Never A Dull Moment In The Windy City

The cold days of Chicago winters can make you reluctant to leave the house. Our lovely city lends plenty to do even on a cold weekend. We’ve found some fun events that are worth bundling up for. Music, theater, ice skating, you pick! Get out and have some fun before the hectic holiday week ahead.

Thursday:

Your Go-to Holiday Cocktails at Epic (Epic, 112 W. Hubbard St.) 6pm-9pm

Adler After Dark (Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. Lake Shore Dr.) 6pm-10pm

Miracle on Wells St. (Second City) 8pm

Alan Gresik (Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway) 9pm-1am

Friday:

Elizabeth and James Trunkshow (Krista K Boutique, 3458 N. Southport Ave.) 11am-7pm

Andrew Belle (Space, 1245 Chicago Ave.) 8pm

Photo via Goodman Theatre Facebook

A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St.) 8pm

Blue Man Group (Briar Street Theatre, 3133 N. Halstead) 8pm

Saturday:

Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier (Navy Pier) 10am-10pm

What the Tour Guide Didn’t Tell You: A Chicago Revue (Second City) 4pm

LivingSocial Chicago Beerfest (Union Station Great Hall, 500 W. Jackson Blvd.) 7pm-10pm

Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl (420 W. Diversey Pkwy.) 8pm

Sunday:

Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light (Museum of Science and Industry) 9:30am-5:30pm

The Bad Plus (Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Ct.) 4pm

Dinner at Vie (Vie, 4471 Lawn Ave.) 6pm-8pm

Hey Cowboy (Bub City) 9:30pm

Which hot spots will you hit this weekend? Share them with us by leaving a comment or by tweeting us at @MonikaDixonPR!

By Marisa Coulter, MDPR Contributor

It’s Holiday Time in Chicago

With many of the Chicago’s favorite markets opening this weekend, including the Millennium Park Ice Rink and the Randolph Street Holiday Market, all we can think about are the holidays!  Be sure to hit up some of these great markets and shopping events to check some people off your shopping list.

Thursday

Tru Bloom and Twig Designs Launch Party (910 N Damen Ave) 6 – 8 pm

“TALL” Fashion Event (Ann Taylor, 600 N Michigan Ave) 6 – 9 pm

Chicago Food Film Festival (900 Branch St) Visit website for various times

John Pinette (Park West, 322 W Armitage) 8 pm

Corey Cox (Bub City) 10 pm

Friday

‘Tis the Season to be Artistic (4401 N Ravenswood) 10 am – 6 pm

McCormick Tribune Ice Skating Rink (Millennium Park) 12 pm – 10 pm

Selena Gomez (Allstate Arena) 7:30 pm

Let Them Eat Chaos (Second City) 8 pm and 11 pm

Saturday

Purely Fashion Pop-Up Shop (900 N Michigan Shops) 10 am – 6 pm

Randolph Street’s Holiday Market (Beaux Arts Plumber’s Hall) 10 am

An Evening with Y.O.U. (Loft 644) 8 – 11 pm

Keeping It Real with Loni Love (230 W North Ave) 8 – 10 pm

Sunday

Holiday Hub (108 State St) 10 am

Medieval Craft Beer Festival (2001 Roselle Rd.) 1 pm

A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre) 2 pm

Paramore (UIC Pavillion) 7 – 9 pm

Do you have any extra special plans this weekend? Share them with us by leaving a comment or by tweeting us at @MonikaDixonPR!

By Ashley Siech, MDPR Contributor

Fall is in Full Swing

Fall is in full swing and with it comes a lot of events. From galas to festivals and everything in between, this weekend will be anything but boring! One event that piqued our interest is Dining By Design, where guests will be wined and dined in a Renaissance themed atmosphere which includes a cocktail party, dinner party, gala and multiple silent auctions. This is one themed party you don’t want to miss out on!

Thursday

DIFFA’S Cocktails By Design 2013 (Merchandise Mart) 5:30 – 8:30 pm

Cooking up Change (Bridgeport Art Center) 6 pm

Tru Blooms 2014 Fragrance Launch Party (The Green Goddess Boutique) 6 – 8 pm

FASHION Forward 2013 (Neiman Marcus, Northbrook) 6:30 – 9 pm

Trivia Night (Rockit Burger Bar) 8 pm

Friday

Science Storms (Museum of Science and Industry) 9:30 am

DIFFA’S Public Viewing and Silent Auction (Merchandise Mart) 10 am – 2 pm

7^th Annual Lift a Glass (Kendall College) 6 pm

Art and Appetite (Art Institute of Chicago) 6 – 9:30 pm

All Girl Frankenstein (Zoo Studio) 8 pm

Saturday

Lori Mesa Fine Jewelry Trunk Show (The Perfect Thing – Wheaton, IL) 10 am

DIFFA’S Table Hop & Taste (Merchandise Mart) 11 am – 3 pm

Alyce Paris Spring Fashion Show (Untitled) 2 – 5 pm

The Wheel (Steppenwolf Theatre) 3 pm and 7:30 pm

Barbie in Chicago (108 N. State St.) 6 pm

Meals on Wheels Celebrity Chef Ball (Zhou Bart Center) 6:30 pm

DIFFA’s Dining By Design Gala (Merchandise Mart) 7 – 11:30 pm

Sunday

Second Sunday (Hyde Park Art Center) 1 – 4pm

Chicago Humanities Festival: Rainpan 43 (Museum of Contemporary Art) 3 pm

Sleeping With Sirens Concert (House of Blues) 5:45 pm

Uptown Poetry Slam (The Green Mill) 7 pm

Umbrella Music Festival (Constellation: 3111 Western Ave) 8 pm

Do you have any extra special plans this weekend? Share them with us by leaving a comment or by tweeting us at @MonikaDixonPR!

By Ashley Siech, MDPR Contributor

A Sports Filled Weekend

Sports fans, this is the weekend you've been waiting for. It is going to be an athletic filled weekend in the Windy City. We can't wait to cheer on the Bears Thursday, the Blackhawks Friday and the Chicago Marathon runners on Sunday. We just hope we have energy left over for work on Monday!

Thursday

Compassion, Fashion and Cocktails (Frontier) 5:30 pm-10 pm

Chicago International Film Festival (AMC River East 21) Visit website for show times

Chicago Bears vs. New York Giants (Soldier Field) 7:30 pm

Franz Ferdinand (The Vic Theatre) 7:30 pm

Trivia Night (Rockit Burger Bar) 8 pm

Friday

Chicago Blackhawks vs. New York Islanders (United Center) 7 pm

John Oliver (Chicago Theatre) 8 pm

Paint Your Face (Chicago Children's Museum) 11:15 am

Chicago Arts District 2nd Fridays (Halsted and 18th Streets) 6 pm-10 pm

Saturday

ACappellaFest (The Reynolds Club) 9 am-10 pm

American Flower Show Series (Chicago Botanic Garden) 10 am-4 pm

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Fall Series (Harris Theater for Music and Dance) 8 pm

Sunday

Bank of America Chicago Marathon (Start and finish in Grant Park) 7:30 am

Creatures of Light: Nature's Bioluminescence (The Field Museum) 9 am-5 pm

American Flower Show Series (Chicago Botanic Garden) 10 am-4 pm

Knocking Out Breast Cancer Fashion Show (Venue One) 5 pm-11 pm

Hanson (House of Blues) 8pm

Have any extra special weekend plans we need to know about? Tweet us at @monikadixonpr or comment below!

By Allison Sickert, MDPR Publicist

A Bushel of Fall Events

After welcoming October yesterday we are ready to celebrate all things fall. Luckily, there is no shortage of fall events going on this weekend including pumpkin fests, haunted barns and Oktoberfest for the adults. For those looking to stay in the city, plan a visit to the Willis Tower farmers market and you might spy a few members of the MDPR team at the West Town Art Walk.

Thursday

Willis Tower Farmers Market (Willis Tower) 7 am-3 pm

Pumpkin Fest (Didier Farm) 9 am-5 pm

Oktoberfest (Hofbrauhaus Chicago) 11 am-midnight

Kraft Free Family Night (Chicago Children's Museum) 5 pm

KT Tunstall (Park West) 7:30 pm

Friday

Chicago Cultural Center Tour (Chicago Cultural Center) 1:15 pm

Dinosaurs Alive! (Brookfield Zoo) 10 am

West Town Art Walk (Between Milwaukee/Ogden and Oakley) 6 pm-10 pm

First Fridays (Museum of Contemporary Art) 6 pm

Evita (Oriental Theatre Chicago) 7:30 pm

Saturday

Harvest Days (Lincoln Park Zoo) 10 am-1 pm

Haunted Barn at Sonny Acres (Sonny Acres Pumpkin Farm) 11 am

West Town Art Walk (Between Milwaukee/Ogden and Oakley) 11 am-10 pm

Lyric Opera Ball (The Hilton) 5 pm

Chicago Blackhaws vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (United Center) 7 pm

Sunday

Run 10 Feed 10 (Lincoln Park) 8 am

35th Annual Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes (North Avenue Beach) 8:30 am

Harvest Days (Lincoln Park Zoo) 10 am-1 pm

Jack Johnson (The Chicago Theatre) 7:30 pm

Have any extra special weekend plans we need to know about? Tweet us at @monikadixonpr or comment below!

By Allison Sickert, MDPR Publicist