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 professional wrestler Sting, Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachel Leigh Cook, Amy Jo Johnson and more.

They call this three-day market One of a Kind for a reason. A whopping 350 artists from around the country will fill out one floor in the Merchandise Mart for the spring edition of this seasonal bazaar. Take a look at the show's website for a full list of vendors making everything from handpainted ceramic mugs and cool textured pillows to carved wooden bottlestoppers. Come for the shopping and stick around for daily fashion shows and a gourmet market stocked with lots of tasty treats.

Do you love all things pickled? Well there’s a festival for you. This Wrigleyville event—taking place at some of the neighborhood's top bars—will feature pickle cocktails and mocktails, pickle-focused foods, pickleback shots, live music, photo ops and much more. It’s a day you’ll relish forever.

The seventh edition of Mexico in a Bottle Chicago will celebrate the country’s spirits with a full-scale tasting event at Bridgeport Art Center. Sip on a bevy of mezcal, tequila, rum, whiskey, gin, wine, beer and more from the finest Mexican brands, and then refuel with bites from notable local restaurants like Carnitas Uruapan and Mi Tocaya.

Open, critical and reflective, the Chicago Palestine Film Festival returns with a selection of films showcasing contemporary Palestinian life through the experiences of the artists. This time, you'll be able to catch screenings virtually and at the Gene Siskel Film Center. The festival will open with award-winning film Bye Bye Tiberias, a memoir about the burden of leaving, the endurance of memory and the determination to forge one’s own destinies and identities.

Oenophiles, head to I|O Godfrey’s year-round rooftop for a four-hour wine fest. The event will offer a bevy of wine tastings plus panoramic skyline views, fire pits, freebies and more. Tickets are $75.

The sixth edition of Cinema Femme Short Film Festival is being held at Music Box Theatre from April 25-May 2. Showcasing and uplifting female and non-binary filmmakers, the fest will screen 20 short films plus the Chicago premiere of 2023 Sundance winner Smoked Sauna Sisterhood. See the full schedule of events here.

Wrap up Earth Month with a handmade craft fair highlighting vendors that transform reclaimed materials into one-of-a-kind goods. You’ll be able to shop for home goods, art, clothes and more, and you can drop off unwanted items for repurposing at the Reuse & Recycling Pop-Up. There will also be a live art installation featuring tapestries made up of unwearable clothing and textiles from attendees.

If you can withstand the roar of O'Hare traffic and incoming 747s (plus, you know, the trek on Chicago's most horrible freeway), you'll find some of the best deals in greater Chicagoland at this flea market outside Allstate Arena. Pick up odd trinkets or bulk candy and potato chips, plus clothing, housewares, furniture, jewelry and collectibles. Boasting over 700 sellers, this flea market is a favorite of vintage buyers themselves, so you know there are some great finds to be had at the fraction of city prices. Bring your best bargaining skills.

Lace up your running shoes for a 5K, starting at Solemn Oath Brewery’s Logan Square taproom. Suited for both beginners and seasoned runners alike, the course will take you through scenic surroundings. Once you cross the finish line, enjoy a refreshing brew along with live music, games and more.

Celebrate C2E2 weekend in Chicago with an anime drag brunch at Furama. Guests will enjoy a buffet-style dim sum feast while Asian performers bring their favorite anime characters to life. Come dressed in your best cosplay for the chance to win prizes.

The inaugural season of Major League Table Tennis will conclude with a championship weekend in Chicago. Watch as the best players in the world battle it out for the title over two days. Whether you’re a beginner or a die-hard fan, the semifinals and championship game promise to deliver jaw-dropping shots and electrifying moments.

Run or walk this 5K along the lake to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association. All participants will receive a rosé tasting after the race, a commemorative swag bag, a swag bag, a “Run for Rosé” shirt and more.

If you’ve ever wanted to get behind the wheel of a supercar and take it around a track, head out to Autobahn Country Club in Joliet from April 25-28. Xtreme Xperience will allow participants to drive or ride along in a host of exotic cars, including the Ferrari 488 GTB, Lamborghini Huracan LP610-4, Porsche 911 GT3, Audi R8 V10 Performance, Nissan GT-R and more. The four-lap rides will happen on a 1.46-mile race track; no experience needed—professional instructors will teach you how to navigate the course.

Autism Speaks hosts its eighth annual Chip in Casino Night, raising money to help support those with autism. The evening will feature an open bar, delicious bites from some of Chicago’s top restaurants, a silent auction and casino-style games like blackjack, craps and roulette.

Chicago's long-running dance party devoted to Northern soul, Motown and R&B is throwing a dance party at Gman Tavern. Windy City Soul Club DJs oversee an all-vinyl soundtrack, digging through their personal collection to put together playlists that keep the dance floor grooving. The beats start at 9pm and go until 2am.

The Joffrey Ballet is bringing back a favorite to close out its 2023-24 season—Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman’s ballet rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which takes cues from Scandinavian Midsummer traditions rather than Shakespeare. The Lyric Opera Orchestra performs the score by Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson, with Swedish singer Anna von Hausswolff joining the dancers onstage at every performance.

One of Chicago's most popular farmer's markets, Green City Market welcomes vendors selling regional produce to the south end of Lincoln Park (between Clark Street and Stockton Drive) on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Amid the rows, you’ll find farm-fresh eggs from Michigan, cheese from Wisconsin and scrumptious pies baked by Chicago’s own Hoosier Mama Pie Co.

Tropical speakeasy Three Dots and a Dash is partnering with some of the best Japanese bars from the U.S. and Japan for a pop-up series throughout the month of April. The event will feature guest bartenders creating a menu of specialty cocktails, plus a selection of exclusive and rare Japanese whiskeys. To enhance the ambiance, a retro jukebox spinning vintage vinyls will provide the soundtrack. The guest lineup includes Bar Goto (April 4-7), Katana Kitchen (April 11-14), Bar Trench (April 18-21) and SG Club (April 25-28).

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 the fest’s biggest speakers this season include former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, architect Jeanne Gang, musician Kathleen Hanna and comedian Reggie Watts. You can see a full schedule of programming on the Chicago Humanities Festival website.

The Museum of Science and Industry debuts a new exhibit dedicated to the science and technology behind the world’s longest-running film franchise, James Bond. Fans can check out 13 vehicles and over 90 additional artifacts, including the prototype jetpack used in Thunderball, an MI6 Retina Scanner from GoldenEye and the Parahawk snowmobile hybrid from The World Is Not Enough. You’ll also be able to step into a lab space inspired by “Q” and test your skills developing the perfect vehicle for spy activities, designing stunts and more.

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, "What's in a Name?" which explains the history and science of botanical nomenclature. You'll find spring bulbs like Tulipa ‘Rococo’, Lilium ‘Josephine,’ Viola ‘Matrix Yellow’ and Anemone ‘Giant Blue Poppy.’ The show only sticks around through Mother's Day weekend, so book your visit soon!

Chicago Gamespace, a video game museum and gallery, opens a new exhibit that explores the unique and ephemeral history of vector (line) graphics in contrast to the dominant raster (pixel) visual displays that reign today. Notable games like Asteroids, Battlezone and Star Wars will be highlighted, as well as a recently-preserved emulation of Moonlander.

Navy Pier’s newest attraction is here, transporting guests to some of Chicago’s most epic places via exhilarating flights. The multi-sensory experience incorporates drone technologies with aerial shots and first-person views to showcase the city like never before. Guests will swoop, dip and turn in motion seats as they climb up skyscrapers, check out iconic landmarks, float through fireworks and more.

The largest and most immersive touring Titanic exhibition comes to Westfield Old Orchard mall in Skokie. Visitors will experience a narrative journey that brings to light the fates of the passengers and crew aboard the famous ship. Marvel at hundreds of artifacts that survived the sinking, plus props and costumes featured in James Cameron’s blockbuster film Titanic. Music from the era will play as patrons walk through detailed recreations of the ship’s interiors, including the grand staircase, while the Discovery Gallery will simulate what discovery teams saw during dives to the Titanic’s wreckage site.

Gather a group of friends for this show, an off-the-cuff ode to Jane Austen that has gained a loyal following in the 15 years since its debut. The cast calls upon an audience suggestion to inspire the show’s title (ensuring a totally new performance each time), then creates a long-form, Regency Era "Rom-Com" with Austen tropes and manners of yore. Expect a tale of laughs, love and surprises.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has brought its first immersive entertainment destination to Oakbrook Center, inviting guests to enter the worlds of popular franchises like Uncharted, Ghostbusters, Jumanji, Bad Boys, Zombieland and more. The 45,000-square-foot space is home to a variety of activities, ranging from escape rooms to virtual reality and racing simulators to bumper cars. When you need to refuel, drop into the Commissary Restaurant for a full menu of food, desserts and cocktails. Entry to Wonderverse is free, with attractions priced separately.

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. It’s best viewed from the section of the Chicago Riverwalk between Wells Street and Franklin Street.

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 $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.

Bye Bye Liver combines two robust Chicago traditions: comedy and heavy drinking. The show opened over 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.

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.