The best February 2026 events in Chicago

Open wide! Chicago Restaurant Week is back for its 19th year. More than 470 Chicagoland eateries will offer specially curated prix fixe menus for brunch ($30), lunch ($30) or dinner ($45/$60) between January 24 and February are 9. With more than two weeks to chow down, there's plenty of time to make a few reservations and check out some of the best restaurants in Chicago while saving some coin.

The Chicago Auto Show—the largest car show in North America—is headed back to McCormick Place for 10 days this February to showcase the latest and greatest developments in the world of cars, trucks, electric cars and concept cars. Manufacturers trot out their newest models in elaborate exhibitions, often accompanied by interactive installations that allow you to get behind the wheel (whether physically via indoor/outdoor test track or virtually).

February is the last month to catch this expansive retrospective celebrating key moments of Yoko Ono’s illustrious career. Tracing Ono’s career back to the 1950s, “Music of the Mind” presents over 200 works across a variety of media including performance footage, music and sound recordings, scores, film, photography, installation and archival materials. The exhibition also features participatory works—a key component of Ono’s creative practice—where visitors are encouraged to interact with instruction-based artworks.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's bombastic megamusical haunts the Cadillac Palace for a spectacular eight-week run. The age-old tale of love, loss and revenge unfolds against the Baroque interior of the Cadillac Palace Theatre—transporting you straight to late 19th-century Paris. 

Every year, in the coldest depths of the winter, Chicago Theatre Week gives us a great reason to venture outside. The annual event runs from February 5 to 15, taking over stages throughout the city—from major regional hubs like the Goodman Theatre and Steppenwolf Theatre to intimate spaces such as Raven Theatre. During Chicago Theatre Week, companies offer tickets priced at $15 or $30 (or sometimes less!). 

With soundstage-sized pieces like horned sculptures emitting soap bubbles, inflated spheres bedecked in abstract squiggles and surreal faceless figures hovering in space, “EmotionAir” reimagines the humble balloon as any other artistic medium—a conduit for creativity and emotion. 

Skate under the Chicago skyline and within eyeshot of the Chicago Christmas Tree at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Millennium Park. Plus, take advantage of free skating lessons on most Saturdays and Sundays, where you can learn both beginner- and intermediate-level skills. Note that you'll need to make a free online reservation for both regular skating and lessons.

Can't get enough of marionettes? You'll love the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, which brings puppeteers from across the globe to the city for 12 days of symposiums and more than 100 performances and events. The Puppet Hub returns this year, which includes events on the fourth floor of the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue—take a look around to find everything from a puppet-themed cafe to live puppet spectacle productions in the building’s massive Studebaker Theater. 

The North Side is bringing back its own Restaurant Week, offering exclusive deals during lunch and dinner. Enjoy three-course menus at places throughout Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, Albany Park, Edgewater, Irving Park, Northcenter, North Park, Rogers Park and Uptown. Participating spots include Maman Zari, Bistro Campagne, Khmai, Boonie's, Luella's, the Warbler and more.

How are some of the most iconic costumes of the past century made? Costume designer Paul Tazewell pulls back the curtain in this behind-the-scenes exhibition. Highlights include costumes from Wicked, Janelle Monáe’s MET Gala looks and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. Sketches, videos and narration reveal how imagination becomes wearable art.