The best things to do in Chicago this week

For classical music lovers who enjoy taking in a show set beneath Chicago's skyline, the annual Grant Park Music Festival is perennial favorite summer event. This year's series of classical concerts runs from June 12–August 17 with performances ranging from world premiere works and performances of symphonies by Mozart, Mendelssohn and Shostakovich to an evening of classic Broadway arrangements and the annual Independence Day salute. Take a look at the complete schedule of events below and find more information on the Grant Park Music Festival website.

The ninth annual Craft Brews at Lincoln Park Zoo invites guests to sample more than 100 beers and ciders while wandering around the premises after hours. You'll get to see amazing animals, listen to music, play lawn games and purchase delectable bites to complement the alcohol. General admission includes tickets for 20 three-ounce tastings and a souvenir glass.

Pack a picnic and head to the Great Lawn of Millennium Park for a day of free performances courtesy of the Joffrey Ballet. The program will showcase pioneering choreographers from around the globe, including Cathy Marston, Justin Peck, Yuri Possokhov, Christopher Wheeldon and 2024 Winning Works Choreographer Manoela Gonçalves. Arrive early at 4:15pm for free family-friendly movement classes.

Sundays on State—which shuts down a strip of State Street spanning from Adams to Lake Streets for activations, performances, food and shopping—brings thousands of visitors downtown to check out everything from outdoor dining and browsing opportunities to pop-up karaoke and barre fitness classes. The event returns on two Sundays this year by popular demand. For a full schedule of vendors and events, check out Chicago Loop Alliance's website.

Comics and small press artists and publishers from across the country will come together for a fest at Grace Church of Logan Square. Check out vendors, talks and workshops throughout the day, then enjoy the biggest Zine Not Dead reading beginning at 8pm. Zine Not Dead is a performative comics reading series in Chicago, running quarterly since 2015.

Head to Pioneer Court for a day of free programming, courtesy of Italian marketplace concept Eataly. Attendees can sit in on complimentary cooking demonstrations and taste dishes made by Eataly’s expert chefs, including housemade mozzarella, casarecce al pesto trapanese and panino con salsiccia e giardiniera. Plus you’ll be eligible to win swag, gift cards and more.

Late-night funnyman Seth Meyers comes to town for an evening of standup comedy at the Vic Theatre. You’ll have two opportunities to catch him on June 14: 7pm and 9:30pm.

Based on the family-favorite board game, this immersive and interactive experience puts guests into the roles of beloved CLUE characters as they try to solve the murder of estate owner Boden "Boddy" Black. The mystery starts at Block 37, where detectives are greeted by the Butler before being sent on their way to gather clues from popular Chicago sites and shops. You’ll be tasked with finding long-lost antiques and figuring out who did it, where and with what.

Navy Pier hosts a series of free dance lessons every Wednesday throughout June. Learn new moves across a variety of different styles—including Bollywood, salsa and swing—from trained instructors. Afterwards, hit the dance floor and show off your skills.

The Lost Kingdoms, an exhibit featuring creatures from the Jurassic Period and Ice Age, makes a stop in Chicago this summer at Washington Park. Visitors can check out more than 50 life-size animatronic dinosaurs and prehistoric beasts, like the Tyrannosaurus rex and sabretooth tiger, as they journey through excavation sites and engage in hands-on fossil digging activities. A host of local vendors will offer food, drinks and souvenirs along the trail.

The oldest music festival in North America plays host to more than 100 shows throughout summer, featuring big-name headliners like James Taylor, Violent Femmes, Ben Platt and Samara Joy. Check out the full schedule of artists coming to Highland Park this year and don't forget to pack a picnic.

The JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival returns this year with in-person screenings for the first time since the pandemic. The new lineup features 23 documentaries, dramas and comedies from around the world that explore Jewish identity and experience. Spread across three weeks, the showings will take place at Wayfarer in Highland Park, The Gene Siskel Film Center in downtown Chicago and Landmark Century Centre in Chicago, alongside a special premiere of 999: The Forgotten Girls at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie.

Curious Theatre Branch's Rhinoceros Theatre Festival, which bills itself as Chicago's longest-running fringe festival, returns for its 35th outing with a slate of new theater, music performances, art and more. Visit rhinofest.com for the complete schedule.

Gallagher Way hosts a night market on most Thursdays through September, featuring more than 20 vintage vendors selling a mix of specialty foods, crafts and artisanal goods. Grab a glass of wine, browse the market to discover something new each week and stick around to catch live music from a host of different artists.

During the summer, one of the best aerial displays you'll find in Chicago originates from Navy Pier. The Chicago attraction hosts twice-weekly fireworks shows (on Wednesdays and Saturdays) from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, with stunning views available from across the pier's public spaces. Of course, you can also take in the show from nearby beaches or while cruising along the Lakefront Trail.

Looking for free concerts near Chicago? Hop on the Blue Line to Rosemont's Parkway Bank Park for Thursday night performances—with a few holiday and weekend dates sprinkled through the summer—from classic rock cover bands like Dancing Queen (ABBA), Ticket to the Moon (Electric Light Orchestra) and Elton Rohn (Elton John, obviously), complete with a fireworks show at the end of the night. Beverage tents will be located on site, but we won't fault you if you prefer to pre-game with a fishbowl-sized spiked punch from nearby Sugar Factory. For a full schedule of shows, visit the Parkway Bank Park website. 

Wrigley Field-adjacent plaza Gallagher Way is once again showing free outdoor movie screenings this summer. Admission is free and attendees are welcome to bring their own food, enjoy on-site concessions or snag a meal from nearby restaurants like Big Star and Smoke Daddy. VIP seating is also available for $33—check out the Gallagher Way website for more details. Gates open at 6pm for each screening and the movies start at 7:30pm.

Rooftop Cinema Club, the open-air theater perched atop The Emily Hotel, is back for another season. Guests can catch showings of hand-picked classics, cult films and recent releases while also enjoying sweeping views of the skyline and craft beverages. It’s the perfect summer cinema experience. Check the official website for the full schedule and lineup.

Navy Pier, in partnership with the Design Museum of Chicago and The Vintage House Show Collective, presents a new exhibit exploring the history of the home-grown artists, clubs and labels that have built House music. The exhibit will be open and free to the public during all Pier operating hours through the end of October.

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.

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.

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.

Downton Abbey: The Exhibition makes its way to Westfield Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie, giving fans an opportunity to step into the world of the hit series. The immersive experience showcases the elaborate sets, detailed costumes and luxurious jewelry of Downton Abbey’s high society inhabitants, and transport visitors to the grand home of the Crawleys and those who served them. From Mrs. Patmore’s hectic kitchen and Carson’s office to the family’s glamorous dining room, the exhibition provides a fascinating look into the post-Edwardian period.

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.

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.

Escape the planet with exhibits about the first lunar missions, the solar system and more, plus immersive shows in the dome theater. The Doane Observatory is also home to the largest public telescope in the area, and gathers 7,000 times more light than the human eye. Every Wednesday, the Adler stays open late from 4pm-10pm so that folks can visit after work or school. And best of all, admission is free on those nights for Illinois residents.

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.

What’s better than a show at the Empty Bottle? A free show at the Empty Bottle. Every Monday, Chicago’s premier indie rock club hosts a free concert. Check the website for a schedule of upcoming performances and to RSVP.

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. 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.