The best things to do in Chicago today

Part art installation, part psychological gauntlet, Theater of the Mind is David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar’s newest exploration of the self. Tucked inside a 15,000-square-foot office, the experience invites small groups of 16 or less to navigate a sensory-bending labyrinth. But the real variable isn't the set design; it’s the audience. Group participation is a central element of the show, which can be exhilarating but also sometimes awkward; the instructions are sometimes muddled, and the responses of the group can affect the narrative in ways that don’t always cohere. Ultimately, your enjoyment of Theater of the Mind may hinge on the group you’re there with—and on your own state of mind.

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.

Each year, the downtown department store transforms its historic flagship into a lush, flower-filled wonderland, filling the storied architecture with a vibrant collection of real blooms and exotic plants. This year’s theme celebrates the natural beauty of American gardens and the meticulous art of handcraft, inviting attendees to wander through a series of immersive greenhouse installations across the iconic main floor. These vivid displays showcase a rich tapestry of color, featuring violets, magnolias, poppies, carnations and roses sourced from across the country. As a tribute to the building’s century-long legacy, the experience artfully integrates the store’s heritage through subtle references to the original Marshall Field’s logo.

Winter is almost over and the Garfield Park Conservatory is here to usher in warmer days with its annual Spring Flower Show. Make a reservation to explore this year's theme, "Showers of Flowers," which celebrates the vertical possibilities of plant life by way of 80+ aerial displays. You'll find spring favorites like tulips, cymbidium orchids, snapdragons, azaleas, hydrangea and more. The show only sticks around through Mother's Day weekend, so book your visit soon!

With soundstage-sized pieces like horned sculptures emitting soap bubbles, inflated spheres bedecked in abstract squiggles and surreal faceless figures hovering in space, “EmotionAir” reimagines the humble balloon as any other artistic medium—a conduit for creativity and emotion. 

Launching on the cusp of the spring equinox, Glow Wild celebrates global cultures and communities through the artistry of light. As the sun sets, the Zoo transforms into an immersive wonderland featuring massive, hand-crafted animal lanterns that blend global storytelling with a message of conservation. Beyond the lights, guests can enjoy live music, dance performances and unique international cuisine. Every ticket includes event parking and rides on the Carousel and Ferris Wheel.

Doc10, Chicago's only all-documentary film festival, returns to the Davis Theater and Gene Siskel Film Center for its big 10th anniversary. From Friday, April 24 through Sunday, May 3, the festival will screen 10 current documentaries culled from other top festivals around the globe (Sundance, Tribeca).

To know Matisse is to know Jazz—or at least the vivid images that make up the book, which gathers some of his most iconic works of the 20th century. After a lifetime spent wrestling with the tension between color and line—a struggle that often seemed fruitless—an emergency surgery and the long, bedridden recovery that followed led Matisse to experiment with cut paper shapes, the very forms he is now synonymous with. The result of that creative breakthrough was Jazz, a book of 20 vibrant plates, now on display at The Art Institute of Chicago alongside several of his other pursuits in painting, printmaking, textiles and beyond. While you may feel well-acquainted with Matisse’s work through pop culture osmosis—Icarus, for instance, emblazoned on the cover of The Body Keeps the Score, a trauma text that has achieved an unusual level of mainstream popularity—“Matisse's Jazz: Rhythms in Color” recontextualizes these familiar, often misread images. Icarus, for example, is not surrounded by stars but by bursting artillery shells, a subtle yet unsettling trace of fascist anxiety creeping into Matisse’s vision. Jazz itself occupies only a small atrium within this multi-room exhibition. Elsewhere, the galleries open onto Matisse’s experiments across mediums: woodcuts, graphite sketches and lesser-known sculptures, each offering a different angle on his restless practice. The exhibition ultimately stands as a testament to the idea that life can begin at 70. As we watch other artists...

How are some of the most iconic costumes of the past century made? Costume designer Paul Tazewell pulls back the curtain in this behind-the-scenes exhibition. Highlights include costumes from Wicked, Janelle Monáe’s MET Gala looks and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. Sketches, videos and narration reveal how imagination becomes wearable art.

Spanning two distinct periods of Alberto Aguilar’s career, “I just really want to tell you this one thing” explores the delicate themes of communication and translation. Rather than a static display, the exhibition serves as a collective offering by Aguilar and his collaborators for viewers seeking an active creative conversation. Mirroring Aguilar’s broader practice, this collection prioritizes the unique meaning that emerges only through exchange. 

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. Every corner is crafted to ignite curiosity and inspire a sense of awe we, whether you’re a kid seeing it all for the first time or an adult who forgot what it feels like to play.

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.

This first-of-its-kind exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago explores the visual, political and spiritual histories of dancehall and reggaetón through contemporary art. Once grassroots scenes, both genres have become globally influential movements tied closely to sexual and political liberation. The show features works by more than 35 artists, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Edra Soto, supakid and Lee “Scratch” Perry.

Chicago—a city renowned for its profound impact on the history and future of the genre—will host the 15th annual International Jazz Day. As the world’s largest celebration of jazz and its power to unite global communities, the event will honor Chicago’s legendary contributions to jazz, blues, and world music. Confirmed artists include Melissa Aldana, Béla Fleck, Ernest Dawkins, Herbie Hancock and more.

This family-friendly exhibition explores six habitats—Desert, Ocean, Rainforest, Sky, Woods and City—through the eyes of modernist artist Charley Harper. Designed to foster appreciation for biodiversity and interdependence, the exhibit includes interactive games, a DIY soundscape station and multisensory interpretations of Harper’s beloved work.

Thanks to a landmark donation from the family of Lee Kun-Hee, the late chairman of Samsung Group, Chicagoans will be able to view extraordinary Korean artworks once held in private collections. Spanning painting, ceramics and Buddhist sculpture, the exhibition includes 140 works that trace two millennia of artistic legacy—22 of which are officially designated National Treasures or Treasures by the Korean government.

The Museum of Contemporary Photography celebrates its 50th anniversary with a sweeping look at its collection. Each of the museum's five galleries will represent a decade of collecting, beginning with its most recent acquisitions (2016-2026) in the first gallery, then rewinding through time. The retrospective features rarely exhibited and newly acquired works by influential photographers including Dorothea Lange, Harry Callahan and Robert Frank.

This sweeping exhibition examines the long legacy of dispossession across the Americas, tracking colonial conquest up to the present day. Bringing together more than 40 works by 36 artists from across Latin America, the show explores how land, culture and identity have been shaped by centuries of extraction and resistance. Organized around themes of Territory, Body and Cultural Heritage, the exhibition spans photography, sculpture, installation and video.

Ready to explore Chicago's amazing architecture while floating on the river? The Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise takes place aboard a First Lady boat, transporting guests on a 90-minute tour that traverses three branches of the Chicago River and explores the stories behind more than 50 buildings that make up the city's iconic skyline. What separates the Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise from similar tours are the knowledgeable Chicago Architecture Center docents that lead each excursion. You'll be able to chat with experts who know the nitty-gritty details of Chicago architecture and are eager to help you learn more about the structures surrounding you—something that makes this attraction appealing to tourists and longtime residents. All tours depart from the First Lady dock on the Chicago Riverwalk, located just down the stairs from the northeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive. If you want to continue learning about Chicago's buildings after your tour, you can add a Chicago Architecture Center ticket for just $5—and it's good for seven days after you board the boat.

Following the tragic loss of his child in a confrontation with police, a grieving father is pressured by three strangers to take a cash settlement and disappear into a new life. He faces a devastating choice: accept the "hush money" and move on, or stay and be consumed by the ghosts of his past. The world premiere of this new work by Steppenwolf ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney is a lyrical, urgent exploration of grief and the corrosive power of the almighty dollar.

The MSI is opening its doors after-hours for a pop-up thrifting marketplace, featuring more than 15 eclectic, size-inclusive vendors. Guests can learn basic sewing skills—and even contribute to a communal fashion project—at the Lillstreet Art Center’s mending hub. The event will also feature a sustainability panel with a series of experts and a guided tour through exhibits including “Crafting Character: The Costumes of Paul Tazewell.”

Experience Chicago through the eyes of artist Marvin Young at Intuit Art Museum’s latest exhibition. Since joining the Arts of Life studio in 2024, the lifelong South Sider has used vibrant mixed media to capture both imagined and remembered urban scenes. From large-scale portraits to detailed architectural landscapes, Young’s work brings the city to life with vintage walk-ups, classic cars and the energy of the streets. 

Multimedia artist Yoonshin Park challenges conventional ideas of what books are—and what they can be. Prompt and Prompted presents new and ongoing works that reimagine artist books as spatial, symbolic and participatory sites, engaging ideas of memory, marginality, translation and transformation.

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.

As the Driehaus Museum’s first artist-in-residence, Brendan Fernandes will transform the Murphy Auditorium into a dynamic site for sculpture, movement and sound. Inspired by the Judson Dance Theater, Fernandes’ Scores for the Murphy Auditorium will unfold as an episodic residency throughout 2026, with performances and public programs announced over time.

DePaul Art Museum will be unfortunately closing this June, and they're going out with some of their finest curatorial work yet. Since the 1960s, Barbara Nessim has built a distinctive visual language that challenges traditional ideas about femininity and representation. One of the first women to gain prominence in the male-dominated world of commercial illustration, Nessim later became a pioneer of computer art in the 1980s. This exhibition—her first in Chicago—features paintings, drawings, digital works and a site-specific installation. It also highlights her famed sketchbooks, which the artist calls her “forever books,” a raw and unfiltered record of her creative process.

Intuit Art Museum joins the national Handwork 2026 celebration with an exhibition investigating Henry Darger’s relationship to traditional American paper crafts. Drawing on research by art historian Dr. Mary Trent, the exhibition demonstrates how Darger adapted common practices—such as making paper dolls and scrapbooks—into a complex, mixed-media narrative style. By showcasing Darger’s source materials alongside his final works, the exhibition highlights how he reclaimed these institutionalized hobbies to express the interior lives and struggles of the marginalized.