Hey! You get an extra day this year. Don’t waste it lying around in front of the TV or sleeping. Enjoy it at one of the city’s best events or by taking advantage of the many food, drink and shopping deals. This year, Leap Day takes place on a Monday and, of course, it won’t happen again until 2020. Here are some of the best ways you can spend your extra day on February 29.
1. Go shopping and skip the tax. Many of the stores at Block 37 (you know, the home of everything from Anthropologie and Akira to BucketFeet and Local Charm) are offering discounts of 10.25% (the current Illinois sales tax) or more to celebrate the wondrous extra day of consumerism. Shop from 10am to 8pm at most of the center’s stores. (Sadly, Sephora is not participating.)
2. Throw back a 29-cent beer in Lakeview. You can get a Miller Lite or Coors Light draft for less than three dimes until supplies run out at Flagship.
3. Take advantage of a free museum day. The Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, the Museum of Science and Industry and many other top spots are free on February 29 with an Illinois ID.
4. Go to a free show at Empty Bottle. Sure, the Bottle hosts a free concert every Monday, but you get one more than expected this month. Stop by to check out Minneapolis punks What Tyrants.
5. Tour some gardens. Monday’s supposed to be fairly warm (compared to the snowy and windy days we’ve had lately, at least), but even if it’s cloudy outside, you can escape to paradise at Lincoln Park Conservatory or Garfield Park Conservatory, both free.
6. Eat cheap tacos. Tallboy Taco in River North is offering $2.99 tacos all day, or pack in any six tacos and two margaritas for $29 at Taco Joint in River North or Lincoln Park.
7. See what the future holds. Kit Kat Lounge and Supper Club is hosting a tarot card reader, so you can have your fortune told while sipping a martini for $29.
8. Laugh it up at a comedy. You can snag tickets to the Midwest premiere of New Country at The Den Theatre for $29.99. The comedy from Illinois native and Mike and Molly creator Mark Roberts plays through May 14 and has been called both raunchy and full of heart.
9. Check out the renovated Apollo Theater on Monday for a bonus performance of mentalist Marc Salem’s Mind Over Chicago at 7:30pm for $29 with code “LEAP.”
