The best things to do in Chicago this week

After a wreath is laid at the eternal flame in Daley Plaza at 11am in remembrance of those who died serving in the U.S. armed services, Chicago's annual Memorial Day Parade marches down State Street (from Lake to Van Buren streets) beginning at noon. Crowds line the street waving flags and paying their respects as part of this Chicago tradition, which dates all the way back to 1870.

During the summer, the Chicago attraction hosts twice-weekly fireworks shows (on Wednesdays at 9pm and Saturdays at 10pm) from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, with stunning views available from across the pier's public spaces. During the winter months, the pyrotechnics return for a much-needed encore. If you're feeling weary of crowds, you can also take in the show from nearby beaches or while cruising along the Lakefront Trail.

Started in 2022, this two-day extravaganza returns to Grant Park over Memorial Day weekend. Taking place on a single stage in Grant Park's Hutchinson Field, Sueños will feature headlining sets from Kali Uchis, Fuerza Regida, J Balvin and more. In addition to two days of music, you can try food from some of Chicago's best Latin restaurants, a host of art installations and experiential activations, and a Ferris wheel in the park that you can ride between (or during) sets. 

Ravenswood Corridor neighbors Dovetail and Begyle return this year for their annual Memorial Day weekend street fest on Malt Row, where attendees can sip beer from both breweries and grab bites from Beard and Belly, Donerman, Happy Lobster and more. Catch live music and consider tossing in a donation, which will benefit neighborhood food pantry The Friendship Center. 

You may never get to take enter the gridiron with the Chicago Bears, but you can take off on a 10-mile run from the team's home turf. The Soldier Field 10-Mile begins and ends at the stadium, sending participants on a scenic jaunt down the Lakefront Trail. Everyone who registers receives a Chicago jersey tee and a stadium blanket, and finishers get a medal memorializing their achievement. Stick around afterwards for a beer at the post-race tailgate.

Returning for its second year, The Salt Shed’s flagship music festival promises a weekend of left-of-center sounds and alternative icons. This year’s lineup features Aussie singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett, electronic luminary Toro y Moi, and noise-pop pioneers The Jesus and Mary Chain. Beyond the music, attendees can explore the quirky Oddball Market and a studio sale curated by the Chicago nonprofit Arts of Life.

Enjoy outdoor live music all summer long at the Navy Pier Beer Garden. The free series will feature local, regional and national acts performing countless genres and musical styles every weekend. Check the official Navy Pier website for the full lineup and schedule.

Love cover bands? Head to Lakeview (right by the Belmont Red Line station) for three days of music, featuring an eclectic lineup of local acts. Kill time between sets by shopping for wares from local artisans and makers. Plus, you'll find beer, wine and plenty of neighborhood vendors to browse while you hang out on the street.

Get ready to hunt for some new (and old) treasures! The beloved Randolph Street Market Festival is back with two days of curated, European-style vintage and antique shopping. Browse wares from hundreds of vendors, or grab a cocktail and bite to eat from local restaurants while tapping your toes to live music. 

Spin classes and weight lifting can wait for the winter. This summer, jump start your weekend with free cardio kickboxing, yoga, pilates and Zumba classes on Millennium Park’s Great Lawn and in Wrigley Square every Saturday from May through August.

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. Running Thursdays through Saturdays beginning at 7:30pm, it’s best viewed from the section of the Chicago Riverwalk between Wells Street and Franklin Street.

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.

Immerse yourself in a new perspective on legendary artist Henri Matisse at this exciting new exhibition at The Art Institute of Chicago. Bedridden and unable to paint in the 1940s, Matisse turned to a new, more accessible medium: cut paper. Mining his memories of circuses, world travels, folktales and concerts in Parisian music halls, he produced a series of 20 maquettes that will be on display for the public to enjoy.

This immersive exhibition recreates the Secret Annex where Anne Frank, her family and four others hid during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Chicago is only the second U.S. city—and the first in the Midwest—to host the experience, which includes rarely seen artifacts from Frank’s life. Visitors can walk through the reconstructed hiding place while learning about Anne’s childhood, the rise of Nazi Germany and the Frank family’s years in Amsterdam. The exhibition offers a powerful look at the risks, courage and daily realities of those who lived in hiding.

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. 

Talking Heads frontman, Broadway innovator and all-around creative polymath David Byrne is once again blurring the line between art and science, this time in the middle of downtown Chicago. “Theater of the Mind” is Byrne’s latest experiment in perception, identity and theatrical immersion—and it’s happening inside a real office space. Created with writer and philanthropist Mala Gaonkar, the 15,000-square-foot experience invites audiences of just 16 at a time to explore a series of rooms designed to mess with your senses and make you question, well, yourself.

Ready to explore Chicago's amazing architecture while floating on the river? The Chicago Architecture Foundation Center River Cruise takes place aboard a Chicago’s First Lady boat, transporting guests on a 90-minute tour that traverses three branches of the Chicago River and explores the stories behind more than 50 buildings that make up the city's iconic skyline. 

Spanning two distinct periods of Alberto Aguilar’s career, “I just really want to tell you this one thing” explores the delicate themes of communication and translation. Rather than a static display, the exhibition serves as a collective offering by Aguilar and his collaborators for viewers seeking an active creative conversation. Mirroring Aguilar’s broader practice, this collection prioritizes the unique meaning that emerges only through exchange. 

Following the tragic loss of his child in a confrontation with police, a grieving father is pressured by three strangers to take a cash settlement and disappear into a new life. He faces a devastating choice: accept the "hush money" and move on, or stay and be consumed by the ghosts of his past. The world premiere of this new work by Steppenwolf ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney is a lyrical, urgent exploration of grief and the corrosive power of the almighty dollar.

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.

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.

The Whistler’s monthly lit series pops up on the second Wednesday of every month, bringing an evening of readings, workshopping and discussion to the Logan Square cocktail bar. Each show is followed by an installment of the Relax Attack Jazz Series, a free event with a constantly rotating bill.

To celebrate A Red Orchid Theatre’s 33rd season, join the Solidarity and Truth Summit—a gathering of the most “persecuted” and “misunderstood” people on earth. These self-identified Targeted Individuals believe they are victims of a vast, covert program of systematic surveillance and harassment by global powers. Over one whirlwind weekend in the woods, they will attempt to expose the Deep State, raise awareness for their plight and—despite their immense suffering—reclaim their humanity.

Thanks to a landmark donation from the family of Lee Kun-Hee, the late chairman of Samsung Group, Chicagoans will be able to view extraordinary Korean artworks once held in private collections. Spanning painting, ceramics and Buddhist sculpture, the exhibition includes 140 works that trace two millennia of artistic legacy—22 of which are officially designated National Treasures or Treasures by the Korean government.

As the Driehaus Museum’s first artist-in-residence, Brendan Fernandes will transform the Murphy Auditorium into a dynamic site for sculpture, movement and sound. Inspired by the Judson Dance Theater, Fernandes’ Scores for the Murphy Auditorium will unfold as an episodic residency throughout 2026, with performances and public programs announced over time.

Lifeline Theatre invites you to the greatest rock & roll show not on Earth! LOKI has arrived in Asgard, bringing chaos, comedy, and three (possibly) monstrous children in tow. As Loki tangles with Odin, Thor, and the mysterious Freya, secrets unravel and agendas collide. With the end of the world on the horizon, one question remains: In an “us vs. them” world, can we envision a new mythology?

Experience Chicago through the eyes of artist Marvin Young at Intuit Art Museum’s latest exhibition. Since joining the Arts of Life studio in 2024, the lifelong South Sider has used vibrant mixed media to capture both imagined and remembered urban scenes. From large-scale portraits to detailed architectural landscapes, Young’s work brings the city to life with vintage walk-ups, classic cars and the energy of the streets. 

This sweeping exhibition examines the long legacy of dispossession across the Americas, tracking colonial conquest up to the present day. Bringing together more than 40 works by 36 artists from across Latin America, the show explores how land, culture and identity have been shaped by centuries of extraction and resistance. Organized around themes of Territory, Body and Cultural Heritage, the exhibition spans photography, sculpture, installation and video.

DePaul Art Museum will be unfortunately closing this June, and they're going out with some of their finest curatorial work yet. Since the 1960s, Barbara Nessim has built a distinctive visual language that challenges traditional ideas about femininity and representation. One of the first women to gain prominence in the male-dominated world of commercial illustration, Nessim later became a pioneer of computer art in the 1980s. This exhibition—her first in Chicago—features paintings, drawings, digital works and a site-specific installation. It also highlights her famed sketchbooks, which the artist calls her “forever books,” a raw and unfiltered record of her creative process.

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.

You’ve probably seen a Shakespeare play before, but never like this. Five professional actors come together for each performance of Drunk Shakespeare. The twist? One of them has had five shots before the show and is trying to stay on track while the other four actors do their best to hold the performance together.

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.

Every Wednesday, the Old Town School of Folk Music hosts a showcase of world music and dance. Featuring both local and touring talent, you're sure to hear something new and exciting at this long-running series. Before the show, be sure to peruse the Old Town School of Folk Music Store, where you can rent instruments, learn about lessons and peruse a wide selection of books.