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37 exciting things opening in Chicago in October

Zach Long
Written by
Zach Long
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October is here, the leaves are beginning to change, Halloween is just around the corner and the words "pumpkin spice" are on every barista's lips. It's time to start planning out the first month of fall in Chicago with our list of October's most anticipated events and openings. Make a clever sign and hit the streets to cheer on runners participating in the Chicago Marathon. Find some inspiration while listening to a selection of notable speakers at Chicago Ideas Week and the Chicago Humanities Festival. Put on a costume and show it off at the Northalsted Halloween Parade or get down with club kids at Freaky Deaky. Take a break from admiring the fall foliage and check out our list of the best openings in Chicago in October.

THINGS TO DO

Oct 3: Ring in autumn with beer, food and music while previewing the newly expanded Kedzie taproom at the Revolution Brewing Oktoberfest Party.
Oct 10, 11: Beer Hoptacular returns to the Aragon Ballroom, boasting more than 150 beers from 60 brewers and three separate tasting sessions.
Oct 12: Runners take over the city's streets at the annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
Oct 18, 19: Go behind the scenes at more than 150 buildings all around town during Open House Chicago.
Oct 31: The Northalsted Halloween Parade welcomes a procession of costumed revelers to the streets of Boystown.

FESTIVALS

Oct 1–4: The Via Festival (yep, more fests!) explores audio-visual art and LGBT party jams with fantastic headliners Mykki Blanco and Cakes da Killer.
Oct 4: Head to the riverfront to watch giant flaming sculptures float through the city at the Great Chicago Fire Festival.
Oct 13–19: Speakers like actress Joan Cusack, director George Lucas and former Meet the Press host David Gregory will attempt to inspire a new generation at Chicago Ideas Week.
Oct 17, 18: Go bowling and drink White Russians with fellow Dude devotees at Lebowski Fest Chicago.
Oct 25–Nov 9: Chicago Humanities Festival: Journeys welcomes Girls creator Lena Dunham, rocker Patti Smith and additional guests who will explore the intricacies of human creativity.

FOOD & DRINK

Oct 3–5: At Taste Talks, Mario Batali and Paul Kahan have put together an outstanding line-up of panels and events that explores Chicago’s food and drink scene. From discussions about cider and dried charcuterie to a big chef barbecue, there’s something for every food lover.
Mid Oct: Helmed by bartender Liz Pearce, the Drifter will be a speakeasy-style bar located underneath Green Door. Expect a daily changing cocktail list and sideshow performances.
Oct TBD: A new restaurant from the Three Aces team, Charlatan will be opening in West Town with a menu of Italian cuisine, local beers and cocktails.

Note: Food & Drink openings are subject to change and can be delayed; call ahead before setting out.

FILM

Oct 3: Gillian Flynn's popular novel Gone Girl is adapted for the screen by David Fincher for fall's first must-see film. We've already given it 5 stars.
Oct 9: Enjoy two weeks of subtitled bliss as the Chicago International Film Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary with a selection of major premieres, must-see indies and classics from the half-century history.
Oct 17: Produced by Guillermo del Toro, candy-colored animated feature The Book of Life is a love story that reaches into the afterlife, a perfect Halloween affair for families.

COMEDY

Oct  2–4: Understated, guitar-plucking goof Nick Thune comes to the UP Comedy Club, blending puns and absurdist quips into a fun hybrid.
Oct 5: Twenty six comedic musicians gather for an evening of silly songs at Laughingstock: The Chicago Comedy Music Festival.
Oct 14:
 Since leaving Chicago, Cameron Esposito has been leaving her mark on the L.A. comedy scene but we're happy to have her back for a night.
Oct 16: The comic minds of Second City pair up with the dancers of Hubbard Street in this highly anticipated collaboration, The Art of Falling.
Oct 19: Parks and Recreation won't be back on the air until next year, but you can still get your Ron Swanson fix when Nick Offerman heads home to Illinois to promote his book Paddle Your Own Canoe with a reading event.

ART

Oct 3–Dec 27: This American Life reporter Davy Rothbart's "Found: P.S. Page Me Later" presents a collection of forgotten photographs, notes and audio recordings that have graced the pages of his Found zine.
Oct 4–Nov 14: Peruse a collection of vintage "Horror Movie Posters" that were recovered during the recent renovation of the Logan Theatre.
Oct 11–Jan 4: Works by noted Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai are included in the Art Institute's latest exhibit, "Ghosts and Demons in Japanese Prints".
Oct 16–Dec 21: A photographer chronicles the modern Chicago DIY scene and attempts to make connections to the city's musical past in "Michael Schmelling: Your Blues".

THEATER

Oct 2–Nov 8: In The Vandal, first play from the actor Hamish Linklater, a talkative teenager wheedles his way into the good graces of a woman at a bus stop who'd prefer to be left alone.
Oct 2–Nov 1: Bailiwick Chicago opens its season with a new production of Michael John LaChiusa's musical The Wild Party, based on the Jazz Age poem by Joseph Moncure March.
Oct 9–Nov 2: Tony nominee Josh Young stars in a new Broadway-aimed musical about John Newton, the Anglican cleric and reformed slave trader who wrote the song Amazing Grace.
Oct 16–Nov 23: A troupe of theater artists attempting to create a performance piece about Mao Zedong get entangled in their own narratives in playwright Christopher Chen's award-winning The Hundred Flowers Project.
Oct 18–Dec 7: Scott Weinstein directs a scaled-down revision of 1997 Tony Award winning musical, Titanic.

MUSIC

Oct 2: Christine McVie is back with Fleetwood Mac at United Center. Finally, we can hear "Everywhere" again.
Oct 12: No Age hits Thalia Hall for a free gig with craft beer, fondue, DJs, "Kentucky Fried Lobster" and punch at the Dusek's and Punch House One Year Customer Appreciation Party.
Oct 16: Ryan Adams explores the '80s finds the middle ground between the Eagles and the Replacements on his new LP, which he dig into at Chicago Theatre.
Oct 17: Few acts throw a party quite like Chromeo. The tongue-in-cheek funksters deliver slick disco with a smirk at the Riv (and DJ at the Mid​ afterward).
Oct 24: Flying Lotus melds jazz with face melting breaks on his thrilling new album, You're Dead! Hear it live at Concord.
Oct 31: React Presents' wild annual Halloween bash, Freaky Deaky, brings British bass titan Flux Pavilion and rapper G-Eazy to Aragon.
Oct 31: Eerie-beautiful electronic noise king Ben Frost haunts Constellation with the gothic ambience of his A U R O R A tour on Halloween.

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