The best March 2026 events in Chicago

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.

Situated in the heart of downtown Chicago with the city's sweeping skyline as a backdrop, the Skating Ribbon at Maggie Daley Park is a winter attraction unlike any other. Skaters can lace up and wind around a winding ice-covered path that's twice the length of a lap around a traditional rink. Reservations for the popular ice rink should be made in advance, as they tend to fill up quickly. Admission to the Skating Ribbon is free Monday through Thursday and for 11am sessions Friday through Sunday (and $5 for other time slots Friday through Sunday, as well as holidays) if you bring your own skates. No skates? Entry is $17–23 if you need to rent a pair. The Ribbon stays open through March (weather permitting) and even offers hours on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

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. 

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.

Just when you thought the state's largest mall couldn't surprise you anymore, Woodfield Mall announces WONDRA, a sprawling new immersive experience. Inside, you’ll wander through enchanted meadows that respond to the sound of your voice, stumble across bioluminescent landscapes and drift into crystal caves and celestial gardens that blur the line between digital spectacle and raw wonder. Every corner is crafted to ignite curiosity and inspire a sense of awe we, whether you’re a kid seeing it all for the first time or an adult who forgot what it feels like to play.

Need a break from the monotonous sights of winter in Chicago? Head to the North Shore for the Chicago Botanic Garden's annual orchid show, where there are more than 10,000 vibrant blooms on display to brighten your day. This year's show is inspired by the '60s and '70s—marvel at floor-to-ceiling sunbeams made of cascading orchids and get lost in a 10-foot lava lamp aglow with colorful blooms. Swing by on Saturdays and Sundays to shop for orchids of your own in a pop-up marketplace, or stay late on select Thursday and Friday nights to have a cocktail and fried goat cheese during Orchids After Hours.

Escape the planet with exhibits about the first lunar missions, the solar system and more, plus immersive shows in the dome theater. Stationed just a stone's throw away from the Adler, the Doane Observatory is also home to the largest public telescope in the area and gathers 7,000 times more light than the human eye. Every Wednesday, the Adler stays open late from 4pm-10pm so that folks can visit after work or school. And best of all, admission is free on those nights for Illinois residents.

Visiting “The Land of Oz: Beyond the Page” at the Gold Coast’s Driehaus Museum feels a bit like opening a very elegant jewelry box: beautifully crafted, lovingly arranged and also...surprisingly compact. Tucked away into two rooms on the museum’s top floor, the film-inspired exhibit offers a curated peek behind the yellow brick road—costumes, concept art, early editions of L. Frank Baum’s original book and just enough memorabilia to spark a pleasant jolt of nostalgia. The exhibit's highlights include a replica of Dorothy’s slippers—one of only 20 editions worldwide—and a collection of “movie edition” Wizard of Oz books adjusted to better match the silver-screen adaptation. In the end, the Driehaus Museum’s Wizard of Oz exhibit doesn’t attempt to sweep you away in a tornado of spectacle so much as hand you a small, neatly labeled basket of curiosities. Its strength lies in details—like early drafts of the film’s script and a replica of the Cowardly Lion’s courage medal, which was a departure from the book’s bottle of courage the character drank. It’s these little factoids that make the exhibit worth a visit. While the exhibition may leave devoted Oz scholars wanting more, it offers casual visitors a gentle, concentrated dose of nostalgia within the museum’s ornate surroundings. You may not walk out feeling as though you’ve traveled all the way to the Emerald City, but you will have enjoyed a tidy, thoughtfully assembled layover somewhere between fantasy and reality.

For five Saturdays, the Edgewater Indoor Market brightens the Chicago winter with a massive makers market at the Broadway Armory. Each event hosts more than 50 food vendors, artists and artisans. Come hungry—you’ll find an abundance of fresh baked goods, seasonal produce and locally made treats.

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 North 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.