CHICAGO — Despite the cold, March is coming in hot with a jam-packed weekend of events, from the Windy City Comedy Festival to a Logan Square bar hop.
Neighbors can also take a communal plunge into the icy waters of Lake Michigan for charity, enjoy local theater productions on stage and sip hundreds of beers at a Brewsology booze fest.
Here’s a roundup of 25 things to do in Chicago this weekend:
Truth After Dark Creole Cuisine Grand Opening
5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday
Truth After Dark Creole Cuisine, 56 E. Pershing Road
A new Creole restaurant is coming to Bronzeville this weekend, serving up New Orleans-inspired dishes like Cajun dry rub wings, Louisiana style gumbo and jambalaya. Reservations are required for this special weekend. Make them online here.
Chicago Flamenco Festival
7-8:15 p.m. Thursday, 7-8:30 p.m. Sunday
Instituto Cervantes, 31 W. Ohio St.
The Chicago Flamenco Festival returns for its 22nd edition this week and runs through March 23. On Wednesday and Thursday, celebrated flamenco guitarist and Latin Grammy-winner Antonio Rey will perform new and old compositions. Tickets are $30 online. On Sunday, Spanish star MarÃa José Llergo will perform her flamenco-inspired sophomore album, “Ultrabelleza.” Tickets are $35 online.
Avery*Sunshine Live
7:30-9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday
City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph St.
Atlanta-based singer, pianist and composer Avery*Sunshine has been praised by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle and other music icons. The multi-hyphenate artist is bringing her soulful R&B sound and uplifting anthems to Chicago for four shows this weekend. Tickets are $62-$75 online.
‘Mothers’ With The Gift Theatre Company
7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday
Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Award-winning playwright Anna Ouyang Moench’s “Mothers” closes out its month-long Chicago run this weekend. The story follows three moms, a stay-at-home dad and a nanny as they watch their kids play at a mommy-baby meetup. When catastrophe strikes, these five characters have to survive not only each, but also a war.
This dystopian production directed by Halena Keys explores “the primal heartache of raising children in a disintegrating world.” Tickets for the final Chicago shows are $35-$45 online.
‘Flood’ With Shattered Globe Theatre
8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday
Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.
A play prepared for the end of the world, “Flood” takes place in a 19th floor apartment, where Edith simply wants to have tea with her husband. While he’s preoccupied and the kids don’t call enough, outside, “the waters are rising, rising, rising.”
Written by Mashuq Mushtaq Deen and directed by Kenneth Prestininzi, the show is playing in Chicago through March 9. Buy tickets for $15-$45 here.
Greektown Restaurant Week
Kicks off Friday
Various locations around Greektown
Chicagoans can “go Greek” this week during Greektown Restaurant Week, which launched in 2021. Select restaurants will offer specials through March 7, including half-price Greek wines and beer from 9 Muses Bar & Grill, a free Saganaki dish per table at Athena Restaurant and complimentary baklava with each Mr. Greek Gyros plate purchased.
Find more information and a list of participating eateries here.
North Side Restaurant Week
Kicks off Friday
Various North Side restaurants
Several North Side Chambers of Commerce groups have joined forces for this inaugural restaurant week. Diners can enjoy global flavors — from Argentinian to French to Southern comfort — across Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, Andersonville, Edgewater, North Center, Rogers Park and Uptown. Select eateries will offer special prix fixe menus through March 15.
Find more information and participating restaurants here.
‘Conjecture’ Exhibition
5-9 p.m. Friday
Oliva Gallery, 3816 W. Armitage Ave.
See sculptures by artists Mitch Clark and John Upchurch at this month-long exhibit opening Friday. Clark creates dreamlike sculptures from materials such as wire, paper and thread — “so delicate, that the tiniest wisps of air could result in them falling apart.” Photographs of his ephemeral work allow them to live on and be seen in galleries. Upchurch’s sculptures are composed of discarded materials, industrial relics and old tools, repurposing them into new, beautiful, hilarious and often anthropomorphized creations. His work represents “the hopeful notion that almost anything can become something else.” Learn more here.
First Fridays At Sunnyside Plants
6-7:30 p.m. Friday
Sunnyside Plants, 4800 N. Milwaukee Ave.
At this monthly event, Chicagoans looking to cultivate a green thumb can bring their ailing houseplants and questions to a Jefferson Park plant nursery. The Sunnyside team will be on hand to guide neighbors to gardening success. Light refreshments will be provided, or BYOB.
Thaddeus Tukes Quartet
7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Friday
Winter’s Jazz Club, 465 N. McClurg Court
Chicago’s own Thaddeus Tukes — an acclaimed musician known as the “world’s best vibraphonist” — is performing two Friday night shows in the city. General admission tickets are $27.75 and VIP tickets are $32.75. Buy them here.
Windy City Comedy Festival
8 p.m. Friday
Arie Crown Theater, 2301 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive
See a lineup of world-class comedians like Sommore, Lavell Crawford, Don “DC” Curry, Special K and Teddy Carpenter at this highly anticipated festival. Tickets are $59 online.
Children’s Story Time In The Grove
10 a.m.-noon Saturday
The Shops at North Bridge, 520 N. Michigan Ave.
Enjoy a family-friendly story time with a special guest speaker in honor of National Read Across America Day. Guests can also get a photo with Clifford the Big Red Dog and make their own bookmark. Register for free online.
Women’s History Month Soul Pop-Up
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday
Strugglebeard Bakery, 5221 S. Harper Court
A Hyde Park bakery is hosting Saturday Soul pop-up shops through March with a different Black woman-owned business each weekend. This Saturday features Kissed By A Bee Organics, an apothecary and urban farm by Akilah Scott-Amos, who hails from Chicago but is based in Manvel, Texas.
Afro Soca Love Marketplace
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday
The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave.
Carnival comes to Chicago this weekend for an Afro Soca Love market and party. Dress to impress, shop local and enjoy beats and bites inspired by Africa and its diaspora, from Caribbean to Afro-Latin to African American. There will be live DJs, entertainment and a photo booth. RSVP for free online. There will also be a 21-and-older afterparty 10 p.m. Tickets start at $10 here.
‘Syndey’s Big Speech’ Story Time & Signing
Noon-1:30 p.m. Saturday
Three Avenues Bookshop, 3009 N. Southport Ave.
Local author Malcolm Newsome will read and sign his latest picture book at the Lakeview bookstore. The story follows a young girl, Sydney, who wants to be a great leader but needs encouragement to overcome her fear of public speaking.
RSVP for the free event here, and pre-order the book for $19.99 here.
House Of Chelsea B Pop-Up Shop
1-5 p.m. Saturday
The Silver Room, 1506 E. 53rd St.
Englewood streetwear designer Chelsea B is hosting her first pop-up this weekend, showcasing original looks and samples from her brand House of Chelsea B. Attendees can shop garments, accessories and more “wearable art” from the brand, which has recently been worn by popular artists, including Megan Thee Stallion and Lizzo.
BUILD Youth Art Showcase
5-9 p.m. Saturday
BUILD Campus, 5100 W. Harrison St.
BUILD — a nationally recognized gang intervention, violence prevention and youth development group on the West Side — is hosting its seventh annual youth art showcase celebrating the potential and resilience of Chicago’s young people.
This year’s theme is “Art of Possibilities: Explore & Discover,” and the exhibit features work donated by local artists and creations by young people in BUILD programs. Art on display will be available for silent auction, and proceeds will benefit BUILD’s prevention and art programs. Tickets are $75 online.
Brewsology Beer Fest
6-11 p.m. Saturday
Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Drive
Sample 200 beers from more than 60 breweries at the nation’s largest science museum. Museumgoers can browse exhibits, try flight simulators and more with a drink in hand. It’s a self-proclaimed “boozy hybrid of your middle school field trip.” Tickets start at $55 online.
Chicago Fire FC Vs. FC Cincinatti
7:30 p.m. Saturday
Soldier Field, 1410 S. Museum Campus Drive
The highly anticipated home opener game between soccer teams Chicago Fire FC and FC Cincinatti is on this weekend. Tickets and resale tickets start at $21 online.
Saturday Skate Party
8 p.m. Saturday through midnight
Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St.
Grab your roller skates (no blades) and head to Thalia Hall for a 17-and-older party hosted by Chicago skating guru Myesha McCaskill and skate group Inspired By Favor. Tickets are $25 online.
Chicago Polar Plunge
8 a.m. Sunday
North Avenue Beach, 1600 N. DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Dive into the chilly waters of Lake Michigan while raising money for child athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Thousands of Chicagoans participate in the plunge, which is returning for its 24th edition.
Sign up and donate online. Funds support Special Olympics Chicago and Special Children’s Charities.
Wicker Park Winter Market
9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday
The Robey Chicago, 2018 W. North Ave.
Grab a tote bag and shop local at an indoor farmers market in Wicker Park. There will be vendors selling produce, baked goods, coffee, candles, jam and more. It’s held every first and third Sunday of the month through April.
Logan Square Makers Market & Bar Hop
1-6 p.m. Sunday
Various locations
With a drink in hand, neighbors can shop from 35 local makers across three neighborhood bars. There will be vendors selling handmade goods, including candles, jewelry, artwork and knit goods.
Participating locations are Revolution Brewing at 2323 N. Milwaukee Ave., Navigator Taproom at 2211 N. Milwaukee Ave. and Pilot Project Brewing at 2140 N. Milwaukee Ave. This is a family-friendly event and free to attend.
Synth Flea Market
1-6 p.m. Sunday
Marz Community Brewing, 3630 S. Iron St.
Meet up with neighbors, jam and sell and swap synthesizers and other music gear at a South Side brewery. It’s free to attend and participate.
Trinity Irish Dance Company
3 p.m. Sunday
Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive
Founding Artistic Director Mark Howard is leading Chicago’s renowned Trinity Irish Dance Company to the stage for one upcoming show in the city.
A recent inductee in the 2023 Irish American Hall of Fame, the dance company is drawing upon American Vaudeville and its place in Irish step dance history for this “at once whimsical and fierce” performance. The group is also working with renowned choreographer Harrison McEldowney, who has come out of retirement to collaborate with Trinity on a new work called “P.O.V.” Tickets start at $25 online.
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