The best things to do in Chicago this week

The Obama Presidential Center is celebrating its opening weekend with a free, three-day bash from Friday, June 19, through Sunday, June 21. The open-house event marks the 19-acre center's historic debut on the South Side with live music, dancing, family-friendly art projects and more. Can't attend but still want to get in on the action? Catch the official grand opening ceremony livestream on Thursday, June 19, from the comfort of your home.

Taking place on the same street occupied by some of Chicago's best-known restaurants, this West Loop fest boasts six blocks of food, drinks and music. You'll find bites from more than a dozen restaurants (on Randolph Street and beyond) as well as two stages packed with performances throughout the day. This year's music lineup includes OK Cool, Disco Deli, Remedy, Naked Brunch, Jezu, Ryan Perdz and more. Proceeds from the festival support Chicago Animal Care and Control.

Chicago Pride Fest brings two days of music, drag, vendors and LGBTQ-friendly event to Northalsted in celebration of Chicago Pride Month. Swing by to catch headlining sets from major chart-topping and local artists, including GAG, Willa Ford and MNEK. Plus, browse arts and crafts from more than 150 vendors and don't miss out on the Proud Pet Parade at noon on Sunday. Once you've had your fill, head to one of the best gay bars in Chicago to keep the party going. 

From June through September, more than 90 movies will screen in parks across Chicago as part of the Park District's annual Movies in the Parks program. From recent blockbusters like Zootopia 2 and Freakier Friday to classics like Back to the Future and Jumangi, you're sure to find something good to watch (for free!) beneath the stars this summer. Screenings typically begin at 8:45pm, or dusk, each evening. Take a look at the full list of movies and participating parks.

See Rosalía perform hits like "BIZCOCHITO" and "DESPECHÁ" at her LUX tour at the United Center this month. The show has already garnered critical praise for its theatrical production, setlist variety and vocal performance.

Country star Morgan Wallen is headed to Soldier Field on his "Still The Problem" tour. The Last Night and Whisley Glasses singer is playing Friday and Saturday night shows, both opened by Ella Langley, who is best known for her song Choosin' Texas.

Grant Park's Bulter Field hosts one of the biggest art fairs of the summer, with 200 juried artists showcasing paintings, ceramics, jewelry, sculptures and more in tents set up throughout the park. Curious art enthusiasts can make their own masterpieces during live paint-and-sip classes and get henna art, caricatures, personalized poems and more. Plus, kids 12 and under get in for free. The best part? A portion of each ticket sale will benefit non-profit organization WINGS Program, Inc., which provides housing, integrated services, education, and advocacy to end domestic violence

Winnetka Music Festival celebrates 10 years on the North Shore this month. What started as a small fest inside founder Val Haller's home has transformed into a beloved, neighborhood-wide celebration of music, food and community. Father John Misty and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave headline this year's festival, along with acts like Grace Potter, Ben Kweller and Petey USA. 

“Willem de Kooning Drawing” is the first exhibition to explore the full scope of the artist's drawing practice, framing it as the foundation of his boundary-breaking career. Featuring more than 200 artworks—including rarely seen drawings alongside paintings, sculptures and prints—this exhibition offers an unprecedented opportunity to experience seven decades of his graphic production while shedding light on his constant experimentation with various materials, tools and techniques.

Navy Pier's former Crystal Gardens space is transforming into a retro roller skating rink this summer. Grab your skates and hit the rink for some of the best views in the city, plus an arcade, drinks and groovy disco tunes. At night, the Skate After Dark party turns up the energy for the 21+ crowd with DJ sets on select nights throughout the summer.

Cosmetic brand Lush is popping up at the Chase Promenade South section of Millennium Park to celebrate its summer lineup. At the free Lush Fresh Market, guests can get hand and arm massages, participate in live product making and take home complimentary products. 

Dragon boat teams paddling to the beat of a drum face off against one another on the South Branch of the Chicago River at this annual event, racing all afternoon to raise money for local schools and literacy organizations. Back on land, attendees can watch the races, visit vendor booths and take in live entertainment (including dancers and musicians) throughout the afternoon.

In June 2026, the Chicago Symphony Center commemorates the United States’ 250th anniversary with a curated season reflecting the nation’s rich and evolving cultural landscape. Featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra alongside elite guest artists and jazz ensembles, these performances honor American resilience and creativity. From the seminal works of Copland, Gershwin and Ives to the cinematic grandeur of John Williams’ Star Wars: A New Hope score performed live to film, the season celebrates the enduring spirit of American music.

Highland Park's summertime tradition Food Truck Thursdays is back at the Ravinia District. From June 4 through September 3, more than a dozen local food trucks will set up on Thursday nights on Dean Avenue and at Jens Jensen Park. Bring the whole family (plus your own blankets and lawn chairs), and enjoy food, drinks, live performances and themed events on select nights. 

The oldest music festival in North America plays host to more than 90 shows throughout summer, featuring big-name headliners like Paul Simon, Alabama Shakes and Chance the Rapper. Check out the full schedule of artists coming to Highland Park this year, and don't forget to pack a picnic.

For classical music lovers who enjoy taking in a show set beneath Chicago's skyline, the annual Grant Park Music Festival is a perennial favorite summer event. This year's series of classical concerts runs through August 15 with performances ranging from symphonies by Mozart and Brahms to an evening of classic Broadway arrangements and the annual Independence Day salute. Take a look at the complete schedule of events below and find more information on the Grant Park Music Festival website.

Head to Pritzker Pavilion on select Mondays and Thursdays from June 15–August 6 for the Millennium Park Summer Music Series, which showcases a wide range of music from both emerging and well-established performers. Check the official website for the full list of artists and schedule.

Chicago Dance Month highlights the diversity of the city’s dance scene with four weeks of activations from nearly 35 dance artists and companies across a dozen free events throughout Chicago. The slate includes programming such as dance classes at Navy Pier's Wave Wall Platform on Wednesdays, pop-up performances at the Wave Wall stage on Saturdays, workshops, panels, film screenings and more. 

Heads up, fashion girlies: Reformation is hosting a series of events this month. The "Hot Girls Have Hobbies" series features four themed events, from a game night to a book club, at Reformation shops across the city and will be hosted by local influencers Emily Wittman and Olivia Metzger, and romance book publisher 831 Stories. 

Whether you’re parenting a pint-sized Pokémon devotee or a nostalgic millennial still clinging to a holographic Charizard card for its “possible resale value” (guilty), the Pokémon Fossil Museum is designed to surprise and delight. Making its U.S. debut at the Field Museum in spring 2026, the international exhibition invites visitors to compare Fossil Pokémon like Tyrantrum and Archeops with real-world fossils—including SUE the T. rex. Expect Pokémon models, real fossil excavation tools and immersive soundscapes throughout.

"Flyway City: Architecture for a Flourishing Ecosystem," designed by Studio Gang and led by world-renowned architect Jeanne Gang, explores solutions to prevent the estimated one billion annual bird-glass collisions in the U.S. Through a variety of architectural models, interactive media and local artifacts, the exhibition demonstrates how urban design can coexist harmoniously with nature. 

Located inside The Den, a 1920s greystone-turned-hotel in Lakeview, the Blind Wolf Speakeasy is an intimate, approachable bar, event venue and home to a free weekly comedy show. Blind Wolf Comedy hosts a rotating roster of Chicago comics each Wednesday at 8pm, as well as open mic nights on Thursdays at 7:30pm. There's no cost to attend, but you can reserve a seat through their Instagram page.

This first-of-its-kind exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago explores the visual, political and spiritual histories of dancehall and reggaetón through contemporary art. Once grassroots scenes, both genres have become globally influential movements tied closely to sexual and political liberation. The show features works by more than 35 artists, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Edra Soto, supakid and Lee “Scratch” Perry.

Part art installation, part psychological gauntlet, Theater of the Mind is David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar’s newest exploration of the self. Tucked inside a 15,000-square-foot office, the experience invites small groups of 16 or less to navigate a sensory-bending labyrinth. But the real variable isn't the set design; it’s the audience. Group participation is a central element of the show, which can be exhilarating but also sometimes awkward; the instructions are sometimes muddled, and the responses of the group can affect the narrative in ways that don’t always cohere. Ultimately, your enjoyment of Theater of the Mind may hinge on the group you’re there with—and on your own state of mind.

Intuit Art Museum joins the national Handwork 2026 celebration with an exhibition investigating Henry Darger’s relationship to traditional American paper crafts. Drawing on research by art historian Dr. Mary Trent, the exhibition demonstrates how Darger adapted common practices—such as making paper dolls and scrapbooks—into a complex, mixed-media narrative style. By showcasing Darger’s source materials alongside his final works, the exhibition highlights how he reclaimed these institutionalized hobbies to express the interior lives and struggles of the marginalized.

Originally established in the late 1800s, the Maxwell Street Market brought vendors, musicians and cooks to an open-air flea market where shoppers could find just about anything they wanted. The market introduced the Maxwell Street Polish sausage, provided a venue for rising Chicago blues musicians and was immortalized in a scene in The Blues Brothers. These days, the market sets up on Maxwell Street, between South Halsted Street and South Union Avenue on Sundays, where visitors will find vendors hawking their wares, an abundance of delicious Mexican food and occasional performances by local bands and dance troupes. 

Looking for free concerts near Chicago? Hop on the Blue Line to Rosemont's Parkway Bank Park for Thursday night performances—with a few holiday and weekend dates sprinkled through the summer—including performances by Atomic Punks, Live the Who and Rhythm of the Rocketman, complete with a fireworks show at the end of the night. Beverage tents will be located on site, but we won't fault you if you prefer to pre-game with a fishbowl-sized spiked punch from nearby Sugar Factory. For a full schedule of shows, visit the Parkway Bank Park website. 

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.

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.

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.

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. Admission is free on Friday, June 12 in honor of what would have been Anne's 97th birthday. Guests can also enjoy the exhibit for free with the purchase of a general admission ticket for the rest of the weekend.

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. 

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. 

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 arrive 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.

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.

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, 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.