The best things to do in Chicago this week

Throughout the year, one of the best aerial displays you'll find in Chicago originates from Navy Pier. In celebration of Valentine’s Day, Navy Pier will illuminate the skyline with a specially themed edition of its award-winning fireworks. If you're feeling weary of crowds, you can also take in the show from nearby beaches or while cruising along the Lakefront Trail.

Feel the love amidst the waves at the Shedd Aquarium! The Chicago landmark is throwing its first-ever Heartbeat House Party to celebrate Valentine's Day. Don your boldest red and pink fits and groove to sets from Chicago legends Boolu Master and Dee Jay Alicia. The night will be complete with themed bites, signature drinks and some special surprises sure to make a splash. 

Winter is almost over and the Garfield Park Conservatory is here to usher in warmer days with its annnual Spring Flower Show. Make a reservation to explore this year's theme, "Showers of Flowers," which celebrates the vertical possibilities of plant life by way of 80+ aerial displays. You'll find spring favorites like tulips, cymbidium orchids, snapdragons, azaleas, hydrangea and more. The show only sticks around through Mother's Day weekend, so book your visit soon!

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).

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!). You can browse a complete list of participating shows here.

Love is in the air, and all paws are welcome at Cody’s Public House this Valentine’s Day. The dog-friendly Lakeview favorite has partnered with its neighbor, Burley Elementary School, to host a puppy play date for both humans and their four-legged friends. This inclusive celebration features themed photo opps, a professional face painter and complimentary refreshments including mocktails, fresh popcorn and Valentine’s treats for the pups. 

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.

Prepare for a magical adventure: Disney on Ice is coming to United Center and Allstate Arena for its latest show, Jump In! The ice-skating spectacle promises awe-inspiring visuals, thrilling stunts and mesmerizing choreography featuring over 50 of your favorite Disney characters. Along with aerial acrobatics and interactive elements, Disney on Ice will also welcome a few new characters to the crew: Anxiety, Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger and Fear from Inside Out 2 and multiple new characters from Moana 2 will be lacing up their skates.

“Music of the Mind” is a retrospective that celebrates key moments of Ono’s career, showcasing art driven by ideas and expressed in poetic, humorous and profound ways. 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 weekend-long celebration will take over the 28,000-square-foot Gangnam Market, an expansive Asian-American hybrid supermarket and food hall. Throughout the event, guests can enjoy complimentary food, beer and wine samples from a variety of market vendors. The festivities also include twice-daily performances by lion dancers and drummers, photo ops with three roaming Pokémon characters and exclusive discounts throughout the store.

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.

Known for his groundbreaking homes spanning across the United States and rejection of minimalist conventions, Bruce Goff—whose lifelong mentor was Frank Lloyd Wright—is one of the modern world's most celebrated architects. To celebrate his legacy, The Art Institute of Chicago will be hosting the first major exhibition of Goff’s work in 30 years. The show will feature more than 200 works celebrating every phase of Goff's creative practice, from elaborate architectural drawings and models to a selection of Goff's lesser-known artistic output in abstract painting.

What happened to the sun? In a gray, sunless city, two stray cats named Kitty and Tom are about to find out. When a trade for some “magic” beans leads to a magnificent beanstalk, these siblings must climb to new heights to confront a sun-stealing giant. Join the Lifeline Theatre for this world premiere musical adventure—a magical experience for kids 4+ and the families who love them.

Wanna relive the thrill of punishing a captive audience like you did during grade school show-and-tell? Then Show & Tell for Grownups is the place for you! Once a month, comedians, storytellers and everyday passionate folks gather to share their quirky, heartfelt or downright fascinating interests. Each presenter gets five minutes on the clock to wax philosophical about their obsession, then it’s the audience’s turn with a quick Q&A. Think of it like falling down a Reddit rabbit hole—only live, and way more fun.

The Museum of Contemporary Photography celebrates its 50th anniversary with a sweeping look at its collection. Each of the museum's five galleries will represent a decade of collecting, beginning with its most recent acquisitions (2016-2026) in the first gallery, then rewinding through time. The retrospective features rarely exhibited and newly acquired works by influential photographers including Dorothea Lange, Harry Callahan and Robert Frank.

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. 

Kick off the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Horse with a dumpling-making dinner hosted by the Chicago Chinese Cultural Institute. The event will include storytelling, lion dances, dumpling making and a sumptuous feast. Tickets are $55 and the festivities will take place at Hing Kee on February 14–15 and 21–22.

What do we talk about when we talk about the weather? We talk about the planet’s slow boil: the seasons that change without our consent, the arrow of time that pierces our lives regardless of our armors. Medical researcher John and his adult daughter Caitlyn talk about the weather constantly in Birds of North America; nearly every scene of Anna Ouyang Moench’s one-act play touches on the subject. Set in suburban Maryland and unfolding over a decade, the play tracks their relationship like an ornithologist watching the sky: full of hope, yet braced for disappointment. Birds of North America conveys this ache deeply: the grief of adaptation, the dangers of loyalty and the devastation of finding out that change comes whether we’re ready or not.

This family-friendly exhibition explores six habitats—Desert, Ocean, Rainforest, Sky, Woods and City—through the eyes of modernist artist Charley Harper. Designed to foster appreciation for biodiversity and interdependence, the exhibit includes interactive games, a DIY soundscape station and multisensory interpretations of Harper’s beloved work.

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.

Produced by World of Wonder—the company behind Drag Race and the global DragCon conventions—the attraction casts visitors as the main character inside some of the show’s most iconic spaces. You can strut the Main Stage, snap a selfie in the Werk Room, film a confessional and flip through racks of costumes pulled straight from the runway. Roll up with your squirrel friends and you’ll have a day that’s pure eleganza.

Don't forget to hit the ice during your next visit to Winterland at Gallagher Way! Until February 15, 2026, visitors can rent ice skates for $16 or bring their own, ride ice bumper cars and more. Check out the Gallagher Way website to stay updated on skate nights, skating lessons and curling matches—all kicking off this month.

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.

Until February 2026, the University of Chicago's Smart Museum of Art hosts “Unto Thee,” Theaster Gates's first solo museum exhibition in his hometown of Chicago. Known for his installations merging sculpture, performance and social practice, Gates has become a driving force in the contemporary art world and beyond. “Unto Thee” embodies the relationships Gates has fostered throughout Chicago, underpinning his belief that art has the capacity to connect and transform communities.

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.

“Mutuality” a group exhibition of new works created during the 11th year of the Hyde Park Art Center’s biennial Center Program, a professional development program designed to elevate emerging and mid-career artists. The exhibition defines mutuality as demonstrating mutual care and interest, encouraging artists to consider how their intentions, works and practice impact the world. Artworks in “Mutuality” represent over 20 artists practicing a multitude of disciplines, from painting and drawing to fiber and printmaking to performance and sound.

Located on the terrace of The Peninsula Chicago, the 2,100-square-foot Sky Rink offers ice skating in the shadows of the city's tallest buildings, all while overlooking Michigan Avenue. Show off your skills in a winter wonderland featuring snowflake lighting and festive music, and when you need to warm up, grab a hot drink and snack at the Chalet.

The newly renovated Intuit Art Museum is the perfect place to visit the exhibition, “Catalyst: Im/migration and Self-Taught Art in Chicago.” This exhibition is part of a citywide initiative highlighting Chicago's artistic heritage and creative communities. “Catalyst” focuses on the impact of immigration and migrant experiences within the self-taught artist community. The featured works investigate the inciting incidents for artists' displacement and subsequent settling in Chicago, offering a unique perspective on artistic practice as a personal narrative.

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.

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.

Every two years, Chicago becomes a global hub of architecture and design during the Chicago Architecture Biennial. This edition’s theme is SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change, bringing together over 100 projects by architects, artists and designers from 30 countries—each piece engaging with the cultural, social and environmental fluxes transforming our world.

Not sure where to start? Check out our first-timer's guide to the exhibition. Stay up-to-date by visiting the Chicago Architecture Biennial website.

The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center's newest exhibition, “Paris in Black” charts the journeys of Black artists, performers and intellectuals who found a safe haven and creative incubator in 20th century Paris. Experience the City of Lights through the eyes of visionaries like Langston Hughes, James Baldwin and Henry Ossawa Tanner, who lived and created in defiance of American racism. The exhibition houses over 100 objects, including magnificent paintings, historic photographs and multimedia elements—all telling the story of Black resilience and artistry.

Multimedia artist Yoonshin Park challenges conventional ideas of what books are—and what they can be. Prompt and Prompted presents new and ongoing works that reimagine artist books as spatial, symbolic and participatory sites, engaging ideas of memory, marginality, translation and transformation.

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.

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.