Welcome to the weekend! Here’s a list of events happing in and around Chicago that can help you forget Monday is on its way.
Friday
Art Institute of Chicago After Dark
Address: 111 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago
Price: $30 (Non-members), $20 (Members & Students)
Hours: 9 p.m. - 12 p.m.
Reason to Go: You’ve never seen the Art Institute like this before. Enjoy a live DJ, appetizers, and a cash bar while exploring parts of the museum. Docents will take you on a tour of Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design. Only adults 21 years and older are allowed to attend.
Craft Beer Week
Address: Participating restaurants
Price: $4
Hours: Varies per restaurant
Reason to Go: Craft Beer Week allows you to explore the different flavors of Chicago. The event isn’t exclusive to the city. Naperville and Buffalo Grove are just some of the suburbs where curious beer connoisseurs can buy a $4 sample. Craft Beer Week runs through Sunday, May 24.
Wine Riot
Address: Great Hall at Union Station, 500 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago
Price: $60
Hours: 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. (May 15 and 16)
Reason to Go: Hundreds of wines will be featured during this two day event in Union Station. Organizers have also released an app to make it easy for you to track your favorite flavors.
Mayfest
Address: 3100 N. Ashland Ave.
Admission: $10
Hours: Friday, 5-10 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Reason to Go: Chicago’s street festival season starts with the 20th annual celebration of Mayfest. Bring the kids on Saturday for Kids’ Day.
Saturday
Amphibians
Address: Shedd Aquarium, 1200 S. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago
Price: $8 (Adults), $6 (Children)
Hours: Weekends 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Reason to Go: Forty species of salamanders, frogs, and caecilians have made Shedd Aquarium their temporary home. Learn more about how these creatures have survived throughout the centuries, and also about the environmental challenges they face today. This is the first weekend the exhibit will be open.
Spring Festival of Fine Craft
Address: 100 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook
Price: Free Admission
Hours: 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. May 16 and 17
Reason to Go: Rain or shine, the Spring Festival of Fine Craft will go on. The second annual event includes ceramics, glass, paintings, and jewelry.
Division Street Farmers Market
Address: Division & Dearborn
Price: Free Admission
Hours: 7 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Reason to Go: Farmers markets across Chicago just started to thaw out and open for the season. The market on Division Street opens Saturday and won’t close until Halloween.
Long Grove Chocolate Fest
Address: Old McHenry Road and Robert Parker Coffin Road, Downtown Long Grove
Price: $10 (Online ONLY), Kids 12 & under free
Hours: 10 a.m.- 10 p.m., May 15 - May 16; 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., May 17
Reason to Go: The name says it all. Long Grove’s finger-licking Chocolate fest features chocolate beer and sweet treats from local bakers.
Sunday
Andersonville Wine Walk
Address: Check-in at the Swedish American Museum, 5211 N Clark St., Chicago
Price: $40
Hours: 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Reason to Go: More than 20 businesses in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood are ready to pour you a glass. More than 30 wines are featured along two separate routes. Tickets are available online.
Movie in the Park: Singin’ in the Rain
Address: Montgomery Ward Park, 630 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago
Price: Free
Hours: 7:45 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Reason to Go: Lazy Sunday isn’t complete without a movie. Bring a blanket and watch one of the most iconic movies of all time under the stars.
Move for the Kids 5K Run/Walk
Address: Soldier Field
Price: $39 (Adults), $5 (Kids)
Hours: Race starts 9 a.m.
Reason to Go: Help raise money for Lurie Children’s Hospital. Registration available on race day starting at 7:15 a.m.
Plant Sale at Kilbourn
Address: 3501 N. Kilbourn Ave., Chicago
Price: Free Admission
Hours: May 16 and 17, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Reason to Go: More than 150 types of organically grown veggies, plants, and flowers are available during this two day sale. Don’t forget to stop by an ATM, this sale is CASH ONLY.
