Chicago weekender: Chosen Few, Lizzo and more events
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Friday
🎶 Square Roots Festival, presented by the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce and Old Town School of Folk Music, features multiple stages, craft beer and beverages, local restaurants and vendors, and family programming. | Lincoln Avenue between Montrose and Wilson | Free | Friday - Sunday | Details
🍖 The Windy City Smokeout brings country music and barbecue together all weekend. Lainey Wilson headlines Friday. | United Center parking lot | Friday - Sunday | Details
🇬🇷 Greektown presents the "We the People" public art exhibit featuring 40 outdoor and indoor artworks across the neighborhood. On display through May 2027. | Multiple locations | Details
🔭 Experts at Adler Planetarium answer visitor questions as part of Museum Encounters. | Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-2pm and Wednesdays from 4–8pm | $13-$25 | Through July 31 | Details
🎵 Rock the Rails presents Chase N Tyler as part of a weekly Friday night music series. | 28 Mile Distilling Co. | $10-$20 | 7 pm Friday | Details
🌙 "David Hockney: The Moon Room" exhibition opens. It presents Hockney's iPad en plein air night observations of the moon across the seasons. | GRAY Chicago | Friday - Saturday, Aug. 22 | Details
🎨 GRAY is also hosting the opening of "It's About Time: Counterproductive Conceptualisms in Chicago," with performances at 3, 6, and 7pm and remarks at 5pm. | GRAY Chicago | Friday, 3-8pm | Details
🪄 Eric Jones will appear as a guest artist-in-residence at The Magic Parlour. | $76-$106 | Friday - Sunday, Jul. 26 | Details
🎨 Artistic Expressions of Hope brings together local artists impacted by cancer to create large-scale street art honoring survivorship. | Humboldt Park Health Wellness Center | Friday, 2-4pm | Details
🎶 Annalee Hooson performs every Friday, pairing live music with Torali's Italian-inspired menu. Seating is available on a walk-in basis. | Rooftop at Torali (The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago) | Friday, 5-8:30pm | Details
🎭 "The Lizzie McGuire Movie: The Play," a parody reimagining of Lizzie McGuire's trip, uses dance, drag and a live band to retell the story. | 1700 Theater at Steppenwolf | $28 | Friday, 7:30pm and Saturday, 3pm and 7:30pm | Details
🎵 Common headlines the main stage at Taste, with Recoechi + Kaicrewsade opening. | Friday, 6pm | Free | Petrillo Music Shell, S. Columbus Dr. & E. Jackson Dr. | Details
Saturday
🪈 Ravinia opens its 2026 summer season with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Lizzo. | $40+ | Ravinia | Gates open at 4pm, show starts at 6pm | Details
🎧 Househeads unite for the annual Chosen Few Picnic & Festival, which is one of the longest-running house music festivals in the country. The lineup includes DJ Jazzy Jeff and Boolu Master. | $192+ | Jackson Park | 8am-9:30pm | Details
🛍️ The La Grange Craft Fair features more than 200 booths of handcrafted goods from regional artisans. | Downtown La Grange | Saturday - Sunday | Details
🔮 A guided tarot workshop and sound meditation inspired by Brendan Fernandes: In the Round. | Driehaus Museum | $20-$35 | Saturday, 9:30-11am | Details
🎒 Cradles to Crayons-Chicago's second annual Community Backpack-A-Thon invites individuals, families and community members to pack school supplies as part of C2C's initiative to provide 80,000 filled backpacks at no cost to Chicagoland children. | Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory | $20-$40 | Saturday, 10am-12pm | Details
☕ Tea for 2 experience Saturdays, with optional prosecco, mimosas or bottomless brunch cocktails. | About Last Knife (ALK) | $65 | Saturday and Sunday, 11am-3pm | Details
🦖 Dinos After Dark gives visitors after-hours zoo-wide access with larger-than-life dinosaurs, a Dino Don tour, photo ops, live shows and fossil digs. | Brookfield Zoo Chicago | $25+ | Saturday, 6-9pm | Details
🪩 Family-friendly Kids' Rave features kid-friendly EDM, techno and pop with bubbles and music. | Jarvis Square | Sunday, 11am-1pm | Details
🎨 Fourth Annual Plein Air Festival invites the community to art events hosted in every neighborhood. | Across Evanston | Free | Saturday through July 19 | Details
🎵 Babyface headlines the main stage at Taste, with Opal Staples featuring Isaiah Sharkey opening. | Friday, 6pm | Free | Petrillo Music Shell, S. Columbus & E. Jackson drives. | Details
Sunday
🐶 Yappy Hours offers a dog-friendly patio happy hour with drink specials. | Alma at Hotel Zachary | $5-$12 | Sunday, 4-6pm | Details
🛍️ Andersonville Vintage Market features antiques, home décor, jewelry, clothing, vinyl, and other finds from over 40 local vendors. | St. Gregory parking lot | $5 suggestion donation | Sunday, 11am-5pm | Details
🎹 The Gala Opening Concert features Claire Aebersold Neiweem and Ralph Neiweem performing works by Mozart, Brahms, Liszt and Respighi and the world premiere of "Through Time" by Maddie Stephenson. | Nichols Concert Hall | $20-$30 | Sunday, 3-5pm | Details
🇻🇪 Together for Venezuela, a Chicago Cultural Relief Benefit, will raise money for the Venezuelan Red Cross. | Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center | $25-$40 | Sunday, 3-6pm | Details
Next week
🎷 Myles Hayes performs timeless jazz standards. No reservations are required. | The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago | Wednesdays, 5-8:30pm | Details
🎭 Songs and Satire, a concert-lecture exploring connections between 18th-century caricature and music. | Driehaus Museum | $18-$35 | Thursday, 6-8pm | Details
📚 A discussion of Amena Brown's new book "Never Tell a Black Girl How to Black Girl." | Call & Response Books | Thursday, 7pm | Details
🎬 "Inside Out 2" screens as part of Northwestern's Summer Cinema series at the Kahn Pavilion and Cohen Lawn. | Norris University Center in Evanston | Free | Thursday, 7:30pm | Details
🪐 Free public observing, weather permitting, of the night sky through a 24-inch telescope. No tickets or reservations are required. | Doane Observatory at Adler Planetarium | Free | Wednesdays | Details
🖼️ Artist Barrett Keithley (Bkeezy) will open an immersive mixed-media installation exploring the impact of the U.S. Constitution. | Chicago History Museum | Monday through Oct. 13 | Details
📱 Verizon and AARP host a "Safe & Savvy Smartphone Habits" workshop in Naperville to help older adults build healthy tech habits. | Verizon Store | Free | Tuesday, July 14, noon | Details
🎹 The Faculty Extravaganza presents Music Institute piano faculty performing works for piano duo primarily by American composers. | Nichols Concert Hall | $20-$30 | Tuesday, July 14, 7-9pm | Details
🎶 Raven Theatre's Octet features chamber-inspired a cappella music by Dave Malloy, examining life online. | The Owen Theatre | $44-$94 | Wednesday, Jul. 15 - Sunday, Jul. 26 | Details
🎤 Julieta Venegas headlines the main stage at Taste, with Valebol opening. | Friday, 6pm | Free | Petrillo Music Shell, S. Columbus and E. Jackson drives | Details