The best things to do in Chicago this weekend

Get ready to show off your most creative and exquisite cosplay outfit when the Chicago
Comic & Entertainment Expo, one of the largest pop culture conventions in the country,
returns to its annual stomping grounds at McCormick Place. You'll be able to wander through a massive wonderland filled with comics, toys, games, movies and television. Mingle with fellow fans, search for one-of-a-kind merch or attend live panels featuring some of biggest names in the industry. This year’s guest lineup includes Tom Welling, Matt Lanter, Chris Evans and more.

Golden-Con, the Golden Girls fan convention that debuted in Chicago last year, is back for another go. Celebrating the critically acclaimed sitcom that ran from 1985 to 1992, the three-day event will feature special guest appearances, live performances, a vendor market, a costume parade, a trivia tournament and much more. So channel your inner Dorothy, Blanche, Rose or Sophia and get ready for a weekend of Golden Girl festivities.

Find that perfect piece to complete your collection at this two-day shopping experience, where visitors can look through everything from taxidermy to natural history items. The list of vendors is curated by Ryan Matthew Cohn and Regina Marie Cohn and includes local favorites like Wooly Mammoth Antiques and Sideshow Gallery in addition to Century Guild, Memento Mori LA and many, many more. There will also be workshops and live music. Purchase special VIP tickets to start browsing the goods up to two hours early.

The smash hit musical comedy returns to Chicago for a limited run through March and April. The irreverent show created by South Park honchos Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Frozen composer Robert Lopez is equal parts foul-mouthed, gleefully blasphemous and sweet-natured, and still knows just how to ring our bells with its culture clash of Mormon missionaries out of their depth in deeply depressed northern Uganda.

Test your go-karting skills on a one-of-a-kind track—an ice rink! You’ll get 12 minutes to navigate the course while racing against up to seven other drivers. Prizes will be given to the best dressed so make sure to look snazzy.

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.

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.