8 Of My Favorite Things To Do In Chicago This Weekend

Well, I wrote this, so I may as well publish it somewhere. Here's 8 fun things to do in the city this weekend. 

Revolution Craft Show

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3

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.

RED BULL SOUND SELECT FESTIVAL: Red Bull Sound Select has chosen Chicago for it’s 30 Days Festival. That’s right, a full month of music, photography and more all over the city. In addition to concerts, the festival is highlighting local outlets including 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.

CINEPOCALYPSE: Horror film fans will flock to Music Box Theatre for the debut Cinepocalypse Genre Film Festival beginning Thursday. The Chicago-based festival runs through November 9 and includes films like Sweet Virginia and Beyond Skyline. Visit Music Box’s website for the full schedule.

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.


SATURDAY NOVEMBER 4

CHICKEN + CHAMPAGNE FEST: Join a dozen award-winning local chefs as they fry up the main course for Kendall College Trust’s Fried Chicken and Champagne Fest from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The third annual fundraiser for the educational nonprofit features dishes from chefs Dylan Lipe (The Budlong Hot Chicken), Christine Cikowski and Josh Kulp (Honey Butter Fried Chicken and 2015 and 2016 People’s Choice Award winner), Ryan McCaskey (Acadia and 2016 Golden Hen Award and Best Table Decor winner) and more. Tickets start at $85.


SUNDAY NOVEMBER 5

REVOLUTION CRAFT SHOW: Shop more than 45 local artists at the Revolution Craft Show this Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. There will be vendors with jewelry, decor and of course beer at the Revolution Tap Room event. They’ll also have food trucks parked out front. Free.

CEMETERY TOUR: Take a tour of the Bohemian National Cemetery after the gates are locked with this event from the Chicago History Museum. Historian Al Walavich will lead the tour highlighting the historic gatehouse, magnificent mausoleums, and emblematic treestone grave markers. BYO flashlight or head lamp. Tickets are $25.