The best things to do in Chicago this week

Head to Pritzker Pavilion on select Mondays and Thursdays from June 22–August 21 for the 10-part Millennium Park Summer Music Series, which showcases a wide range of music from both emerging and well-established performers. The series kicks off on June 22 with a tribute to late jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis; throughout the rest of the summer, catch acts like rapper Big Freedia (July 13); blues, soul and Americana singer Shemekia Copeland (July 31); and Grammy-winning blues guitarist Cedric Burnside (August 10).

Cinema/Chicago is offering free film screenings all summer long featuring stories set in cities all around the world. Each Wednesday will spotlight a different country’s national cinema, from Japan and South Korea to Sweden and the Netherlands. Check the website to see the full schedule and list of movies.

Put on your best pink attire and let your nostalgia run wild at this pop-up inspired by the iconic doll. Fans will enjoy all-day brunch fare from Master Chef semi-finalist Becky Brown and sip on refreshing cocktails while hanging out on a breezy, beach-themed patio. There are plenty of photo ops—including a life-sized Barbie box—plus exclusive merch to pick up. You can even strap on roller skates and glide around an outdoor rink!

Spin classes and weight lifting can wait for the winter. This summer, jump start your weekend with free cardio kickboxing, yoga, pilates and Zumba classes on Millennium Park’s Great Lawn every Saturday from May through September.

Rooftop Cinema Club, the open-air theater perched atop The Emily Hotel, is back for a second 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.

The Art Institute of Chicago’s new exhibit showcases more than 75 paintings and drawings from Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries during a period of experimentation in the suburbs of Paris between 1882 and 1890.

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.

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.

• May 17: Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• May 31: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• June 7: The Mitchells vs. The Machines
• July 5: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
• July 12: Clueless
• July 26: Top Gun: Maverick
• August 23: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
• August 30: The Dark Knight
• September 13: Back to the Future
• September 27: The Blues Brothers

Looking for a one-of-a-kind dinner? Then head to Fairmont Chicago, where the hotel has partnered with TableMation Studios to bring Le Petit Chef: An Immersive Dining Experience to town. The unique culinary journey pairs a five-course meal with virtual reality theater. Guests will follow an animated chef as he guides them through a multisensory tasting menu—with the help of 3D projection mapping—and tells a story of the history, ingredients and techniques used to make each dish.

Pixar Putt returns to Polk Bros Park at Navy Pier for the 2023 season. The mini golf pop-up presents 18 holes of fun inspired by some of Pixar’s most beloved films, including Toy Story, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Wall-E and more. Looking for a date night activity? Visit Thursday-Sunday from 7pm-10pm for Pixar Putt After Dark, which is reserved only for patrons over 18. Illinois residents can save $3.50 off each ticket with proof of residency.

Projecting a 25-story-tall video installation on the side of the Merchandise Mart, ART on THE Mart's summer programming includes a piece by global design and architecture firm Gensler—Building Light—as well as a newly commissioned work by the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project. ART on THE MART's array of 34 digital projectors show the creations at 8:30pm and 9pm every evening. It’s best viewed from the section of the Chicago Riverwalk between Wells Street and Franklin Street.

From the team that created Immersive Van Gogh, Mozart Immersive: The Soul of a Genius is a new production that brings the famous Classical composer’s brilliant works to life with  captivating visuals built around the auditory experience. Audiences will be surrounded by bustling city streets, ornate royal auditoriums, lavish paintings and otherworldly dreamscapes, all accompanied by some of Mozart’s most beloved melodies. Some of Mozart’s best compositions will be featured, including Symphony No. 40, Requiem, Turkish March, Ave Verum Corpus and selections from his acclaimed operas. Immersive Van Gogh is also currently running in the same space and customers who purchase tickets to Mozart Immersive can watch both shows back to back.

Tuesdays on the Terrace returns to the Museum of Contemporary Art's Anne and John Kern Terrace Garden this summer for free weekly concerts. This year's series expands beyond jazz to include hip hop, house, blues, bomba and more. Grab a cocktail or a glass of wine from a bar on the museum's upper terrace and hear tunes from artists like the Victor Garcia, Alysha Monique & The Family Divine and The Jazz Hoofing Quartet, plus tons of others from the local community.

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.

The Whistler’s monthly lit series returns for the first time since before the pandemic, bringing an evening of readings, workshopping and discussion to the Logan Square cocktail bar. Looking to share your work? Get in touch with organizers at testliteraryseries@gmail.com—the team eventually hopes to compile all workshopped pieces in an anthology at the end of the year. 

Yer a wizard, Harry! Or at least, you can pretend to be one at this immersive Harry Potter experience that’s popping up at Water Tower Place through September 2023. Visitors are invited to step into Harry’s life at Hogwarts with interactive features like Quidditch lessons, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, sipping sweet drinks at the Butterbeer Bar, Patronus-seeking in the Forbidden Forest and learning their Hogwarts house via the Sorting Hat, among other magical experiences. FYI: In addition to regular operating hours, the exhibition is open on “select” Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and may offer different hours around holidays. 

Tap into feelings of childhood nostalgia at the Museum of Science and Industry’s newest exhibit, a colorful glimpse into the world of Mold-A-Rama™ machines. Explore a collection of popular, rare and experimental souvenirs, learn about the history of the machines’ production and breathe in the iconic scent of their plastic toymaking—you can even take home a few new Mold-A-Rama™ souvenirs if you’re looking to expand your collection. 

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.

Delve into the often-mystifying process of death in this surprisingly life-affirming exhibit at the Field Museum, which explores dying through a variety of natural and cultural processes. Attendees can explore highlights like a full-sized ofrenda made by Chicago artist Norma Rios-Sierra, a replica of a whale's body on the ocean floor and check out a variety of interactive media and soundscapes to help ponder some of life's big questions about death. 

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 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.