Mar 4, 2025 - Things to Do

Eventbrite launches "It Lists" to spotlight top Chicago events

Carrie Shepherd

Four mobile phones with screens showing thumbnails and text. — Eventbrite's refreshed app. Photo: Courtesy of Eventbrite

Eventbrite is launching new features today, including curated lists of events from Chicago tastemakers.

The big picture: The online events calendar can get crowded as anyone is allowed to post their events to the site, but the new "It Lists" are a way to cut through the noise. The Chicago "It Listers" include:

Author Rebecca Makkai with literary-inspired events like book clubs and workshops;
Curator Easy Otabor has agendas around art, fashion and culture; and
Musical duo DRAMA offers ideas for friend hangs centered around music and dance.

State of play: The lists, as well as a new feature that allows users to sync calendars with friends, aims to make it easier for digital natives, i.e. Gen Zers, to turn the connections they build online into real life experiences.

Reality check: Being online all the time cuts both ways. It can lead to isolation and loneliness, but online communities can also create belonging for people who don't find that same acceptance offline.

By the numbers: There's a longing to find those spaces IRL.

95% of 18- to 35-year-olds are interested in exploring interests and communities they've discovered online through in-person events, Eventbrite found in a study released in January.
45% said their interests are "somewhat" or "very" niche so discovering others with those same interests help create a sense of belonging.

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Eventbrite launches "It Lists" to spotlight top Chicago events

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