The best things to do in Chicago this weekend

The annual Shamrock Shuffle is taking place at Grant Park, sending thousands of green-clad participants on an 8K run, two-mile walk or one-mile race through the Loop. As usual, anyone who signs up will get a festive shirt and knit hat, a bib number to display and a drink ticket to use at the post-race party.

The Museum of Science and Industry hosts the third annual Uncorked Wine Festival, where guests can enjoy more than 100 wines and Champagnes as well as a variety of exhibitions and experiences. Spring for a VIP ticket to get an extra hour of tastings plus gain access to a private lounge with higher end wineries.

Chicago alt rockers Wilco are playing three nights at Riviera Theatre this week. The band promises no repeat songs across the shows, and will be joined by special guest Horsegirl each evening. Wilco released its 12th album, Cruel Country, last May.

Join the Shedd Aquarium for a fun evening of music, culture, cuisine and animals at Ritmo Del Mar. Guests can dance to the sounds of salsa, cumbia, merengue and Latin jazz with live performances by Projecto 7 and Carpacho y Su Super Combo. Admission includes all aquarium exhibits and entertainment; food and beverages are available for purchase.

Step into the ultimate feline wonderland at POP Cats, a two-day event fueled by cats, pop and art. You’ll find plenty of adoptable cats, photo ops, cat-art exhibits, cat services, merch and much more. A portion of the proceeds will go toward benefitting participating cat organizations.

Parents, bring your youngins to the Chicago Theatre for Paw Patrol Live! "Heroes Unite." The new production will feature the beloved characters from the animated preschool series as they face their greatest challenge yet. Audiences will have the opportunity to help the pups solve puzzles during the interactive show, and a vibrant musical score will have kids dancing and singing in their seats.

The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce welcomes spring with the return of it annual InsideWalk Sale, which brings together more than 20 neighborhood businesses for a weekend of deals. Rattleback Records has deals on vinyl while Andersonville Antiques is offering 20-50% off select items. Find a complete list of participating businesses on the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce website.

Come cast your vote for the best pozole in Pilsen at Lo Rez Brewing's annual two-day Pozole Cook Off. Guests can order beer and sample more than 20 pozole recipes before casting a vote for the "People's Choice Pozole Cook Off Winner." May the best pozole win! 

Inspired by the Karen trope—a customer who feels entitled or demands more than is reasonable—this touring pop-up diner is coming to town to dish out some sass with every meal. You can expect diner-style grub and to engage in some over-the-top banter with staff. Tickets are $45 per person and include a burger, fries and soft drink.

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall and directed by Phyllida Lloyd, this new musical focuses on Tina Turner’s journey from humble beginnings to global stardom. Set to the soundtrack of Turner’s greatest hits, the production tells the story of how she broke racial, gender and age barriers to become the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

From the team that created Immersive Van Gogh, Mozart Immersive: The Soul of a Genius is a new production that brings the famous Classical composer’s brilliant works to life with  captivating visuals built around the auditory experience. Audiences will be surrounded by bustling city streets, ornate royal auditoriums, lavish paintings and otherworldly dreamscapes, all accompanied by some of Mozart’s most beloved melodies. Some of Mozart’s best compositions will be featured, including Symphony No. 40, Requiem, Turkish March, Ave Verum Corpus and selections from his acclaimed operas.

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, Replay Lincoln Park has transformed into Paddy’s Pub from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Patrons will have plenty of photo ops, an extensive drink list and weekly trivia inspired by the hit FX sitcom. The bar will host ticketed express entry from March 11-17 in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, and there will be a “Flipadelphia” flip cup tournament for a $500 prize taking place throughout the month of March.

Winter is almost over and the Garfield Park Conservatory is here to usher in warmer days with its Spring Flower Show. Make a reservation to explore this year's show, "Bee's Knees," which explores the wondrous relationship between bees and blooms. You'll find spring bulbs like tulips, daffodils and hyacinth featured this year alongside hydrangeas, delphiniums, azaleas, and more. And you can take a glimpse into the world of bees with observation and demo hives from the conservatory's beekeeping program The show only sticks around through Mother's Day weekend, so book your visit soon!

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 N 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 $50 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.

Chicago Gamespace, a video game museum in Logan Square, is opening a new exhibition dedicated to the game universe of TRON. Visitors will enter through Flynn's Arcade, the immortal arcade owned by Jeff Bridges' Flynn character in the sci-fi classic, and learn about the original TRON arcade game’s history and development before entering an immersive Light Cycle arena featuring other games from the franchise. General admission is $8 for adults and $5 for kids, and includes access to the video game history collection.

Add some shopping to your Saturday morning brunch routine by visiting Handmade Market at the Empty Bottle. You can sip a mimosa while checking out the wares of local vendors selling funky jewelry, clothing, handbags and paper crafts. You probably need a gift for someone—or yourself—right? Handmade Market takes over the Bottle on the second Saturday of the month from October through April.

Chicago farmers market season is well past its peak, but you can still get in on the fresh produce action during this winter edition of the Wicker Park market, which is popping up inside The Robey’s lobby on select Sundays from December through April. Browse goods from vendors like River Valley Ranch, Star Farm and Zeitlins Delicatessen—and you can always grab a coffee from The Robey’s espresso bar to sip while you stock up. 

What does “Caribbean art” look like? This new group exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art takes a diasporic approach to answering that question, using weather—and all its changeability and unpredictability—as a metaphor for exploring artistic practices and identity-making within Caribbean art communities across the world. With the tumultuous geopolitical climate of the 1990s as its backdrop, the exhibit highlights work from 37 international artists; it’s also the first major MCA exhibitiobn to presented in both Spanish and English. 

Yer a wizard, Harry! Or at least, you can pretend to be one at this immersive Harry Potter experience that’s popping up at Water Tower Place through May 2023. Visitors are invited to step into Harry’s life at Hogwarts with interactive features like Quidditch lessons, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, sipping sweet drinks at the Butterbeer Bar, Patronus-seeking in the Forbidden Forest and learning their Hogwarts house via the Sorting Hat, among other magical experiences. FYI: In addition to regular operating hours, the exhibition is open on “select” Tuesdays and Wednesdays and may offer different hours around holidays. 

Tap into feelings of childhood nostalgia at the Museum of Science and Industry’s newest exhibit, a colorful glimpse into the world of Mold-A-Rama™ machines. Explore a collection of popular, rare and experimental souvenirs, learn about the history of the machines’ production and breathe in the iconic scent of their plastic toymaking—you can even take home a few new Mold-A-Rama™ souvenirs if you’re looking to expand your collection. 

Delve into the often-mystifying process of death in this surprisingly life-affirming exhibit at the Field Museum, which explores dying through a variety of natural and cultural processes. Attendees can explore highlights like a full-sized ofrenda made by Chicago artist Norma Rios-Sierra, a replica of a whale's body on the ocean floor and check out a variety of interactive media and soundscapes to help ponder some of life's big questions about death. 

Working in partnership with the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico, the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture is bringing a stunning selection of paintings to Chicago—some of which have never been shown outside of Puerto Rico—for an exhibition highlighting several of the island's most important artists. Centered around three curatorial themes (“My Home,” “My People” and “My Island”), the works span from the 18th century to the first half of the 20th century, showcasing artists like José Campeche, Francisco Oller, Miguel Pou and Myrna Báez, among others. Tickets to the exhibition are free, but you might consider a small online donation to the Museo de Arte de Ponce, which is still recovering from damage sustained in a 2020 earthquake.  

Bye Bye Liver combines two robust Chicago traditions: comedy and heavy drinking. The show opened a decade ago for a three-week run, then kept getting extended. A cast of four to six performers portray characters at the fictional "Franks Bar," telling stories that explore the city's robust drinking culture. Each show incorporates interactive audience drinking games, allowing you to sip a cocktail or beer while taking cues from the cast. And if you're up for a nightcap after the performance, you can stick around for the official after party and mingle with the cast.

Settle in for an evening of burlesque performers, belly dancers, drag artists and variety entertainers during this weekly show at Newport Theater. The hour-long show features speciality cocktails and intimate seating arrangements, making this feel like a clandestine speakeasy experience. Bring some singles so that you can tip performers throughout the night!

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. Returning to in-person programming (attendees must be vaccinated and masked) after more than a year spent in the virtual realm, the company's signature show is more unpredictable than ever, 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.

See eight towering sculptures by South African artist Daniel Popper at the Morton Arboretum's new outdoor exhibition, which spreads the 15- to 26-foot-tall works throughout the natural area. Made of glass-reinforced concrete, wood, fiberglass and steel, the one-of-a-kind pieces in "Human+Nature" depict human figures that evoke the natural landscape they're set amid, including a pair of 36-foot-long hands reaching out from a grove of oak trees and a maternal figure that springs up amid magnolia trees.

Access to "Human+Nature" is included as part of timed-entry admission to the Morton Arboretum, and there's a map that will allow you to easily plan your visit and spot all eight sculptures along the way.