, Dec 3 · 8:00 PM
Prairie Moon · Evanston
Free
Fri, Nov 6 · 6:00 PM
900 North Michigan Shops · Streeterville
$75
Wed, Nov 11 · 6:00 PM
Pizzeria Uno · River North
$59
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
Banging Gavel Brews · Tinley Park
$$
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
Aragon Ballroom · Uptown
Fri, Nov 6 · 10:30 PM
The Neo-Futurists · Ravenswood
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
Ed & Joe's Restaurant & Pizzeria · Tinley Park
$$
Fri, Nov 6 · 11:30 PM
Laugh Factory · Lake View East
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
Ramova Theatre · Bridgeport
Fri, Nov 6 · 5:00 PM
Green Mill Jazz Club · Uptown
$$
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
Cobra Lounge · West Loop
$26-$33
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:30 PM
Berger Park Cultural Center · Edgewater
$15
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
Allstate Arena · Rosemont
Fri, Nov 6 · 5:00 PM
Marquette (Jacques) Park · Chicago Lawn
Free
Fri, Nov 6 · 5:00 PM
Green Mill Jazz Club · Uptown
$$
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
Evanston SPACE · Evanston
$47.17-$73.72
Fri, Nov 6 · 11:59 PM
Green Mill Jazz Club · Uptown
$5
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
The Comedy Bar · Streeterville
$25-$35
Fri, Nov 6 · 9:00 PM
Chop Shop · West Town
$26.22
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:30 PM
The Vic Theatre · Lake View East
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
Garcia's Chicago · West Loop
Fri, Nov 6 · 9:00 PM
iO Theater · Goose Island
Fri, Nov 6 · 5:00 PM
Epiphany Center for the Arts · West Jackson Boulevard District
Free
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
Rosemont Theatre · Rosemont
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:30 PM
Thalia Hall · Lower West Side
Tickets start at $48
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:30 PM
FITZGERALDS NIGHTCLUB · Berwyn
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro · North Center
$15
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
Bizzy Bees · Forest Park
Free
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
Old Town School of Folk Music - The Myron R. Szold Music & Dance Hall · Lincoln Square
$36
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:30 PM
George Van Dusen Theatre at North Shore Center · Skokie
$26-$85
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:30 PM
Constellation · North Center
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
Park West · Lincoln Park
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:30 PM
Pick-Staiger Concert Hall · Evanston
$6 general public / $4 students with valid ID
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
Concord Music Hall · Logan Square
$25
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
The Chicago Theatre · Chicago Loop
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
Epiphany Center for the Arts · West Jackson Boulevard District
Advanced $30 · Day of Show $40 · VIP Table for 2 $100
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
Old Town School of Folk Music · Lincoln Square
$30
Fri, Nov 6 · 6:00 PM
FitzGerald's · Berwyn
Free Show
Fri, Nov 6 · 9:00 PM
The Comedy Bar · Streeterville
$20-$35
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
Avondale Music Hall · Irving Park
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:30 PM
The Theatre School at DePaul University · Lincoln Park
$30
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
Outset · West Town
Check what’s playing at Steppenwolf Theatre Company for theatre, or Sleeping Village for live music. Read about the actual production or listen to the artist before choosing. You don’t need to recognise a name for it to be your kind of evening.
Choose the show first, then make plans nearby. Leave enough room between dinner and curtain time to enjoy both. Tell me where you’re staying and whether you’re taking transit, and I can help narrow the search to an evening that fits together.
Tell me when you’re free, where you’ll be, and what sounds appealing. “Live music near me, somewhere I can sit, under $30” gives me more to work with than “something fun.” You can keep narrowing it down with me.
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Outgoing is free to use. Events have their own admission prices, including some that are free. Check the listing for prices and booking details before making plans.