The best things to do in Chicago this week

For one blissful weekend, Fulton Street transforms into an open-air gallery and music venue. Shop more than four blocks of art available for purchase at this family-friendly festival, where you'll also find two days of live music and no shortage of solid dining options nearby.

Celebrate the glory of the dumpling in its many forms—falafel, empanadas, pierogi and more—at World Dumpling Fest. Plus enjoy cultural dance performances, like Filipino tinikling and Puerto Rican bomba. Admission to the event is free, but you'll need to purchase tickets if you want to eat dumplings—$1 per ticket, $18 for 20 tickets or $45 for 50 tickets.

Get your claws up! Mother Monster is officially coming to Chicago: yes, Lady Gaga is bringing her hotly anticipated Mayhem Ball Tour to Chicago in support of her sixth studio album, the synth-happy Mayhem. The Mayhem Ball Tour marks the pop icon's first arena tour since 2018, promising over-the-top theatrics, staggering choreography and deep thematic exploration.

Labubu mania sweeps through Gangnam Market for one wild weekend. Visitors can browse a wide range of Labubus—not to mention clothing and accessories for said Labubus—available for purchase. If you're all stocked up on the plush monsters, swing by for a meet-and-greet with costumed Labubu characters or get your Labubu tattooed by viral L.A. tattoo artist Hunter Choa.

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. 

As if you needed an excuse to spend golden hour at Time Out Market Chicago's rooftop bar—we're hosting a very special happy hour until the cold snap arrives. Sip on vibrant spritz drink specials crafted for summer lounging, complete with a live DJ spinning feel-good vibes all evening long. Whether you're here to dance, chill or just toast to the moment, this is your chance to savor the season.

Time to dust off your goggles, Chicagoans—for the first time since the Roaring Twenties, you can legally take a dip in the Chicago River. Chicago River Swim will host 500 swimmers in the Chicago River's green-tinged waters for a race benefitting ALS research at Northwestern University, youth swim education in underserved communities and programs aimed at closing the racial gap in swim access. For spectators, the Riverwalk between Lake and Clark streets will transform into a festive viewing area, with food, drinks and a VIP party for those who prefer a fancier vantage point.

The Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce hosts the neighborhood's Uncorked Wine Stroll, an evening showcasing Lincoln Park businesses. With over a dozen stops along Lincoln Avenue, light bites and—of course—lots of wine, there’s no better way to get to know the neighborhood. 

Hokus Pokus Live! conjures up a wild and wicked theatrical experience starring nationally renowned drag queens Ginger Minj, Jujubee and Sapphira Cristál as the legendary Sisters. Landon Cider—winner of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula season three and the “World's Next Drag Supermonster”—stars as Billy. With big laughs, powerhouse vocals and a dash of magic, this live spectacle brings the cult classic to the stage like never before.

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.

Navy Pier’s annual performing arts festival welcomes more than 100 local artists for a weekend of music and performances spread across five stages. Featured acts range from Chicago’s world-class stalwarts, including The Joffrey Ballet, Second City and The Chicago Philharmonic, to pop culture icons like RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Detox and Grammy-nominated jazz outfit Liquid Soul, plus many exciting up-and-comers. This year's event revolves around the world premiere of five commissioned music and dance works.

Break out those cowboy boots and daisy dukes, because Wrigleyville Country Fest is taking the North Side by storm! For one day only, Wrigleyville will transform into Nashville's Music Row, with live music and barbecue abound. Ticket includes a whiskey shot, access to a brunch buffet and, of course, a whole day's worth of live music. 

Check out all sorts of cool trinkets, wares and eats at this indoor market highlighting artisan makers from Chicago’s South Side. Taking place on the second floor of the Promontory, the family-friendly event features new and returning vendors, a cocktail bar, lounge areas and tunes by DJ Sean Alvarez of We Love Soul.

This annual festival assembles luminaries from the fields of politics, journalism and the arts for a multi-week series of programming across the city, with events ranging from lectures and discussions to screenings and musical performances. Not sure which events to hit? Some of this season's biggest speakers include Kate McKinnon, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie and Nick Offerman. You can see a full schedule of programming on the Chicago Humanities Festival website. 

Link up with the Revolution Brewing crew for an Oktoberfest bar crawl along the Riverwalk! The boozy quest begins at Brews and Bites and ends at Island Party Hut, with plenty of stops in between. All bars will be holding giveaways and offering Revolution branded steins for anyone who orders the brewery's Oktoberfest lager. 

Get ready, punk rockers! Riot Fest is returning to Douglass Park with a laundry list of rock, punk, metal and emo artists. It's always one of the biggest music fests of the season thanks to a must-see lineup of both legacy acts and emerging newcomers. This year's headliners include Blink-182, Weezer, Jack White and Green Day. Maybe John Stamos will finally make a cameo this year? 

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 8:30pm, it’s best viewed from the section of the Chicago Riverwalk between Wells Street and Franklin Street.

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.

Founded in 1981 and organized by Chicago Filmmakers, Reeling is the second-oldest LGBTQ film festival in the U.S., featuring a lineup of features, shorts and documentaries highlighting the diversity of queer stories and filmmakers from around the world. The fest will show dozens of feature and short films this year in a mixture of in-person and virtual screenings. For a full schedule of films and other events, visit the festival's website.

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? Lucky for you, we've made a first-timer’s guide highlighting some of the exhibition's best events.

With its latest exhibition, the Chicago Botanic Garden showcases the patterns and prints that adorn the natural world. Through meticulously planted gardens and nature-inspired art installations, Patterned by Nature highlights the intersection between graphic design and horticulture. Exhibition highlights include colossal embroidered flowers by Raquel Rodrigo, a collection of upcycled fashion sourced from garden materials by Columbia College Chicago’s School of Fashion and a paisley patterned succulent garden. 

For 39 years and counting, the National Museum of Mexican Art has celebrated one of Mexico’s most extraordinary traditions with a multimedia exhibition. This year, “Día de Muertos: A Celebration of Remembrance” is dedicated to the Texans and New Mexicans who tragically lost their lives in 2025's flash floods. After you've toured the exhibition, make your way to the museum's courtyard space, which will house an installation designed and curated by the youth artists of Yollocalli Arts Reach. 

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.

Inspired by the cultural resurgence of Mort Garson’s synth-powered album Mother Earth’s Plantasia, Empty Bottle Presents and Sacred Bones Records have been hosting an annual music festival celebrating plants and people who love them for nearly half a decade. Spread across two days, attendees can enjoy experimental music and on-site activations in the Garfield Park Conservatory's lush confines. This year's lineup includes electronic music legend Suzanne Ciani, ambient juggernaut Tim Hecker, Pakistani composer Arooj Aftab and more.

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