These 53 activities are worth leaving the house for.
Ask me what you're after.
Every day at 5pm
Jack's Pumpkin Pop-up · West Town
Ten thousand pumpkins, Downtown's only corn maze (with a secret bar tucked inside), axe throwing, and enough photo ops to fill your camera roll. This sprawling fall festival goes full autumn: carnival games, gem mining, fortune tellers, and seasonal cocktails at every turn.
November 19 at 9pm
The Whistler · Logan Square • No cover
Alternative dance music fills this curated night, where a collective of Trans and Queer artists of color highlights genre-fusion and diasporic sounds alongside drag performers and dancers.
November 20 at 5:30pm
Brookfield Zoo Chicago · Brookfield
Exclusive holiday drinks and live sets by DJ Nurotic set the mood as adults-only guests explore the illuminated grounds during Brookfield Zoo Chicago's Sip and Stroll.
November 21 at 4pm (Next weekend)
NoMI Kitchen · Streeterville • $$$
Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the avenue below during this viewing party at NoMI Kitchen, featuring an expansive buffet, unlimited hot chocolate, and entertainment including a kids' live DJ, roaming magician, and balloon artist.
November 21 at 6pm (Next weekend)
Beat Kitchen · North Center • $$
Belt out Like a Prayer with a room full of fellow stans. Earlybirds Club throws a Madonna-rama dance party covering every era, from Material Girl to Madame X, for women and gender-expansive folks.
December 10 at 5:30pm
Chicago History Museum · Lincoln Park • $95 general admission; $85 Guild members; $30 child’s ticket (under 18)
Top hats, long scarves, and multigenerational voices: The Dredge performs only during December, filling the Chicago History Museum with classic carols alongside festive drinks and bites during this annual holiday gathering.
Browse Chicago neighborhood by neighborhood, get ideas just for you, or ask me anything.
53 activities · Page 1 / 1
Fri Nov 13, 9pm
Meeting House Tavern · Uptown
$
Fri Nov 13, 9pm
LV Club · Logan Square
$$$$
Fri Nov 13, 9pm
Takito Grill · Des Plaines
$10
Sat Nov 14, 12pm
Island Party Hut · Chicago Loop
$5
Sat Nov 14, 5pm
Beauty Bar Chicago · West Town
$15
Sun Nov 15, 7pm
Beauty Bar Chicago · West Town
Free
Tue Nov 17, 8pm
The Green Mill · Uptown
$10
Thu Nov 19, 8:30pm
Moe’s Cantina River North · River North
$10
Thu Nov 19, 8pm
The Green Mill · Uptown
$$
Fri Nov 20, 10pm
House of Blues Chicago · River North
Fri Nov 20, 6pm
Harmony Square · Tinley Park
Sat Nov 21, 4pm
Towne Square · Palatine
Sat Nov 21, 5pm
Beauty Bar Chicago · West Town
$0-$15
Sat Nov 21, 5pm
Beauty Bar Chicago · West Town
$15
Sat Nov 28, 4pm
Jackman Park · Glenview
Free
Sat Nov 28, 5pm
Beauty Bar Chicago · West Town
$15
Sat Dec 5, 12pm
Wicker Park · West Town
Free
Sat Dec 5, 5pm
Beauty Bar Chicago · West Town
No cover 5–9 PM · $15 after 9 PM
Sat Dec 5, 4:30pm
Fountain Square · Evanston
Free
Wed Dec 9, 5pm
Lincolnwood Community Center · Lincolnwood
Admission Fee $8 - $10
Thu Dec 10, 9pm
smartbar · Lake View East
$20-$25
Sat Dec 12, 6pm
Park West · Lincoln Park
Wed Dec 16, 8pm
Constellation Chicago · North Center
Wed Dec 16, 10:30am
Lincoln Park Cultural Center · Lincoln Park
Fri Dec 18, 11:30am
Park Central Banquet Hall · Rolling Meadows
Sat Dec 19, 12pm
Sherwood (Jesse) Park · Englewood
Sat Dec 19, 3pm
Old Town School of Folk Music - Gary & Laura Maurer Concert Hall · Lincoln Square
$15
Wed Dec 30, 8pm
Garcia’s Chicago · West Loop
Thu Dec 31, 9pm
Outset · West Town
Thu Dec 31, 10:30am
Lincoln Park Cultural Center · Lincoln Park
Thu Dec 31, 10:45am
Skatium Ice Arena · Skokie
$7
Fri Feb 19, 6pm
Cragin Park · Belmont Cragin
$5 per child registered
Sat Feb 20, 6pm
Community Recreation Center · Schaumburg
$50 Resident / $60 Non-Resident
Beauty Bar Chicago · West Town
Free
Lincoln Park Zoo · Lincoln Park
Beauty Bar Chicago · West Town
Free
Beauty Bar Chicago · West Town
$
Beauty Bar Chicago · West Town
$
Shedd Aquarium · Near South Side
Beauty Bar Chicago · West Town
No Cover
Beauty Bar Chicago · West Town
Free
Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce · Sheffield & DePaul
Atlantis Banquets · Arlington Heights
$99
Beauty Bar Chicago · West Town
Free
National Museum of Mexican Art · Lower West Side
Free
Beauty Bar Chicago · West Town
Free
Wheeling Park District - Community Recreation Center Indoor Pool · Wheeling
$15
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.
You can browse these pages without an account. Sign in to save activities and help me learn your taste, so future suggestions have a better starting point.
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.