17 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Week
By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 30, 2017 5:30PM
Graceland Cemetery image courtesy of Chicago History Museum.
Halloween is upon us, and the week is full of events to get your heart racing!
MONDAY OCTOBER 30
PUMPKIN CARVING CONTEST: Show off your knife skills and creativity at the Third Annual New Belgium Pumpkin Carving Contest at Easy Bar at 8 p.m. pumpkins and carving tools will be provided while New Belgium beers will be on special. Free.
HILLARY LIVE: Last year’s Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton comes to Auditorium Theatre as part of her book tour: What Happened. She’ll open up and get personal about the craziest presidential election we’ve ever witnessed, being a woman in politics and more. Tickets are $175 and include a copy of her book.
DESTINED FOR GREATNESS: The Struts had us from the first notes of their 2014 debut EP, mixing Queen-sized ambitions with '00s grit and a stadium rock sound. The first show we saw them play at Lincoln Hall remains one of the best things we've ever seen in that venue, and at last year's Lollapalooza we saw proof that their act could not only scale, but completely win over massive festival crowds. The band recently released the new single “One Night Only” and promise they are hard at work on their sophomore full length effort. Tonight's show at Bottom Lounge should be amazing, especially since The Struts will open the evening themselves as Gin And Tonic, a one-time only Oasis tribute band in honor of Halloween.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 31: HALLOWEEN
TOM PETTY TRIBUTES: Raise a glass for Tom Petty this Halloween at the Empty Bottle. Local musicians like Tight Pettyz, Flamingo Rodeo, The Heartburns, Al Scorch DJ Sarah Frier and more will pay homage to the late rock star. The celebration is also raising funds and goods for Unidos Por Puerto Rico. Admission is a $10 donation.
NORTHALSTED HALLOWEEN PARADE: No one does Halloween like Boystown. Come check out the over the top costumes and enthusiasm at the 17th annual Northalsted Halloween Parade stepping off at 7:30 p.m. Stick around for the costume contest winners in theme, group, scariest and drag. Free.
CEMETERY TOUR: Make this Halloween really spooky with the Graceland Cemetery Tour at 1 p.m. Discover the final resting places of Chicago elite like Marshall Field, Louis Sullivan, George Pullman and Potter and Bertha Palmer, with historian Al Walavich. Tickets are $25.
Image via Emo Karaoke's Facebook page.
EMO HALLOWEEN KARAOKE: Riot Fest hosts the saddest celebration in the old Riot Fest spot as Emo Karaoke returns with SAD Halloween. Sing and cry with your emo friends and guest DJs Adam Siska (The Academy Is) and Jake Marquis (Sleep On It). 9 p.m. No cover.
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 1
RED BULL SOUND SELECT 30 DAYS: Red Bull Sound Select has chosen Chicago for it’s 30 Days Festival. That’s right, 30 days of music, photography and more. In addition to concerts at venues all over the city, the festival is highlighting local outlets like Fake Shore Drive’s 10th Anniversary show and the Crate Diggers Record Fair. Tickets are $15 or less per show. Check out their website for more information and schedules.
SAVOR THE FLAVOR: Movember is here, and that means turning attention to men’s health. The Frontier hosts a "Savor the Flavor" dinner this Wednesday to benefit The Movember Foundation from 7 to 10 p.m. The Supper Club event will featue a multi-course dinner curated from local, seasonal ingredients with wine pairings. Tickets are $100.
PAINTING FOR PINK: ENO Wine Room rescheduled it’s Bottle & Bottega party to benefit breast cancer research for this Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. After a wine tasting, guests will take to the canvas all to benefit The Lynn Sage Foundation. Tickets are $55.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 2
CINEPOCALYPSE: Horror film fans will flock to Music Box Theatre for the debut Cinepocalypse Genre Film Festival beginning Thursday. The Chicago-based festival will award director Larry Cohen and actor Antonio Fargas and include films like opener Sweet Virginia and closer Beyond Skyline. Visit Music Box’s website for the full schedule.
SOFA EXPO: More than 80 galleries converge for SOFA Chicago at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall this weekend. Contemporary art and design including glass blowing, ceramics, wood, glass, fiber, jewelry, metal, design, painting, photography and more will be showcased at the long-running “Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art and Design” fair. Tickets are $20 in advance.
Image courtesy of Shedd Aquarium.
PENGUIN HOPS: Get a taste of Shedd Aquarium’s new brew, Penguin Hops, at their next adults-only night. They teamed up with Revolution Brewing for the “freshly-hopped craft ale” brewed with hops from the aquarium’s own gardens. The launch event will include tastings, eats, live music, trivia and more. Tickets are $25.
LINCOLN SQUARE WINE STROLL: 45 restaurants and businesses in Lincoln Square and Ravenswood open their doors for the Lincoln Square Wine Stroll from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. There are five stroll routes to choose from, all featuring wine samplings and bites. Tickets are $45.
DANGEROUS DUO: On Near To The Wild Heart Of Life, Japandroids keep things pretty simple—crank the volume and kick out the anthems. The Canadian band was part of that growing number of explosive two-pieces that all seemed to sprout and become all the rage, but while most similar groups mine the bluesier side of rock, guitarist Brian King and drummer David Prowse are al about reaching for pocket epics of sound to drive pumping fists the world voer. The band's current tour arrives at The Vic Thursday night.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3
“WinaFight Sanderson” faces off against “Lady MacFist” at the Chicago League of Lady Arms Wrestlers’ CLLAW XXVII match at Logan Square Auditorium. Photo by Trainman Photography.
LEAGUE OF LADY ARM WRESTLERS: The Chicago League of Lady Arm Wrestlers is back with CLLAW XXVIII: Fall of the Patriarchy at Logan Square Auditorium. Watch Dr. Beverly Crush-her, Elton Brawn, Lady MacFist, returning CLLAW champion WinaFight Sanderson and more face off for the title. Tickets are $15 in advance.
CHICAGO CARTOONING LEGEND: Chris Ware isn't yet 50, but he's already cemented his reputation as one of the great treasures of modern cartooning and the graphic arts. He initially grew to fame drawing strips for both Newcity and the Chicago Reader. If Ware's name doesn't ring a bell, his work on his Acme Novelty Library and Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth—or even more recent pieces for The New Yorker—should. Ware has just published Monograph, which appears to be part memoir part history lesson? The publisher describes it as, "A flabbergasting experiment in publishing hubris, Monograph charts the art and literary world's increasing tolerance for the language of the empathetic doodle directly through the work of one of its most esthetically constipated practitioners." Trust us, it's probably great. Ware will be appearing at Quimby's this Friday to sign copies of the new book, so you can see what it's all about for yourself.