These 1,525 activities are worth leaving the house for.
Ask me for something more specific.
Sun, Nov 15 · 11:00 AM
West Town • $69 – $201.25
Flour dusted tables and bubbling sauces set the scene at Tutore Italian Cooking School, where participants master regional Italian techniques, knead fresh pasta, and craft authentic meals in a hands-on kitchen setting.
November 6 at 3:30pm +1
Frank Lloyd Wright Trust · Oak Park • Free
Maginel Wright Barney created numerous long-point embroidery pieces as a fiber artist and children's illustrator, and visitors attend an afternoon session pairing architecture with embroidery alongside Education Intern and Fiber Artist Joey Drouin.
November 7 at 1pm (This weekend)
National Museum of Mexican Art · Lower West Side • $10 registration fee
Polymer clay takes on Day of the Dead forms in this workshop led by Fabiola Rivera, where participants shape small-scale sculptures and bake their finished pieces on-site at the National Museum of Mexican Art.
November 7 at 3pm (This weekend)
National Museum of Mexican Art · Lower West Side • Free
Air-dried clay, beads, and quiet galleries await during this sensory-friendly morning at the National Museum of Mexican Art. Visitors can explore exhibitions before public hours, shape self-paced art projects, and access weighted blankets, plushies, and fidgets.
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 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 6 at 9pm
iO Theater · Goose Island
Started in 2007, cult classic ensemble 3033 reunites for one night as part of iO Theater's historic 45th Anniversary. The fast, fearless improv group weaves a seamless web of scenes and characters, joined by opening team Devil's Daughter.
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 5pm +5
Green Mill Jazz Club · Uptown • $$
Chris Foreman takes the stage for an early evening Friday set at the Green Mill Jazz Club, bringing live music to the historic venue from late afternoon into the early evening hours.
Nov. 6 & Nov. 7 at 8pm
Evanston SPACE · Evanston • $47.17-$73.72
Grammy Award winner Jon Cleary brings thirty-five years of New Orleans funk and his all-star big band, the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, to Evanston SPACE for a live concert.
Browse Chicago neighborhood by neighborhood, get ideas just for you, or ask me anything.
1,525 activities · Page 1 / 26
Thu, Nov 12 · 8:30 PM
Moe's Cantina - River North · River North
$$
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
The Lion Theatre · Chicago Loop
Thu, Nov 12 · 8:00 PM
The Green Mill · Uptown
$$
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place · Streeterville
Thu, Nov 12 · 7:00 PM
Norris University Center · Evanston
Free to all
Thu, Dec 3 · 8:00 PM
Prairie Moon · Evanston
Free
Fri, Nov 6 · 5:00 PM
Lower West Side
$60
Thu, Nov 12 · 7:00 PM
Ed & Joe's Restaurant & Pizzeria · Tinley Park
$$
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
Green Mill Jazz Club · Uptown
$$
Fri, Nov 6 · 11:00 AM
The Art Institute of Chicago · Chicago Loop
$633
Thu, Nov 12 · 7:00 PM
Chris's Billiards · Portage Park
Wed, Nov 11 · 6:00 PM
Pizzeria Uno · River North
$59
Sat, Nov 7 · 11:00 AM
Henry Crown Sports Pavilion · Evanston
Thu, Nov 12 · 6:00 PM
Snakes & Lattes Chicago · Logan Square
$
Thu, Nov 12 · 8:30 PM
Hey Nonny Live Music + Local Kitchen · Arlington Heights
$$
Fri, Nov 6 · 12:00 PM
Henry Crown Sports Pavilion · Evanston
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
Banging Gavel Brews · Tinley Park
$$
Fri, Nov 6 · 9:00 AM
The Field Museum · Near South Side
Free
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
Aragon Ballroom · Uptown
Fri, Nov 6 · 9:00 PM
Meeting House Tavern · Uptown
$
Fri, Nov 6 · 1:00 PM
Technological Institute · Evanston
Fri, Nov 6 · 10:00 AM
Italian Cultural Institute in Chicago · Chicago Loop
Fri, Nov 6 · 9:00 PM
LV Club · Logan Square
$$$$
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
Ramova Theatre · Bridgeport
Fri, Nov 6 · 5:00 PM
Green Mill Jazz Club · Uptown
$$
Fri, Nov 6 · 1:00 PM
North Campus Parking Garage · Evanston
Fri, Nov 6 · 7:00 PM
Cobra Lounge · West Loop
$26-$33
Fri, Nov 6 · 9:00 AM
Henry Crown Sports Pavilion, Norris Aquatics Center · Evanston
Free for Northwestern students and current facility members; Non-members: $13 Weekdays before 3 p.m. / $20 After 3 p.m. & Weekends
Fri, Nov 6 · 2:00 PM
Robert H Lurie Medical Research Center · Streeterville
Fri, Nov 6 · 10:00 AM
Robert H Lurie Medical Research Center · Streeterville
Fri, Nov 6 · 10:00 AM
Chicago Cultural Center · Chicago Loop
Free Admission
Fri, Nov 6 · 12:00 PM
Henry Crown Sports Pavilion · Evanston
Fri, Nov 6 · 10:00 AM
Chicago Cultural Center · Chicago Loop
Free
Fri, Nov 6 · 4:00 PM
Parkes Hall · Evanston
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
The Fun Singles Chicago Speed Dating & Singles Events · Fulton Market District
Fri, Nov 6 · 9:00 PM
The SoFo Tap · Uptown
$
Fri, Nov 6 · 10:00 AM
Chicago Cultural Center · Chicago Loop
Free
Fri, Nov 6 · 10:00 AM
Kresge Hall · Evanston
Fri, Nov 6 · 10:30 AM
Allstate Arena · Rosemont
Fri, Nov 6 · 6:00 PM
Deering Library · Evanston
Fri, Nov 6 · 10:00 AM
Technological Institute · Evanston
Fri, Nov 6 · 11:00 AM
Field Museum · Near South Side
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 · 7:30 PM
The Vic Theatre · Lake View East
Fri, Nov 6 · 8:00 PM
Garcia's Chicago · West Loop
Fri, Nov 6 · 1:00 PM
Technological Institute · Evanston
Fri, Nov 6 · 11:30 PM
Laugh Factory · Lake View East
Fri, Nov 6 · 9:00 AM
Field Museum · Near South Side
$43.7-$56.8
Fri, Nov 6 · 5:00 PM
Epiphany Center for the Arts · West Jackson Boulevard District
Free
Fri, Nov 6 · 9:30 AM
University Hall · Evanston
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.