The best things to do in Chicago this weekend

Autumn Boozy Tea is Bar Pendry’s seasonal twist on Sunday afternoon tea, featuring tea-based cocktails and a creative take on the classic English tea menu. Guests will nosh on a three-tiered tower of sweet and savory bites and sip on a boozy tea sampler while live music from Chicago musicians soundtracks the afternoon. 

Spooky season will get a bit boozier this year thanks to this horror-themed cocktail pop-up at the Albion Manor, where Halloween lovers can sip expertly mixed cocktails amid metal music and goth decor. Drinks are imbued with playful touches and include choices like Corpse Flower (tequila blanco, ube, Giffard Banane, lime, sherry) and Griselda’s Revenge (gin, vermouth, tarragon, thai spice). 

The masterminds behind the irreverent long-running comedy show Drunk Shakespeare are unleashing their latest monster mash-up, “Drunk Dracula,” on the city during the month of October. The premise is simple, but no less hilarious: Dracula gets drunk, unsuspecting citizens fight for survival and Bram Stoker’s vampire classic gets a boozy makeover that’s equal parts unhinged and fun.

Hosted at Stolen Saddle—one of Chicago's newest and largest country bars—this annual Halloween-themed extravaganza features photo ops galore as well an upstairs bar serving spooky cocktails like Freddy’s Tequila and Monster Mash. With the Cubs clinching a playoff spot this year, there’s no haunted house this go-around—but that doesn't mean Nightmare on Clark Street won't be serving up scares this Halloween season.

Returning to a two-acre plot of land just west of Goose Island, Jack's Pumpkin Pop-Up saves you a trip to the suburbs by bringing a huge corn maze, more than 10,000 pumpkins, axe throwing, carnival games, food trucks, twinkling orange light displays and more fall fun to the city. A general admission ticket nets you access to the pop-up, but you can also opt for add-ons that let you take home a pumpkin, grab a drink at one of bars or go axe throwing. 

This annual celebration of scary films returns to the Music Box Theatre for a monthlong marathon of frightening, thrilling and chilling movies. Catch screenings of films like Addams Family Values, Let The Right One In, Bride of Frankenstein and many others. 

Every October, Rough House Puppet Arts creates a brand new immersive production to celebrate spooky season. House of the Exquisite Corpose, Chicago's one and only haunted house staffed by puppets, returns for its fifth year for a new immersive experience. For House of the Exquisite Corpse V: Blood & Puppets, six teams of Chicago artists orchestrate six unique and terrifying puppet-driven vignettes—all inspired by the theme “blood.” 

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.

A terrifying story set in the world of the Paranormal Activity film franchise, Felix Barrett (Sleep No More) and Chicago playwright Levi Holloway's latest endeavor promises chills and thrills. Here's what you need to know: James and Lou flee from Chicago to London in hopes of escaping the past, but they soon discover that it's not the city that was haunted—it's them. 

Experimental Sound Studio's longtime partnership with the Chicago Park District and Lincoln Park Conservatory continues with “Semblance of Fern,” a new sound installation by composer Sarah Belle Reid. The immersive installation explores the formal connections between mathematical models and nature in the contemplative confines of the conservatory's Fern Room. After getting your fill of tropical palms and vibrant flowers, mosey over to the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, which is free to visit and recently reopened to the public.

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.

Round up your family for a wild, multi-weekend Halloween festival perfect for all ages to enjoy. Decorate a pumpkin, take a spin on the decked-out carousel or pose for photos amongst giant inflatables and wooden cut-outs of Halloween characters. The not-too-spooky event also treats some of the zoo's animals—including capybaras, polar bears and gorilla—to pumpkins that they can play with, nibble on and smash. 

Step aboard City Cruises’ Seadog for a fun-filled journey through Chicago's history of ghosts, spirits, scandals and sins. As guests cruise along the Chicago River for 45 spooky minutes, expert—and costumed—docents weave stories of Chicago's darker side while cruising through the city's most iconic architecture. The cruise is BYOB, so be sure to bring a bevvy of your choice.