Time Out Chicago news

Well, that was fast. A little more than month after Navy Pier announced that Offshore—a 36,000-square-foot rooftop deck—would open this summer, the expansive venue is already welcoming guests. Set atop Navy Pier's Festival Hall, the centerpiece of Offshore is the glass-enclosed bar and dining area that will be open year-round, housing a kitchen, several seating options and an area devoted to entertainment and gaming. The space also features several outdoor terraces stocked with seven fire pits and a stage for live performances, allowing guests to sip drinks and admire the views when the weather is cooperating. RECOMMENDED: Everything to see, eat and drink at Navy Pier While you're gazing at the waters of Lake Michigan (and the endless stream of tour boats passing by), you'll be able to enjoy a selection of cocktails, wine, champagne and regional craft beers assembled by beverage director Clay Livingston. Naturally, there are some photo-friendly drinks available for guests to document and consume, including a cocktail made with tropical lychee fruit and a creation that's served in a bag (the adult version of the Capri Sun juice bags you slurped in your youth). The food menu, which is steered by executive chef Michael Shrader, includes sharable dishes like oysters, crispy Brussels sprouts, smoked pork spare ribs and dark chocolate fondue for dessert. Thanks to its prominent location on top of Navy Pier, Offshore will also boast some of the best views of the attraction's week

There's no denying that Chicago is a great place to be single, but we could all use a break from the dating-app grind. Enter Dating IRL, an original Time Out Chicago feature that sets up two eligible singles on a blind date at a Chicago hot spot. After a night out, each dater reports back with honest feedback on first impressions, chemistry and awkward moments. This time, we matched Marcus and Nolan and sent them to Quiote in Logan Square for dinner and drinks. Let's see how it went. RECOMMENDED: Do you want Time Out editors to set you up on a blind date? Apply today. Photograph: Grace DuVal THE DATERS NOLAN, 28: Physician, optimist, food enthusiast MARCUS, 25: Designer, indoor-plant collector, Instagram junkie Photograph: Grace DuVal FIRST IMPRESSION NOLAN “We walked into the restaurant at the same time, so I met him before we sat down. He seemed comfortable and confident. I could tell we would get along.” MARCUS “We started talking right away. I could tell he was nervous, so I went into joke mode to ease the situation. After that, Nolan warmed up, and the night went by great.” Photograph: Grace DuVal CHEMISTRY NOLAN “The date lasted a while. We covered a lot of ground for a first date: interests, career, family. Our connection felt more platonic, but I enjoyed getting to know him.” MARCUS “I got the feeling from the start that it was more of a friendly connection, but we got a bit deeper as the drinks started flowing. He asked for my number afte

The third season of Stranger Things premieres on Netflix on July 4, but the Chicago Cubs are hosting a special event for fans who can't wait to return to the Upside Down. On June 24, it's Stranger Things Night at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs face off against the Atlanta Braves and you can score a red and blue fanny pack (featuring the show's distinctive font) if you snag admission via a special ticket offer. Before the game starts, you'll be able to pretend you're hanging out by the Indiana ballpark (home of minor league team the Demogorgons, we presume) while taking in a performance from ’80s cover band the Breakfast Club at Gallagher Way from 5 to 6:45pm. A press release about the event mentions that visitors might see something "strange" in front of Wrigley Field's iconic red marquee—hopefully it's just a portal to another dimension and not a ravenous monster. Once you get inside the ballpark, you'll be able to snag Stranger Things-themed Cubs merch from the team store and head to the Marquee Grill to enjoy a dish inspired by Eleven's favorite snack: Eggo Waffle Chips. Stranger Things actors Cary Elwes (who plays a new character named Major Kline) and Dacre Montgomery (Billy Hargrove) will be in attendance to throw out the first pitch and sing along with the crowd in the seventh inning stretch. Plus, you're pretty much guaranteed to hear a gnarly organ rendition of the Stranger Things theme. Tickets for the Chicago Cubs Stranger Things Night are on sale now, starting a

Elevated Films, an outdoor independent film series that supports cinema and local youth arts programs in Chicago, will kick off its summer slate with a sneak preview of Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan’s Saint Frances on the rooftop of the Ace Hotel on Thursday, June 13. The event offers an excellent opportunity for Chicagoans to see the locally made dramedy before it opens theatrically later in 2019. Saint Frances recently won two awards at the South by Southwest Film Festival where it had its world premiere in March—a surprising feat for a first feature with no recognizable stars in the cast. A single viewing makes it immediately apparent why it resonated with judges and audiences: This female-centric character study, which is shot through with compassion, insight and originality, speaks to our cultural moment in a way that other recent American movies do not. Director Thompson will be on hand at the Ace Hotel screening with members of the cast, including writer and lead actress O’Sullivan, for a post-screening Q&A moderated by filmmaker Kris Swanberg. RECOMMENDED: Where to see summer outdoor movies in Chicago' Saint Frances centers on Bridget (O’Sullivan), a 34-year-old Chicago woman with no “fancy job” (she’s a server), no boyfriend and no real direction in life. After she gets a job as a nanny for the film's title character, the 6-year-old daughter of an interracial lesbian couple in Evanston, Bridget also unexpectedly finds herself pregnant in the wake of a one-nigh

Over the last 50 years, the annual Chicago Pride Parade has evolved into one of city's biggest and most inclusive celebrations. Hundreds of thousands of locals and tourists crowd the streets of Boystown and Lakeview to celebrate the occasion, with the help of decorated floats, dance troupes and live music. To honor the Pride Parade's 50th year in Chicago, we dug through the Chicago History Museum’s photo archive with longtime parade organizer Richard Pfeiffer to find old-school snaps of past events. Pfeiffer narrated the photos to life through personal stories and memories. RECOMMENDED: Discover more ways to celebrate Chicago Pride this year Relive Pride Parades past below, and don't forget to mark your calendar: The Chicago Pride Parade steps off on Sunday, June 30 at noon from Broadway and Montrose Avenue, heading south on Broadway then south on Halsted Street. From there, the procession heads east on Belmont Avenue, south on Broadway and east on Diversey to Cannon Drive. Photograph: Declan Haun courtesy Chicago History Museum 1970s The parade’s maiden 1970 voyage was more like a march, with an estimated 200 attendees walking from Washington Square Park to Civic Center (now Daley Plaza). “For me, it was incredible because I had never seen so many different types of gay people,” says Pfeiffer, who attended the inaugural event and has coordinated the parade since 1974. “I was really in the closet and kind of depressed. It was an eye-opener. After that, I got involved

If you were hanging out around the Loop on Saturday night, there's a good chance you spotted something out of the ordinary: hundreds of nearly nude cyclists streaking through the streets. This weekend, World Naked Bike Ride zipped around the North Side, encouraging thrill-seekers to strip down and saddle up to raise awareness of cyclist rights and oil dependency. RECOMMENDED: See even more photo from World Naked Bike Ride And hey, if you didn't catch the one-of-a-kind ride IRL, we've got you covered with a totally NSFW photo gallery from this year's World Naked Bike Ride Chicago. Take a look at the body paint, undies, creative costumes and, yes, very naked bods that graced Chicago streets on Saturday night. Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan   Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'Bryan Photograph: Neal O'

You can't miss the latest pop-up experience in the West Loop. No, really—the building at 1100 W Randolph Street is painted a shade of orange that's impossible to ignore. Louis Vuitton will open the technicolored doors to its first-ever Chicago pop-up on Saturday, June 8. The space is a living, breathing celebration of the men's Fall/Winter 2019 collection, designed by Virgil Abloh, Louis Vuitton's men's artistic director. The storefront is open to the public and will feature a limited-edition collection of ready-to-wear accessories that were designed exclusively for Chicago. The entire line is bright orange—just like the building's exterior—including sunglasses, a leather cap, sneakers and a chain belt. Each piece is emblazoned with Louis Vuitton's signature initials. You'll see more of Abloh throughout Chicago this month, as the Museum of Contemporary Art debuts its highly anticipated exhibition Virgil Abloh: "Figures of Speech" on Monday, June 10. The show explores the designer's career—including his time as creative director to Kanye West and his popular streetwear company Off-White. He's also teamed up with NikeLab Chicago on the Re-Creation center, which will host workshops and an arts-focused mentorship program. Take a look around the Louis Vuitton pop-up residency below—and peep some of the orange-hued products you can find inside, too. The store is open through July 7; stop in Monday through Thursday from 11am to 7pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am to 8pm and Sunday

Longtime collaborators Tina Landau and Tarell Alvin McCraney wanted to make a new show together, but they weren’t sure what it was going to be. Then, Landau, a director and playwright, came upon the story of queer African-American activist Terence Smith and his drag alter ego, Joan Jett Blakk, who ran for president of the United States in 1992. (Blakk’s slogan: “Lick Bush in ’92!”) “I started pointing at the book and jumping up and down and saying, ‘That’s it! That’s it!’ ” Landau recalls. Together, she and McCraney wrote Ms. Blakk for President, based loosely on the night Blakk declared her candidacy. It’s a play that is also a party, a happening and a political gathering, Landau says. “This is queer form,” she notes. “It resists the binary. It’s not just that or this—it’s this and that.” The show’s in-your-face approach echoes Smith’s work with ACT UP, Queer Nation and other activist groups. (The stage design features a zigzagging fashion runway surrounded by “party zone” seating, a first for Steppenwolf Theatre Company.) “We are introducing a voice in Terence, and a set of characters around him, that are not often depicted onstage and who have very out-there ways—sometimes flamboyant, sometimes politically aggressive—of approaching life,” she adds. Landau is directing, and McCraney is moving outside his usual boxes, starring in the production as Blakk. Although he acted in a few Chicago shows after graduating from DePaul, including in Landau’s 2004 Steppenwolf piece, Th

For the last four years, Mamby on the Beach has brought electronic, indie and hip-hop acts to Oakwood Beach during the last few weekends of June. This summer, the curiously named music festival is on the move, with a new location on the city's North Side (Montrose Beach) and a new weekend that's significantly later in the summer (August 23 and 24). Festival co-organizers React Presents (the same folks behind the relocated Spring Awakening Music Festival) are framing the change in venue as a way to offer additional space for the event's three stages, beach games and other activities. Mamby on the Beach's 2019 lineup includes headlining acts like sprawling rap collective Brockhampton, deep house producer Zhu, synth-pop singer Troye Sivan, Porter Robinson's retro techno project Virtual Self, electro-pop duo Sylvan Esso and a 3D concert overseen by electronic musician Flying Lotus. Other highlights of the bill include genre-fusing singer-songwriter Santigold, Reggie Watts' and John Tejada's electro-pop combo Wajatta and dreamy rock duo Phantogram. There are also five unannounced performers on the lineup that will be revealed in the coming weeks. While Montrose Beach has hosted festivals and concerts in the past, but it's been several years since an event similar in size to Mamby on the Beach has made use of the venue. The EDM-focused Wavefront Music Festival took place on Montrose Beach in 2012 and 2013, but traffic congestion around the venue and noise complaints from Uptown,

It's been 15 years since Riot Fest began as a two-day concert at the Congress Theater, headlined by the Misfits, Dead Kennedys and Bouncing Souls. Over the past decade and a half, the event has become one of the biggest punk-rock celebrations in the country, moving outdoors to scenic Douglas Park to present three days of nostalgic music, unexpected reunions and requisite annual performances from Andrew W.K. and GWAR. RECOMMENDED: Everything you need to know about Riot Fest Chicago This year's Riot Fest lineup is both a celebration of the event's history and a testament to vaunted position it holds amid Chicago's increasingly crowded calendar of summer festivals. After being forced to cancel its appearance at last year's fest, pop-punk icons Blink-182 are back atop the bill, joined by metal heavyweights Slayer (playing the band's last Chicago- and Milwaukee-area show), newly reunited riot grrrls Bikini Kill, local punks Rise Against and Jack White's reinvigorated Raconteurs side project (the group's first Chicago show in 11 years). The rest of the lineup is filled with familiar faces, many of whom will be performing seminal albums in celebration of Riot Fest's 15th birthday. The September fest will feature the return of Jawbreaker (who first reunited at Riot Fest 2017), the Flaming Lips (performing Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots), Ween (performing The Mollusk), Die Antwoord and "godmother of punk" Patti Smith. Plus, new wave legends the B-52s will play their final Chicago