Chicago's To-Do List 🦃

Lots of things happening this week, let’s dive in!

Monday - Nov 25th

Christmas Inn Experience: Holiday Music Bingo - Get ready for a festive blast each week with an exciting holiday themed bingo. Complete with lively tunes that will have you singing along.

• Price: $10+

• Address: 110 W Hubbard St (Hubbard Inn - River North)

• Note: The lucky winner/winners will walk away with a prize. Click on the link to make a reservation.

Bach's Christmas Oratorio - From the opening chorus’s joyful, exuberant trumpets and timpani, the Christmas story unfolds in dramatic narrative, moving arias, and stirring chorales

• Price: $25-$125

• Address: 220 S. Michigan Ave (Chicago Symphony Orchestra )

• Note: Students may reserve up to two complimentary tickets with a valid student ID.

Tuesday - Nov 26th

Christmas Inn Experience: Holiday Trivia Tuesdays (The Elf)- Do not miss Elf movie trivia starting at 7 pm! Gather your friends and put your holiday movie knowledge to the test in a fun filled evening. Compete for prizes and enjoy a night of laughter and friendly competition for a trivia!

• Price: $10+

• Address: 110 W Hubbard St (Hubbard Inn - River North)

• Note: Takes place from 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM. Click on the link to make a reservation

Winterland, a One of a Kind Immersive Holiday Experience - From the moment you arrive, you’ll be transported to a holiday wonderland filled with festive delights, sparkling lights, and unforgettable moments.

• Price: $12.50+ (children), $15+ adults

• Address: Navy Pier

• Note: More dates available, click on the link for detiials

Wednesday - Nov 27th

Thanksgiving Eve Party - Everyone's favorite Wednesday! Specials + DJ Following Trivia at Gaslight Bar

• Price: Varies

• Address: 2450 N. Clark St

Wrigleyville's Blackout Bar Crawl - There's no better place to kick start your holiday than in the ever-evolving Wrigleyville neighborhood as the party vibes take you late into the night!

• Price: $10 - $20

• Address: 3554 North Clark Street

• Note: Bars include Old Crow, Bamboo Club, Tin Roof, Moe's Cantina, HVAC, Vines & More! *Bars subject to change

Thursday - Nov 28th

Chicago Thanksgiving Parade - If you happen to be in the city on Thanksgiving, you can catch the annual procession before digging into your turkey. Moving down State Street between Ida B. Wells Drive and Randolph Street, the parade finishes by 11am.

• Price: Free

• Address: Please see link for details

• Note: Rated #2 Thanksgiving Parade in US by TimeOut Magazine

Turkey Trot Chicago - Work up an appetite for the afternoon feast at this beloved Thanksgiving tradition, which sends runners on a 5K or 8K course that begins in Lincoln Park. You'll usually see participants dressed up as pilgrims, poultry and superheroes thanks to the race's "costumes highly encouraged" policy

• Price: 5k - $55, 8k - $60, Plymouth Rock Shamble - $25

• Address: Lincoln Park

• Note: Stick around Lincoln Park for the Turkey Day Tailgate, where you can go play cornhole, enjoy hot cider and eat donuts

Friday - Nov 29th

The Wizard of Oz in Concert - Revel in Herbert Stothart’s beautiful score performed live by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as Dorothy embarks on her fantastical quest on the big screen.

• Price: $55-$299

• Address: Chicago Symphony Orchestra

• Note: Only available for three days Nov 29-Dec 1, 2024. Click here to enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets!

Hands-On: Pasta Traditions from the North - With hundreds of different shapes that are connected to unique regions and sauces, Italian pasta is a world of its own. Join this class to take a culinary journey to Northern Italy and explore the pasta traditions of different regions. In this class, you'll make your own pasta dough from scratch.

• Price: $95+

• Address: Eataly Chicago

• Note: 1:00 p.m - 3:00 p.m or 6:00 p.m - 8:00 p.m

Saturday - Nov 30th

Chicago's BYOB Party Bus Holiday Lights Tour 'Tis The Season - Chicago's Best BYOB Holiday Lights Tour With A Boozy Twist! Includes Free express entry into the Christkindlmarket & The Zoo Lights.

• Price: $70 - $80+

• Address: 213 West Institute Place (Headquarters Beercade)

• Note: This holiday event spans 4 1/2 hours from 5PM to 9:30PM, presented by the WAMI LIVE INC team.

The Infinite Wrench - Don’t miss the longest running late-night show in Chicago! At The Infinite Wrench you’ll see 30 original plays in 60 minutes written and performed by The Neo-Futurist Ensemble.

• Price: $20+

• Address: 5153 N. Ashland Ave (The Neo-Futurist Theater)

• Note: Recurring weekly on Friday and Saturday, repeating indefinitely

Sunday - Dec 1st

Lyric Opera of Chicago presents 'Blue' - A story about a Black middle-class family in Harlem whose hopes and dreams for their teenage son are shattered when he is shot by a white police officer.

• Price: $69+

• Address: 20 N Wacker Dr (Lyric Opera of Chicago)

• Note: This Sunday is the last chance to see this moving story, get your tickets now!

Dennis Watkins’ The Magic Parlour - Award-Winning, Third-Generation Magician and Mind-Reader Dennis Watkins has joined forces with Goodman Theatre and Petterino’s to create a one-of-a-kind magic theater in the heart of downtown Chicago.

• Price: General Admission: $85.00, VIP Admission: $115.00

• Address: 50 W. Randolph (The Magic Parlour)

• Note: All tickets include a complimentary beverage from the bar

Great Deals

King Crab Chicago - All you can eat snow crab for $69.95, Monday - Thursday 3:30 - 9:00 pm & Saturday - Sunday 11:30 am - 3:00 pm. They are also offering a three course meal for $42 - $59/person! Check out the link for more deals such as their oyster bar specials !

• Address: 1816 N Halsted St

ROOH Chicago Launches New Tasting Menu Experience “ROOP” - Experience Chicago's Best-Kept Culinary Secret – An 8 course Innovative Indian Tasting Menu at just $95. Michelin-Star Executive Chef Mike Cornelissen from the Netherlands combines innovative cooking techniques with the rich, authentic flavors of Indian cuisine. Inspired by an in-depth exploration of Indian culture, this menu promises an unparalleled gastronomic experience.

• When: Available for dinner every Wednesday-Sunday

• Address: 736 W. Randolph St.

Events Starting in November

Elf’d Up Pop-up - The 2003 holiday movie Elf takes center stage at this Wrigleyville pop-up located inside of Stretch Bar & Grill. Take a seat at tables stocked with the four main food groups (candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup) and treat yourself to a plate of Buddy's breakfast pasta or a beer served in a 36-ounce elf boot.

• Price: Free entrance

• Location: 3485 N Clark St (Stretch Bar & Grill, Wrigleyville)

• Note: Open November 9th through December 30th

Iceskating at Millennium Park and Maggie Daley Park - Skate under the Chicago skyline at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Millennium Park. Plus, take advantage of free skating lessons on most Saturdays and Sundays, where you can learn both beginner- and intermediate-level skills.

• Price: Have your own skates? Free Monday through Thursday & for 11am sessions Friday through Sunday ( $5 for other time slots Friday through Sunday, as well as holidays). Need rental skates? Entry is $17–$23

• Location: Millennium Park & Maggie Daley Park

• Note: Opening November 15th through February 2nd or March 9th. Reservations are required.

Lincoln Park Zoolights - To see one of the largest displays of holiday lights within city limits, you need to head to Lincoln Park Zoo, where the annual ZooLights display strings up millions of LED blubs. While most of the animals will be keeping warm inside, visitors are welcome to wander through the park!

• Price: $7 most weeknights & Sundays, $10 on Fridays & Saturdays, free admission tickets on Mondays.

• Location: Lincoln Park Zoo

• Note: Open November 15th - January 5th

Christmas Around the World - Every year, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry puts up its four-story Grand Tree and surrounds the towering pine with more than 50 trees that represent Chicago's various communities and their respective holiday celebrations.

• Price: Included in museum admission ($25+ for adult, $15+ for children 11 & under)

• Location: Museum of Science & Industry

• Note: Open November 16th - January 6th

All Month Activities

Annie Chicago - Everyone's favorite red-headed orphan is back, thanks to the new Annie national tour that's traveling the nation!

• Price: $40+

• Address: 175 N State St (The Chicago Theatre)

• Note: Available now through Dec 1st

Chicago Bears Watch Party - Come join Time Out Market Chicago during football season to catch the Bears in action on the big screen. They'll be showing the games—with sound—each week on a 32 feet wide by 6 feet tall screen.

• Price: Varies

• Address: 916 W Fulton Market

• Note: Now through January 5th

Hershey Super Sweet Adventure - Enjoy story-based, family friendly activities like navigating a TWIZZLERS maze, testing your sense of smell with JOLLY RANCHER candy scents, “stuffing” giant REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups, and bringing your custom HERSHEY’S KISSES foil wrappers to life. 

• Price: $24+

• Location: 835 Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL. 60611 (Water Tower Place)

• Note: Children 2 and under visit free when accompanied by a ticketed parent or guardian. Closed Monday/Tuesday. Now through Dec 31.

Free museum days:

Field Museum: Every Wednesday

Shedd Aquarium:  Every Tuesday 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Adler Planetarium: Free every Wednesday, open 4pm - 10pm (9pm last admission)

Museum of Contemporary Art: Every Tuesday

Note: For Illinois residents only, advanced reservations online are required

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See you next week!

Sofia