The best things to do in Chicago this weekend

Presented by the experts at the Rum Lab, the Chicago Rum Festival (formerly the Midwest Run Festival) brings together producers from across the world for an afternoon of tastings and mingling. Guests can choose from one of four different tickets and work their way through a variety of rum expressions, accompanied by complimentary snacks and live music. All attendees will receive a three-ounce souvenir cup.

Open, critical and reflective, the Chicago Palestine Film Festival returns with a selection of films showcasing contemporary Palestinian life through the experiences of the artists. This time, you'll be able to catch screenings virtually and at the Gene Siskel Film Center. The festival will open with award-winning film Bye Bye Tiberias, a memoir about the burden of leaving, the endurance of memory and the determination to forge one’s own destinies and identities.

SAUCED returns for its 10th season with a 4/20-inspired night market, where over 50 local vendors will be selling handmade goods, jewelry, vintage clothing, prints and more treasures, with a special emphasis on cannabis-related products. Got the munchies? Snag food from local eateries like Soul & Smoke and Mochinut, or bust some moves to live beats from DJ Johnny Walker.

Celebrate 4/20 at River North dispensary Green Rose’s second annual 420 Sesh Fest. Taking place in the company’s parking lot on Wells and Ontario Streets, the event will feature live DJ sets, food trucks, a Stiiizy tie dye tent and other pop-ups, a magic show, prizes and more. Chicago rapper Vic Mensa will also be on site for meet-and-greets from 3pm-4:30pm Tickets are $42 with a purchase at Green Rose, or $20 without.

Love cheese and bread? Then head to Cheesie’s in Wicker Park on April 20 for a Grilled Cheese Fest. Sample a variety of sandwiches—General Admission gets you four tastings while VI-Cheese tickets include eight and a cocktail or beer—complemented by bottomless tomato soup. The hungriest attendees can compete in a grilled cheese eating contest, and the event will be capped off with a screening of Half Baked.

This gathering of all things yarn-related takes over Chicago Plumbers Union Hall April 20-21. Featuring vendors from all over the country, Yarncon celebrates a variety of independent yarny arts. Shop handmade and hand-dyed yarn, hand-dyed roving and batts, accessories and tools, handmade gifts and more. There will also be workshops where you can hang out and learn with fellow yarn enthusiasts. When you need a break, grab a bite from local food trucks that will be on site.

The North Center brewery is celebrating its fourth anniversary by hosting a day of free family-friendly festivities. Enjoy live music from Leonardo Music for Kids, Dolph Chaney and the Phins and Soul Daddy while feasting on bites from Barry Sweets, Milo’s Market and Offset BBQ. Kids will be able to jump around in a bounce house, get their faces painted and check out an arts and crafts area. Burning Bush will also be tapping a brand new anniversary beer.

Sixteen of the country's best street-style dancers will compete in the Red Bull Dance Your Style North Qualifier to earn a spot in the finals. Dancers battle to everything from throwback hits to popular tracks to win the audience vote and advance to the next round. The event will go down at Ramova Theatre; tickets are $13.

Celebrating science fiction and fantasy short films from around the globe, the 10th annual Juggernaut Film Festival will feature more than 90 screenings across three days at Otherworld Theatre. This year’s lineup includes selections like Triggered, The Replicant, Last Trial and The Assassin’s Apprentice. All proceeds will go toward supporting Otherworld’s mission of producing science fiction and fantasy plays and events.

In its 13th year, One Earth Film Festival offers a slate of environmental films aimed at understanding climate change, sustainability and the power of human involvement. Screenings cover topics including water justice, public housing, deforestation, more. Films will be screened all over Chicagoland, from the Chicago Cultural Center and Bronzeville to Oak Park.

Bingo Loco, an interactive rave show that’s taken place in cities around the world, comes to West Loop’s Recess this spring. The traditional game of bingo gets reimagined as a three-hour long immersive experience, complete with epic dance offs, rave rounds, lip sync battles, confetti showers, CO2 cannons, conga lines and prizes ranging from international trips to lawnmowers. One thing’s for sure—this ain’t bingo night at the senior center.

Head to Koval Distillery to shop a variety of goods from 25 local artisan makers. You’ll be able to peruse items like jewelry, knit goods, home decor, prints, paintings, candles and more, all while sipping on a tasty drink.

Bring your furry best friend to Midwest Coast Brewing for an afternoon of brews and treats from vendors specializing in dog-friendly goods. You’ll be able to shop goods from host Chicago Dog Co., as well as participating businesses like Art by Embee, K9 Training and Doggy Glam Boutique. And doggos will get to enjoy pup cups!

The Chicago Latino Film Fest returns for its 40th year, showing films from Latin America, Spain, Portugal, the United States and more via screenings at Landmark Century Centre Cinema, Davis Theatre and Cervantes Institute. This year's programming lineup includes highlights like Alonso Alvarez's thriller The Wingwalker as well as Laura González's drama Milonga, which will serve as the festival's closer. For a complete schedule of screenings, check out the Chicago Latino Film Festival website.

The Joffrey Ballet is bringing back a favorite to close out its 2023-24 season—Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman’s ballet rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which takes cues from Scandinavian Midsummer traditions rather than Shakespeare. The Lyric Opera Orchestra performs the score by Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson, with Swedish singer Anna von Hausswolff joining the dancers onstage at every performance.

One of Chicago's most popular farmer's markets, Green City Market welcomes vendors selling regional produce to the south end of Lincoln Park (between Clark Street and Stockton Drive) on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Amid the rows, you’ll find farm-fresh eggs from Michigan, cheese from Wisconsin and scrumptious pies baked by Chicago’s own Hoosier Mama Pie Co.

Tropical speakeasy Three Dots and a Dash is partnering with some of the best Japanese bars from the U.S. and Japan for a pop-up series throughout the month of April. The event will feature guest bartenders creating a menu of specialty cocktails, plus a selection of exclusive and rare Japanese whiskeys. To enhance the ambiance, a retro jukebox spinning vintage vinyls will provide the soundtrack. The guest lineup includes Bar Goto (April 4-7), Katana Kitchen (April 11-14), Bar Trench (April 18-21) and SG Club (April 25-28).

See more than 20 films from China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Canada during the latest edition of the Asian Pop-Up Cinema screening series, which will include in-person and virtual screenings. This season's centerpeice is Good Autumn, Mommy, a story about a rural Chinese mother searching for her missing newborn daughter. For a complete schedule, visit the Asian Pop-Up Cinema website.

This annual festival assembles luminaries from the fields of politics, journalism and the arts for a multi-week series of programming across the city, with events ranging from lectures and discussions to screenings and musical performances. Not sure which events to hit? Some of the fest’s biggest speakers this season include former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, architect Jeanne Gang, musician Kathleen Hanna and comedian Reggie Watts. You can see a full schedule of programming on the Chicago Humanities Festival website.

The Museum of Science and Industry debuts a new exhibit dedicated to the science and technology behind the world’s longest-running film franchise, James Bond. Fans can check out 13 vehicles and over 90 additional artifacts, including the prototype jetpack used in Thunderball, an MI6 Retina Scanner from GoldenEye and the Parahawk snowmobile hybrid from The World Is Not Enough. You’ll also be able to step into a lab space inspired by “Q” and test your skills developing the perfect vehicle for spy activities, designing stunts and more.

Winter is almost over and the Garfield Park Conservatory is here to usher in warmer days with its Spring Flower Show. Make a reservation to explore this year's show, "What's in a Name?" which explains the history and science of botanical nomenclature. You'll find spring bulbs like Tulipa ‘Rococo’, Lilium ‘Josephine,’ Viola ‘Matrix Yellow’ and Anemone ‘Giant Blue Poppy.’ The show only sticks around through Mother's Day weekend, so book your visit soon!

Chicago Gamespace, a video game museum and gallery, opens a new exhibit that explores the unique and ephemeral history of vector (line) graphics in contrast to the dominant raster (pixel) visual displays that reign today. Notable games like Asteroids, Battlezone and Star Wars will be highlighted, as well as a recently-preserved emulation of Moonlander.

Navy Pier’s newest attraction is here, transporting guests to some of Chicago’s most epic places via exhilarating flights. The multi-sensory experience incorporates drone technologies with aerial shots and first-person views to showcase the city like never before. Guests will swoop, dip and turn in motion seats as they climb up skyscrapers, check out iconic landmarks, float through fireworks and more.

The largest and most immersive touring Titanic exhibition comes to Westfield Old Orchard mall in Skokie. Visitors will experience a narrative journey that brings to light the fates of the passengers and crew aboard the famous ship. Marvel at hundreds of artifacts that survived the sinking, plus props and costumes featured in James Cameron’s blockbuster film Titanic. Music from the era will play as patrons walk through detailed recreations of the ship’s interiors, including the grand staircase, while the Discovery Gallery will simulate what discovery teams saw during dives to the Titanic’s wreckage site.

Check out all sorts of cool trinkets, wares and eats at this indoor market highlighting artisan makers from Chicago’s South Side. Taking place on the second floor of the Promontory, the family-friendly event will feature new and returning vendors, a cocktail bar, lounge areas and tunes by DJ Sean Alvarez.

Gather a group of friends for this show, an off-the-cuff ode to Jane Austen that has gained a loyal following in the 15 years since its debut. The cast calls upon an audience suggestion to inspire the show’s title (ensuring a totally new performance each time), then creates a long-form, Regency Era "Rom-Com" with Austen tropes and manners of yore. Expect a tale of laughs, love and surprises.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has brought its first immersive entertainment destination to Oakbrook Center, inviting guests to enter the worlds of popular franchises like Uncharted, Ghostbusters, Jumanji, Bad Boys, Zombieland and more. The 45,000-square-foot space is home to a variety of activities, ranging from escape rooms to virtual reality and racing simulators to bumper cars. When you need to refuel, drop into the Commissary Restaurant for a full menu of food, desserts and cocktails. Entry to Wonderverse is free, with attractions priced separately.

Chicago farmers market season is well past its peak, but you can still get in on the fresh produce action during this winter edition of the Wicker Park market, which is popping up inside The Robey on the first and third Sundays from December through April. Browse goods from local vendors like Zeitlin Bagels, Chitiva and Frogtown Juice—and you can always grab a coffee from Cafe Robey to sip on while you stock up.

Displaying a 25-story-tall video installation on the side of THE MART, ART on THE MART is the largest permanent digital art projection in the world, with programming that changes seasonally. ART on THE MART's array of 34 digital projectors show the creations after dusk every evening. It’s best viewed from the section of the Chicago Riverwalk between Wells Street and Franklin Street.

Head to 360 Chicago on Saturdays for yoga with a killer view. Instructor Britta Eumann will lead an hour-long class on the 94th floor of 875 N Michigan Avenue (formerly the John Hancock Center) that’s suitable for all ages and skill levels—you just need to bring your own mat and arrived properly dressed. Registration is $55 and includes a cocktail or coffee, plus admission to the observation deck so you can stick around and snap some photos after you're done striking poses on the mat.

Bye Bye Liver combines two robust Chicago traditions: comedy and heavy drinking. The show opened over a decade ago for a three-week run, then kept getting extended. A cast of four to six performers portray characters at the fictional "Franks Bar," telling stories that explore the city's robust drinking culture. Each show incorporates interactive audience drinking games, allowing you to sip a cocktail or beer while taking cues from the cast. And if you're up for a nightcap after the performance, you can stick around for the official after party and mingle with the cast.

For more than 30-years, the Neo-Futurists have been delighting late-night crowds with performances that pack 30 miniature plays into a 60-minute show. The company's signature show is more unpredictable than ever these days, with a handful of compact new plays premiering every week. Within the span of 10 minutes, you may be treated to a poignant monologue about everyday life or an irreverent diatribe delivered by a pantsless member of the cast—all inspired by the experiences of the performers on stage. Always changing and evolving, it's the rare show that truly offers something different everytime you show up to see it.

This weekly “live magazine” is a cavalcade of culture, politics and wit featuring journalists, actors, comedians and musicians offering idiosyncratic reports on the news of the day. Head to Uptown’s iconic Green Mill for drinks, hot takes and laughs; the longstanding Saturday afternoon edition tends to run about two and a half hours.