Michelle Gonzalez, VP of Media Relations, Choose Chicago
mgonzalez@choosechicago.com

Stephanie D’Adamo, Senior Communications Supervisor, SiPP Communications
stephanie@letssipp.com

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (June 2, 2022) – Chicago truly shines during the summer. A festival hub, the city is chock full of legendary events ranging from neighborhood block parties showcasing local food to sprawling outdoor fests with major headlining acts. After last year’s pandemic restrictions, the city is delighted to announce a full roster of returning favorites including the summer-long programming of the Grant Park Music Festival, Millennium Park Summer Film Series and Chicago SummerDance, an ode to the performing arts with public, in-person dance lessons led by professional instructors. Ticketed culinary events like the Taste of Chicago and Windy City Smokeout return alongside musical extravaganzas such as The Summer Smash Festival, Pitchfork Music Festival and the world-famous Lollapalooza. Additionally, Chicago’s vibrant neighborhoods (of which there are over 70!) get in on the fun, too, with localized community street fairs like Andersonville Midsommarfest and Wicker Park Fest.

There are exciting new events planned, such as James Beard Award-winning writer and “Food Guy” Steve Dolinsky launching his inaugural Pizza City Fest. And ingenuity takes flight with SailGP, the ultra-competitive hydrofoil catamaran racing championship, coming to Navy Pier for its first ever race on freshwater (Lake Michigan).

Come find out why Chicago was again designated by Conde Nast Traveler’s readers as the Best Big City in the U.S. in 2021 (for the fifth year in a row!).

Visit www.ChooseChicago.com for more information.

Recent accolades

The MICHELIN Guide celebrated Chicago’s resilient culinary scene by granting three new restaurants Michelin stars, including:

  • Ever (West Loop – Two Star) where Chef Curtis Duffy and Michael Muser preside over a bespoke room in which fine dining enchants palates with complex flavors, stirring textures and visual fireworks;
  • Moody Tongue (South Loop – Two Star), where Jared Wentworth’s seasonal, ingredient-driven tasting menu concept is housed in the Moody Tongue brewery building;
  • Porto (Bucktown – One Star) where Chef Marcos Campos’ style is anchored by his Spanish heritage and explores the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal through its conservas, seafood and specialty rice dishes.

Seven restaurants were awarded Bib Gourmand status in MICHELIN Guide Chicago this year:

  • Apolonia (Chinatown & South) – Contemporary cuisine by Chef Stephen Gillanders, desserts by Pastry Chef Tatum Sinclair and a chic design aesthetic by Gillanders’ wife Seon Kyung Yuk;
  • Bloom Plant Based Kitchen (Bucktown/Wicker Park) – Vegan cuisine from Chef/Owner Rodolfo Cuadros (of Amaru) and sous chef Alberto Marin;
  • Dear Margaret (Lakeview) – Contemporary French-Canadian cuisine by Chef Ryan Brosseau goes beyond poutine and cheese curds with a menu inspired by the cooking of his grandmother Margaret;
  • Lardon (Humboldt Park/Logan Square) – Specializing in whole hog, snout-to-tail butchery, this all-day salumeria offers a dazzling selection of charcuterie;
  • Sochi Saigonese Kitchen (Lakeview/Wrigleyville) – Husband-and-wife team Son Do and Chinh Pham tell stories of their childhood in Saigon at this modern Vietnamese restaurant;
  • Superkhana International (Humboldt Park/Logan Square) – After five years of pop-ups and multiple kitchen pivots, this Indian-influenced restaurant has managed to stay both flexible and fun;
  • Tortello Pastificio (Bucktown/Wicker Park) – Chef/Owner Dario Monni and his partner Jill Gray are committed to continuing his family‘s legacy of the simplest and very best Italian ingredients, artisanal craftsmanship, hospitality and ritual.

The James Beard Foundation has nominated the following Chicago restaurants and chefs for the 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards. Winners will be celebrated at the Awards Ceremony at Chicago’s Lyric Opera House on June 13, 2022.

New accommodations

The Emily Hotel, situated at the former location of The Ace Hotel, is a boutique hotel concept inspired by art, nature and a west coast state of being. This 159 room property (with 147 guest rooms and 12 suites) has recently set down roots in Chicago’s Fulton Market, with plans to curate a uniquely fresh hospitality experience with spaces for locals and visitors alike to collaborate, celebrate and feel inspired. Over the coming months, they’ll be rolling out updates including fresh dining concepts.

The LaSalle Hotel, Autograph Collection, situated in the heart of the Financial District, offers a sophisticated and tailored experience for business and leisure travelers. Experience fine dining at Grill on 21, an elevated and modern take on the classic American grill concept featuring a focus on quality and sustainability. An expansive gym offers premiere TechnoGym equipment as well as Peloton bikes. World-class accommodations include spacious rooms averaging 430 square feet, oversized Calacatta marble bathrooms with luxurious walk-in showers, and a window-side marble-top dining table. The hotel is projected to open this Summer 2022.

The St. Regis Chicago is set to debut in early 2023 as the 50th St. Regis globally. Through architectural ingenuity and a shimmering homage to sky and water, the 101-story St. Regis Chicago, designed by award-winning architect Jeanne Gang, has changed Chicago’s iconic skyline. It is now the third tallest building in Chicago, the 10th tallest in the United States and the tallest building in the world, designed by a female. The tower’s crystalline form was inspired by the facets of a shimmering gem and the building is coated in six varying shades of blue-green glass to reflect the changing colors of Lake Michigan. The hotel will comprise the first 11 floors of the building, featuring 192 luxurious guest rooms, multiple signature dining options, a 12,000 square foot, world class, St. Regis Spa, a fitness center, indoor pool and outdoor sunken terrace with scenic views, a 5,000 square foot ballroom and 3,000 square feet of executive and pre-function space and the St. Regis Signature Butler Service. The hotel’s backyard is a six acre botanical green space featuring a children’s play park, dog park and attractive ornamental and water gardens.

Restaurants and dining

From June 11-13, Chicago will host the 2022 James Beard Awards presented by Capital One. The James Beard Awards, considered to be among the nation’s most prestigious honors, recognize exceptional talent in the culinary and food media industries, as well as a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive. For the first time, Chicago will host all ceremonies, including the Restaurant and Chef Awards, Leadership Awards, and the Media Awards (Book, Broadcast Media, and Journalism Awards).

There will also be a slate of panel talks, happy hours, and culinary crawls open to the public, including:

JBF Session: Storytelling: From the Kitchen to Food Media –June 11, 2022, 10:30 – 11:15AM (30 min, 15 min Q&A)

Located at Kendall College at National Louis University, 2nd Floor Atrium, 122 S Michigan Avenue

  • Moderated by Jamila Robinson (Editor, Philadelphia Inquirer; James Beard Journalism Awards Committee Chair), this panel will discuss what it takes to transition from the kitchen to food media, including translating your culinary skills into content. Tickets are free and available via this link.

A Culinary Crawl Through Logan Square Hosted by Chefs Doug Psaltis & Hsing Chen – June 12, 2022 (All Day)

Located in the Logan Square Neighborhood

  • To celebrate the return of the James Beard Awards, Andros Taverna is organizing a Logan Square Crawl. Guests can kick off the day with brunch at Andros, which will feature classic recipes from James Beard’s American Cookery, before or after a visit to the Logan Square Farmers Market just steps away (3025-3113 N Milwaukee Ave). Continue the celebration with day drinking at Estereo (2450 N Milwaukee Ave). Crawlers can enjoy an afternoon snack at Mini Mott (W Logan Blvd), which will feature a mashup of the James Beard burger and their Garlic Butter Burger. Or guests can make a pit stop at nearby local favorite Taqueria Chingon (2234 N Western Ave) for a taste of Mexican cuisine. To end the day, enjoy Sunday Supper at Longman & Eagle (2657 N Kedzie Ave), followed by a nightcap and snack back at Andros.

JBF Session: A Chef’s Retrospective –June 12, 2022, 3:00PM (60 min, 15 min Q&A)

Located at Kendall College at National Louis University 2nd floor Atrium,122 S Michigan Ave

  • Tanya Holland (Author, TV Host, Chef, and James Beard Awards Committee Chair and Board member) will moderate the panel. Panelists include Marcus Samuelsson (Chef, Restaurateur, Author, Marcus Samuelsson Group; 2022 James Beard Broadcast Media and Book Award Nominee; James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award Winner). This discussion will center around the careers, experiences, and anecdotes of renowned chefs, and how their journeys differ from one another. Tickets are free and available via this link.

JBF Greens x Dove’s: 2022 Awards Weekend Happy Hour – June 12, 2022, 4:30 – 6:30PM

Located at Dove’s Luncheonette, 1545 N Damen Ave

  • JBF Greens will host a happy hour at Dove’s Luncheonette, the beloved Wicker Park neighborhood hangout, to toast the 2022 Awards. Executive chef Sam O’Keefe will create a selection of festive Mexican-inspired bites that pay homage to the bygone neighborhood diners of Chicago’s past. Guests will also enjoy sparkling wine from J Vineyards & Winery, specialty cocktails from the eatery’s tequila and mezcal-focused cocktail program and sounds from 1960’s and 70’s Chicago soul and blues. Tickets are $35 for JBF Greens Members and $45 for General Admission and can be purchased via this link. (70% of the ticket price will go directly to the host restaurant while 30% will go towards the Foundation’s programs, including the Open for Good campaign to support independent restaurants.)

A Celebration of the Industry at Smyth + The Loyalist – June 12, 2022, 5:00 – 9:00PM

Smyth is located at 177 N Ada St #101, Chicago, IL 60607

The Loyalist is located at 177 N Ada St #001, Chicago, IL 60607

  • With deep respect for the James Beard Awards nominees, Smyth + The Loyalist celebrates the return of the industry by opening their doors for a special Sunday service. Enjoy an exclusive Chef’s Table experience, where the culinary team serves and explains each course. This joyful journey through food pays homage to the depth and richness of Chef John Shields’ and Pastry Chef Karen Urie Shields’ five years in the farmlands of Smyth County, Virginia – the tasting menu changes every day, evolving as they gather new inspiration from products at the height of their seasonality. They’ll offer two different wine pairing options, which you may select in advance or upon arrival the evening of your reservation, in addition to a full wine list. Tickets for Smyth can be purchased via this link.
  • Not typically open on Sundays, The Loyalist is offering reservations to experience their menu of familiar favorites that are made with the same uncompromising attention to detail as Smyth. Guests can also enjoy a beverage menu of seasonally inspired cocktails, creative spirit-free drinks and rare vintage spirits. Reservations for The Loyalist can be made via this link.

A Collaboration + Celebration at Travelle at the Langham, Chicago – June 12, 2022, 5:00 P.M. – 10:00PM

Located at Travelle at the Langham Chicago, 330 N Wabash Ave

  • Travellewill host a Chef Collaboration Dinner featuring local up-and-coming Chicago chefs who will prepare six courses inspired by the cookbook, “James Beard’s American Cookery.” Chef collaborators include Justin Gomes (Chef de Cuisine at Travelle at the Langham Chicago), Verlord Laguatan (Chef de Cuisine at Viceroy Hotel, Somerset and Devereaux), Zubair Mohajir (Jean Banchet Nominated – Executive Chef & Partner Wazwan and The Coach House by Wazwan) and Chris Dodson (Sous Chef at Alinea, Chopped Champion). Tickets are $150 per person and can be purchased via this link. 

Celebrate JBF Chicago Alumni Collection

  • Bring the ultimate taste of Chicago home with Here Here Market’s ‘Celebrate JBF Chicago Alumni Collection’ starring a dream team roster of James Beard Award-nominated chefs. This exclusive collaboration between Here Here Market, Choose Chicago, and the Illinois Restaurant Association will directly support both acclaimed local chefs and up-and-coming culinary talent through a dedicated scholarship offered by the James Beard Foundation. Sign up to get first access to boxes via this link.

New Chicago restaurants

Opened in September 2021 in the West Loop neighborhood, Alla Vita (which means “to life” in Italian) is the newest concept from Executive Chef Lee Wolen and Boka Restaurant Group, serving a casual, family-style menu of fresh, delicious Italian food made simply with the best ingredients.

In partnership with the famous Gibsons Restaurant Group, Chef José Andrés debuted Bazaar Meat and Bar Mar in December 2021 inside Bank of America’s new Chicago headquarters, near the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Bazaar Meat celebrates all things carnivorous, including personalized tasting menus featuring expertly dry-aged Wagyu and the like hand-selected from more than 400 cuts of meat, while Bar Mar is a true celebration of the bounty of the sea, with modern takes on iconic seafood classics like fried calamari and lobster rolls.

Eric Williams, owner of The Silver Room boutique, has partnered with global hospitality design trailblazer Cecilia Cuff of The Nascent Group on his newest venture, Bronzeville Winery. Opened in April 2022, guests of the winery enjoy a rotating wine list with selections from around the world highlighting African American-owned labels paired with an ever-changing seasonal menu that pays homage to the flavors of the African diaspora. The team’s goal in the design of the Winery is to encourage guests to spend time, socialize and network in the space. To that end, the decor will feature a revolving art collection, and a state-of-the-art sound system will pipe in a well-curated playlist and live music. Programming will feature wine talks, art openings and cultural events; the space will also be available for private events.

Cafe Sophie opened April 2022 in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. This European-inspired café and gourmet market from Michelin star-winning chef Danny Grant (who opened Maple & Ash in Chicago in 2015) takes its name and aesthetic from the chef’s beloved Aunt Sophie. The menu features pastries, sandwiches, salads, charcuterie and wood-fired dishes, as well as an espresso/coffee bar along with selections of wine, cocktails and beer. The market at Café Sophie is a retail journey of food staples and curated finds from around the world handpicked by Danny and his team. There is particular support for small producers local to the Chicagoland area and across the U.S. that include family-run farms, women-owned and minority-owned businesses.

Con Todo, Logan Square’s hotly anticipated Mexican-American restaurant from Chef Jonathan Zaragoza (whose family owns Birrieria Zaragoza) opened in January 2022. The restaurant is influenced by the flavors, cooking techniques and the people of Mexico City, where Zaragoza’s business partners grew up, as well as Chicago.

A brand new po’boy restaurant called Daisy’s Po’Boy And Tavern is making its way to Hyde Park later this year, located at 5215 S Harper Ave. This is the latest restaurant from chef Erick Williams, the owner and executive chef of Virtue Restaurant & Bar and Mustard Seed Kitchen (which opened in fall 2021 for takeout and delivery).

GG’s Chicken Shop, a new concept from Michelin Starred Chef Lee Wolen and Boka Restaurant Group, plans to open in the Lakeview neighborhood this summer 2022. The restaurant will serve a streamlined menu of rotisserie chicken, chicken sandwiches, salads, and a handful of classic dinner table sides.

Gordon Ramsay Burger, a new concept from celebrity chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay, opened in a 5,000 square foot space in the city’s River North neighborhood in December 2021. The Chicago location, equipped with an island bar and seating for 120, will be the second Gordon Ramsay Burger location in the U.S., and the chef’s first restaurant in Chicago. Alongside elevated, butter-based burgers (blending different cuts of meat to impart a bolder flavor), the developing menu also plans to include milkshakes, fries, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. There are also ketchup-laden hot dogs on the menu (a bold choice for a Chicago audience).

KOVAL Distillery opened its hotly anticipated tasting room last fall on Chicago’s Malt Row, named for the bevy of breweries in the Ravenswood neighborhood. The sun-filled tasting room, outfitted with a marble bar and leather sofas, seats 96. French doors open to an ivy-covered outdoor patio that accommodates up to 30 people. Guests can sample flights of whiskey and gin, or try cocktails made with KOVAL spirits and paired with small bites.

In summer 2021 José Andrés (chef, restaurateur and founder of the nonprofit World Central Kitchen) and his ThinkFoodGroup opened Jaleo in River North, bringing alive the spirit and flavors of modern-day Spain through an impressive assortment of tapas, paellas, sangrias, Spanish wines and sherries, all within a festive, casual atmosphere. In the fall, he opened Pigtail, an intimate, speakeasy-style bar on the lower level of Jaleo, taking its name from the ibérico pork which infuses almost every dish on the menu (Pig), and the bespoke cocktails (tail).

Chicago-area native, Michelin Star Chef Daniel Rose (Le Coucou) is partnering with Boka Restaurant Group on Le Select, a French brasserie slated to debut later this summer 2022.

Rooted in the Greek ethos of wellness, LÝRA brings fresh, holistic fare to Chicago diners in an earth-toned, indoor-meets-outdoor space. Opened January 2022 in the Fulton Market neighborhood, this concept was inspired by DineAmic Hospitality partners David Rekhson and Lucas Stoioff’s extensive travels through Greece. They partnered with award-winning, internationally acclaimed Greek superstar Chef Athinagoras Kostakos, who takes full advantage of LÝRA’s custom wood- and charcoal-burning hearth by applying island cooking techniques. The focal point of the dining space is the large, elevated open-kitchen which allows the culinary team to showcase the cuisine. In addition, a wraparound patio with operable floor-to-ceiling windows seamlessly integrates the indoor and outdoor spaces.

From Meadowlark Hospitality partners Steve Lewis and Chef Chris Thompson (the team behind Lardon in 2021 and Union in 2022) comes their third and final concept The Meadowlark, a tip of the hat to Chicago’s cocktail culture. Opening summer 2022, this intimate, dimly lit cocktail haven will be tucked away behind an unmarked door near the back of the building that houses Lardon and Union. Exuding vintage Chicago charm, The Meadowlark will comfortably seat 30 patrons, with a rotating conceptual based menu featuring house made bitters, tinctures, infusions, shrubs and tonics, as well as fresh-pressed juices, market-driven, and seasonally rotating ingredients.

Chef Arthur (Art) Smith,  who has worked for former Florida governors Bob Graham and Jeb Bush and until 2007 was personal chef to Oprah Winfrey, is slated to open Reunion at Navy Pier (in the space formerly occupied by Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.) later this year. The new concept will feature a robust menu of healthy and classic comfort foods, while reflecting the look and feel of Smith’s Chicago home kitchen.

Smoque BBQ, one of Chicago’s premier barbecue joints, is opening Smoque Steak, a new steakhouse concept in Avondale in fall 2022.

Time Out Market Chicago is excited to add to its carefully curated showcase of delicious cuisine by welcoming new outposts for several popular restaurants this spring. Lil Amaru, a spinoff of sister restaurant Amaru in Wicker Park, features globally inspired Latin street food and tacos. Avli has opened a fifth location, offering a highlight reel of dishes that capture the full spectrum of restaurateur Louie Alexakis’s approach to Greek cuisine. Big Kids, the Logan Square sandwich shop helmed by former Blackbird chef de cuisine Ryan Pfeiffer and his friend, New Orleans chef Mason Hereford (Turkey and the Wolf, Molly’s Rise and Shine) has also opened a Time Out Market Chicago outpost. Named after Chef Mitchell AbouJarma’s grandmother, Evette’s serves dishes that channel bold Lebanese flavors, specializing in spit-roasted shawarma, golden fries and fresh salads that use as many local ingredients as possible. And recently opened Lono Poke, inspired by owner Ty Fujimura childhood experiences visiting family in Oahu, pays tribute to the authentic Hawaiian poke you find at markets in the beachside town of Haleiwa.

Union, the new Logan Square restaurant from Chef Chris Thompson, opened in March 2022 as a uniquely Chicago concept that pays homage to one of the world’s best cities for beer. It showcases everything from funky sours to dark Czech lagers and classic pilsners from both Chicago-based and Midwestern-based breweries on its 24 rotating taps. Union’s spirits list boasts over 200 bottles of whiskey, as well as classic brown liquor-based cocktails, and domestically sourced biodynamic and organic wines.

New York food hall Urbanspace will open two Chicago locations, the city’s first new food hall since the pandemic. Urbanspace West Washington recently opened while a second 12,000 square foot location, inside Willis Tower, is projected to open in 2022.

Starting this June, LondonHouse Chicago’s LH Rooftop bar is offering guests an exciting new illuminated experience. Boasting unmatched sweeping views of the Magnificent Mile downtown area and the Chicago River, LH Rooftop will invite guests to fully immerse themselves in a one-of-a-kind illuminated rooftop botanical garden experience. Freely sprawling throughout space, LH Rooftop will light up Chicago’s night sky with a vibrant array of multi-colored, floral-themed LED lights – creating the perfect Instagrammable space.

With existing locations in Fulton Market, Oak Brook, River North and Streeterville, neighborhood coffeehouse, restaurant and meeting place Beatrix has now opened a new location in the Loop at 155 N. Wacker Dr. Part of the Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, this new location will be Beatrix’s first full-service location in the Loop will offer weekly options tailored to those who live, work and visit this neighborhood.

Museums and art exhibitions

The American Writers Museum’s upcoming summer 2022 exhibit and education initiative Dark Testament, will explore racial injustice in America through the work of Black American writers from the end of the Civil War through the Civil Rights Movement.

The Art Institute of Chicago has a full summer/fall 2022 schedule, featuring the exhibits:

  • Morris and Company: The Business of Beauty(Until June 13, 2022) – Artist, designer, and writer William Morris (1838–1896) founded Morris & Co. 160 years ago, in 1861. The company quickly became regarded for its handmade wallpapers, textiles, and furniture, and its style became synonymous with the British Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th century. Morris and his collaborators—which included his wife Jane Burden Morris, younger daughter May, artisan and designer John Henry Dearle, as well as artists such as Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rosetti—considered themselves design reformers. Accordingly, they experimented with dye recipes based on natural materials, revived hand-printing methods for fabrics and wallpapers, and reintroduced hand weaving for woven wool and silk textiles as well as pictorial tapestries. Although Morris & Co. closed its doors in 1940, the company’s aesthetic vision remains potent to this day through the continued reimagining and reworking of its textile and wallpaper designs. This exhibition explores that longevity, highlighting Morris & Co’s design tenets and favored techniques as well as Chicago area sites where the work of Morris and his contemporaries appeared.
  • The Golden Age of Kabuki Prints (Until June 26, 2022) – The drama of Kabuki theater was most successfully conveyed in the prints of the Katsukawa School of artists because they captured the individual characteristics of each actor. Kabuki actors were the celebrities of their time, and prints depicting them found an eager audience in their fans. Founded by Katsukawa Shunshō (1726–1792), the Katsukawa school included several prominent artists, all of whom created portraits of actors performing in popular Kabuki plays in Edo, though almost all of these prints show the actors in a realistic setting—on the street or under a flowering tree—rather than on a stage. The best-known artists of the school, in addition to Shunshō, were Katsukawa Shunkō (1743–1812) and Shun’ei (1762–1819). This exhibition includes examples by all three of these artists and is drawn from the more than 700 Katsukawa School prints in the Art Institute’s collection.
  • Mel Bochner Drawings: A Retrospective(Until August 22, 2022) – Over the course of a career that has spanned nearly six decades, Mel Bochner has been at the forefront of Conceptual Art, producing thought-provoking work in nearly every medium: drawing, painting, prints, photography, sculpture, books, and installations. This exhibition is the first to use drawing as its principle organizing focus, foregrounding the importance of this body of work within the artist’s practice from its beginnings in the 1960s through the present. The show demonstrates Bochner’s pioneering role in redefining the traditional boundaries of drawing and illuminates the artist’s evolving ideas about seriality, temporality, and the slippage between word and image.
  • CEZANNE (Until-September 5, 2022) – This exhibition is the first major retrospective of the artist Paul Cezanne (French, 1839–1906)’s work in the United States in more than 25 years and the first exhibition on Cezanne organized by the Art Institute of Chicago in more than 70 years. Planned in coordination with Tate Modern, the ambitious project explores Cezanne’s work across media and genres with 90 oil paintings, 40 watercolors and drawings, and two complete sketchbooks. This outstanding array encompasses the range of Cezanne’s signature subjects and series—little-known early allegorical paintings, Impressionist landscapes, paintings of Montagne Sainte Victoire, portraits, and bather scenes—and includes both well-known works and rarely seen compositions from public and private collections in North and South America, Europe, and Asia.

The Chicago Cultural Center’s new exhibitions include:

  • Jin Lee: Views & Scenes (Until August 7, 2022) – This one-person exhibition by Chicago photographer Jin Lee features a series of photographs that closely examine landscapes and built environments around Chicago. The exhibit brings together four bodies of work: “Train Views” — images made during the artist’s weekly two-hour Amtrak commute between Chicago and Bloomington/Normal; “Great Water” — views of Lake Michigan taken from a single location on the South Side of Chicago; “Salt Mountains” — images of piles and mounds of salt and dirt found on storage sites around the city; and “Weeds” — a collection of portraits of wild plants that grow in alleys and empty lots in a neighborhood.
  • An Instrument in the Shape of a Woman(Until September 4, 2022) -With brilliant color and provocative forms, the artists Leslie Baum, Diana Christiansen and Selina Trepp with Annie Morse suggest an alternate universe, at once familiar and surreal, seen through the prism of their invention. Echoes of landscape, still life and psychological portraiture reside in resolutely abstract works.

Chicago History Museum’s newest temporary exhibition Treasured Ten: Selections from the Costume Collection (Until January 16, 2023), delves into the Chicago History Museum’s clothing collection of more than 50,000 pieces, to showcase ten never-been-exhibited ensembles that tell the remarkable stories of these five designers: Stephen Burrows, Scotty Piper, Patrick Kelly, Willi Smith, and Barbara Bates. Dating from the 1970s to the 1980s, the garments are expressions of their creators’ experiences and identities.

  • The Chicago History Museum’s Jaffee History Trail is now open. The interpretive path through the park space around the Museum incorporates features such as a fire relic from the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the Couch Tomb, a reminder that the area was once a Chicago city cemetery. Developed in partnership with the Chicago Park District and support of neighborhood groups, the Jaffee History Trail creates a new destination at Lincoln Park’s southwestern corner. The new landscaping includes approximately 150 young trees and large beds of native plants, which will attract birds and other pollinators.

The Field Museum’s newest exhibit Wild Color, running through January 8, 2023, invites viewers to dive into the color spectrum as they make their way through immersive rooms, each representing a color of the rainbow.

  • In Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep, running through September 5, 2022, visitors will meet the underwater giants that lived 200 million years ago, delving into the latest scientific research to learn how these Jurassic giants evolved and comparing them to specimens of marine animals living today. Experience what it’s like to stand (or swim) next to top predators like a plesiosaur—a reptile with flippers, a very long neck, and super sharp teeth.
  • In Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories, which opened May 20, 2022 as a new permanent exhibit, guests are invited to experience stories told by Native American and Indigenous people of self-determination, resilience, continuity and the future. Visitors will learn about the historical significance of items in the Field’s collection, like traditional regalia and pottery, and immerse themselves in works by contemporary Native artists, including Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) raised beadwork from Karen Ann Hoffman of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and flute music from Frank Waln of the Sicangu Lakota. They will also dive deeply into current issues, like threats to Native land and the rights of tribal nations to govern themselves

Immersive Monet & The Impressionists, opening June 17, 2022 at Lighthouse ArtSpace Chicago, is a tantalizing exploration of vibrant colors on a jaw-dropping scale. A masterpiece for the senses by Massimiliano Siccardi, the creator of the original Immersive Van Gogh that sold over 4.5 million tickets in North America, this new exhibition celebrates the work of the radical 19th century Impressionist painters (including Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas and more). From Monet’s celebrated water lilies to Degas’s graceful dancers, you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped inside the live paintings!

For a unique after-hours outing, head to the Loop’s Medieval Torture Museum, the largest interactive historical museum in the U.S. Visitors are transported back in time hundreds of years to one of the darkest periods in history. Guests can explore immersive, hands-on recreations of torture chambers from the Middle Ages, made up of a unique collection of hundreds of objects. A self-guided audio tour introduces the museum’s collection and characters, while the Ghost Hunting Experience lets guests “capture” restless spirits.

Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art has a busy summer/fall 2022 schedule, featuring the exhibits:

  • Chicago Works: Caroline Kent (Until June 12, 2022) – How does language structure our world? Who gets to be inside or outside a language? What would it mean to invent a new mode of communication? And what social conditions make creating a new language necessary? These are questions that Chicago artist Caroline Kent (American, b. 1975) explores through paintings, drawings, sculpture, and performance works that speak in an abstract visual vocabulary she developed over years of practice. In this Chicago Works exhibition, Kent encourages visitors to engage with her invented language of abstraction—one that defies easy interpretation or translation.
  • Alfredo Jaar: The Structure of Images(Until July 3, 2022) – In our image-saturated and media-obsessed world, what stories remain untold? Employing images, lights, and mirrors, Alfredo Jaar (Chilean, b. 1956) asks us to acknowledge subjects who are often under-recognized. Projects range in scope and subject: as one artwork focuses on an Ethiopian refugee amid the Eastern Sudan crisis, another observes remarkable but overlooked women including human rights lawyer Shada Nasser, author and activist Nawal El Saadawi, and politician Camila Vallejo. Featuring a selection of key works and installations that span three decades, the exhibit showcases Jaar’s critical approach to addressing injustice in our world.
  • Based on a True Story . . . (Until August 14, 2022) – Drawn primarily from the MCA Collection, nineteen artists play with fact, fiction, and the gray areas in between as their artworks wrestle with our understanding of truth and belief by exploring fiction. Some artists craft an identity or personal memoir while others stage complex urban landscapes that confuse our perception of the world. Still others challenge the way the past is portrayed by historians and institutions like museums. The exhibit invites visitors to question how we see truth—and how fiction can help us imagine new realities.
  • MCA presents the first career-spanning retrospective of the internationally renowned Chicagoan Nick Cave in an exhibition titled NICK CAVE: FOROTHERMORE (Until October 2, 2022). Highlights of the exhibition include never-before-seen works, including a continuation of the artist’s popular Soundsuits series with the premiere of Soundsuits 9:29 and a mesmerizing, site-specific installation, Spinner Forest, composed of thousands of kinetic spinners that hang in the museum’s two-story atrium and fourth-floor lobby.

The Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP at Columbia College Chicago) presents Beautiful Diaspora / You Are Not the Lesser Part, until June 26, 2022, a free exhibit featuring 15 artists from around the globe whose works showcase diversity both in front of and behind the camera, as well as challenge notions of global segregation. Organized by Asha Iman Veal, MoCP’s Associate Curator, this thought-provoking collection challenges the audience to reflect on the parallel experiences and relationships between global artists of color and diverse Black artists. The exhibition features work by Xyza Cruz Bacani (Philippines), Widline Cadet (U.S.), Jessica Chou (U.S.), duo Amy Sanchez Arteaga and Misael Diaz (U.S.), Işıl Eğrikavuk (Turkey/Germany), Citlali Fabián (Mexico), Sunil Gupta (Canada/UK), Kelvin Haizel (Ghana), David Heo (U.S.), Damon Locks (U.S.), Johny Pitts (UK), Farah Salem (Kuwait/U.S.), Ngadi Smart (Ivory Coast/UK), Tintin Wulia (Australia), and the debut of Abena Appiah (UK).

Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC) is bringing its experiential museum to Chicago, opening July 16, 2022. Located at The Shops at Tribune Tower at 435 N Michigan Ave, the one-of-its-kind space will span 13,544 square feet and encompass retail, entertainment, and a cafe and bar. Plans include the rollout of new features and attractions specifically designed for Chicago including the Sprink-L, a Chicago-inspired CTA train, a giant dessert-themed putt putt course with a pink Chicago dog ice cream treat, and a 3,500-square-foot speakeasy accessible to the general public.

Museum of Science and Industry Chicago (MSI) welcomes The Art of the Brick(February 10 – September 5, 2022), the world’s largest and most elaborate display of LEGO art featuring more than 100 works. The exhibit features original pieces as well as re-imagined versions of some of the world’s most famous art masterpieces made exclusively from LEGO bricks like Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.” Guests can get up-close and personal with the fan favorite, Yellow, a life-size sculpture of a man ripping his chest open with thousands of yellow LEGO bricks cascading from the cavity, or walk under a 20-foot-long T-Rex dinosaur skeleton made out of bricks and come face-to-face with its giant LEGO skull.

PRINCE: The Immersive Experience makes its worldwide debut in Chicago on June 9, 2022. Created by Superfly and The Prince Estate, The Experience is an interactive celebration of the iconic artist’s life and legacy, where guests can lose themselves on an interactive trip through the music and life of Prince. Journey through 10 multidimensional spaces and explore a purple universe where you will step inside the iconic Purple Rain album cover, play music producer and mix one of Prince’s greatest hits in Studio A, get lost in an immersive audiovisual room, and much more! General admission, timed entry tickets start at $39.50, and VIP and flexible access tickets, as well as corporate and group bookings, will also be available. The Experience is currently slated to run through October 9, 2022.

Performances and festivals

Andersonville Midsommarfest(June 10 – 12, 2022): For more than 50 years, this summer festival has celebrated Andersonville’s Swedish heritage, LGBTQ+ pride, and local business community. For three nights and two days, this vibrant and diverse community will bring together over 75,000 people to celebrate a proud Swedish summer tradition with eclectic music, great vendors, food and free kids’ activities. Suggested donation of $10, as well as proceeds from beer sales, benefit the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce, along with several local non-profit organizations.

Chicago Air and Water Show (Aug. 20 – 21, 2022): The largest free show of its kind in the country, this waterfront show features stunning aerial displays above Lake Michigan. The show can be viewed along the lakefront from Fullerton to Oak Street, with North Avenue Beach as the focal point.

Chicago Blues Festival (June 9 – 12, 2022): 2022 marks the first citywide Chicago Blues Festival bringing top talent to downtown and the neighborhoods where Blues originated in Chicago, including Soul City Blues in Austin (June 11) and Bronzeville Blues (June 12); in addition to Blues on the Riverwalk (June 9-10); a “Women in Blues showcase” in Millennium Park (June 12) and special tributes to Blues legends: Erwin Helfer, Bob Stroger, Gene Barge, Cicero Blake, Willie Henderson, and Mary Lane, Chicago’s preeminent female blues vocalist.

With a diverse lineup in Millennium Park celebrating the blues’ past, present and future, the Chicago Blues Festival, the largest free blues festival in the world, shares the great Chicago-born music tradition while shining a spotlight on the genre’s contributions to soul, R&B, gospel, rock, hip hop and more.

Chicago Gospel Music Experience (June 4, 2022): This free outdoor festival at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, celebrating the Chicago-born genre, brings together traditional choirs, contemporary urban gospel artists, and more.

Chicago Pride Fest(June 17 – 19, 2022): Celebrate Pride in Northalsted, the country’s oldest official gay neighborhood at this lively fest, featuring live music, dance queens, local food and more. The following weekend the Chicago Pride Parade(June 26, 2022), one of the largest Pride celebrations in the world, marches through the neighborhood. Suggested donation of $15 for Chicago Pride Fest.

Chicago SummerDance(June 18 – Sept. 17, 2022, select dates), a beloved summertime tradition hosted in parks across the city and downtown, will return for its 25th year with a robust lineup and expanded programming. After two years of virtual and reduced offerings, this year’s event returns with a wide array of in-person dance lessons by professional instructors. Dancers of all ages and skill levels are invited to enjoy this free programming and, in honor of the Year of Chicago Dance and the nationwide “National Dance Day,” there will be a special day-long SummerDance Celebration in Millennium Park on September 17, 2022.

Grant Park Music Festival(June 15 – Aug. 20, 2022): For more than 80 years, the Grant Park Music Festival has been Chicago’s summer musical sensation, demonstrating that classical music, performed by a world-class orchestra and chorus, can have a transformative impact on the city. This year will offer a thrilling free lineup of music at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion with a mix of contemporary compositions and classical favorites such as Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Plus there’s plenty of family fun with the Independence Day Salute, Lights on Broadway, and Cirque Goes to Hollywood featuring live aerialists soaring above the stage.

Lollapalooza (July 28 – 31, 2022): The annual 4-Day music festival returns to Grant Park with an eclectic group of headliners including Metallica, Dua Lipa, Machine Gun Kelly, J. Cole, Big Sean, Green Day, Doja Cat, Charlie XCX and more. There will be 9 stages and 170+ performers from all over the world; 1-Day General Admission tickets start at $125 per person.

Millennium Park Summer Film Series(July 12 – August 30, 2022, Tuesdays): Guests may take a seat at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion or lounge on the Great Lawn as free, crowd-pleasing movies are presented on the state-of-the-art, 40-foot LED screen.

Millennium Park Summer Music Series(June 20 – Aug. 18, 2022, Mondays & Thursdays): With the backing of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), this free outdoor program features a wide variety of music from established and emerging artists at the iconic Jay Pritzker Pavilion. 2022 highlights include DakhaBrakha, a Ukrainian folk quartet that combines avant-garde, traditional and contemporary sounds; Charles Stepney: Out of the Shadows, a full ensemble tribute to “one of the underrated heroes of Chicago soul music”; globally renowned Nigerian Afrobeat saxophonist, composer and activist Femi Kuti; and Jeff Tweedy, founder of Wilco and one of contemporary music’s most accomplished musicians with special opening act from Chicago’s The People’s Music School.

Northalsted Market Days(August 6 – 7, 2022): The 40th Northalsted Market Days is a weekend long live music street festival celebrating community in Chicago’s landmark Northalsted/Lakeview district. The 1/2 mile long festival features all-day lineups of live music on 6 stages, 250+ unique vendors, arts, crafts, food and drink, DJ’s and dancing, sponsor booths and more! Estimated attendance of 120,000 people from near and far, representing all colors of the rainbow! A suggested donation of $15, as well as proceeds from the festival, supports local nonprofits and funds community projects like the Chicago Pride Crosswalks.

Pitchfork Music Festival(July 15 – 17, 2022): Since 2006, the Pitchfork Music Festival has consistently proven to be one of the most welcoming, comfortable, reasonably priced, and rewarding weekends of music around. Hosting 60,000 attendees of all ages from all 50 states and dozens of countries, Pitchfork Music Festival showcases the best up-and-coming music from around the world, as well as special performances from touring stalwarts and legends alike. Featuring diverse vendors, as well as specialty record, poster, and craft fairs, the festival works to support local businesses while promoting the Chicago arts and food communities as a whole. Single day General Admission tickets start at $99 while the 3-Day, General Admission pass is $200.

Pizza City Fest(July 23 – 24, 2022): Steve Dolinsky – a 13-time James Beard Award-winning food reporter, currently “The Food Guy” at NBC 5 –  is creating a pizza festival unlike anything that’s ever been done, over two days in the West Loop. Pizza City Fest: Chicago brings together 39 of the region’s best pizza makers (and one out-of-town guest) for two days of pizza making and appreciation, all in one location – Plumbers Union Hall in the West Loop. Thanks to 10 PizzaMaster ovens on-site, guests will be able to see each pizza maker create, bake and serve up their remarkable pies in the massive parking lot at the Hall. There will also be live music, pizza-themed art, merchandise and a few special treats. Attendees will also be able to take in a series of highly curated seminars and panel discussions with some of the country’s greatest pizza makers in attendance. General Admission 1-Day tickets start at $59 and 2-Day tickets at $89.

Pride in the Park (June 25 – 26, 2022): An annual outdoor music festival held downtown in Chicago’s Grant Park at the end of June features LGBTQ+ performers, artists, vendors and more. 2-Day General Admission Passes to Pride in the Park start at $100.

Ravenswood On Tap(June 18 – 19, 2022): Sip your way through Ravenswood, one of Chicago’s top craft beer neighborhoods and home to many small craft producers. Malt Row is one of the most prolific craft brewing communities in the country – and it’s right in Ravenswood! Enjoy brews from Malt Row, KOVAL Distillery cocktails, plus ax throwing, live music and some of Chicago’s favorite restaurants and food trucks. Suggested donations and proceeds from this event benefit the Greater Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, Ravenswood Community Council, and several other community organizations.

Taste of Chicago (July 8 – 10, 2022): A bite-sized version of the classic lakefront extravaganza will take place over three days in July — showcasing an estimated 30–40 eateries and food trucks each day, and three mainstage evening concerts.  Prior to the main event, a series of Taste of Chicago pop-ups will return this year with food and music events in three Chicago neighborhoods in June. Free admission; tickets for food and beverages are sold in strips of 14 for $10.

Southport Art & Music Fest (July 9-10, 2022): Chicago’s iconic Southport Corridor blooms to life when Southport Art Fest takes over Waveland and Southport in July. Festival fans will visit the beautiful tree-lined streets of the picturesque neighborhood. Just steps away from the friendly margins of Wrigley Field, the two-day festival will showcase some of the city’s best and most diverse artists. Free admission; all donations and proceeds benefit the Southport Neighbors Association.

Sundays on State (July 24 – September 4, 2022, select Sundays): After its enormously successful debut in 2021, Sundays on State, presented by the Chicago Loop Alliance, will return for summer 2022, with portions of Chicago’s most iconic street, State Street, closing to vehicular traffic again for select Sundays this summer. Join neighbors from every Chicago community and beyond for this free, interactive block party, while safely enjoying art, culture, active recreation, food, drinks, shopping, and local attractions in the heart of everyone’s neighborhood.

The Summer Smash Festival(June 17-19, 2022): SPKRBX presents The Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash Festival, the premier Hip-Hop music festival in the Midwest. For three days, on three stages, some of the biggest names in Hip-Hop will perform, including Post Malone and Wiz Khalifa. Tickets range from a 3-Day $275 General Admission Pass, to a $449 VIP Pass.

In partnership with the local dance community, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) Commissioner Erin Harkey designated 2022 as the “Year of Chicago Dance”, a yearlong collaborative initiative, which will activate Chicago’s dance industry to address critical issues facing dancers and showcase dance performances, social dancing, and special events for the public in dozens of venues throughout the city.

Partners will include dance service organizations Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project, Chicago Dancemakers Forum, and See Chicago Dance — as well as Art on theMART, Night Out in the Parks at the Chicago Park District and many other presenters and funders.

Wicker Park Fest (July 22-24, 2022): As one of Chicago’s most anticipated summer festivals, and dubbed “Chicago’s Best Street Festival of the Summer ” by the Chicago Tribune, Wicker Park Fest is one of Chicago’s top-drawing festivals, attracting visitors from across Chicagoland and the country with its fantastic music line-up. Building on the area’s unique character, the weekend celebrates the neighborhood with eclectic music, great local food, arts and crafts and retail vendors. Suggested donation of $10 and all proceeds benefit the local Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce.

Windy City Smokeout(August 4-7, 2022): It’s like a weekend-long tailgate at this popular country music festival, known for drawing in the industry’s top names. The 2022 festival lineup includes some of the biggest names in the industry, including Tim McGraw, Miranda Lambert, Sam Hunt, Willie Nelson and more. Along with today’s hottest country acts, the lineup also includes some of the world’s best pitmasters. Barbecue pros from all over the country will be serving up ribs, brisket, smoked meats and more, highlighting styles from Kentucky, Nashville, Missouri and Chicago. Local barbecue vendors include Bub City, Lillie’s Q and Pearl’s Southern Comfort. Ticket prices range from $45 for a 1-Day Sunday General Admission ticket to $185 for a 4-Day pass.

The Salt Shed, Chicago’s new performance and community space, is set to open at the historic Morton

Salt complex, in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. While the complex’s state of the art indoor venue is slated to open in 2023, the outdoor space will open this summer with tickets already on sale to shows throughout August and September 2022.

Neighborhood attractions and developments

Art on theMART is queuing up new projections for 2022 that will spotlight Chicago dance and the dancers, choreographers and visual artists that bring the medium to its full potential.

  • Floe (Until June 29, 2022) was created by choreographer and Chicago native Carrie Hanson with her dance company The Seldoms. It is a piece that spotlights climate change, extreme weather, vanishing ice, denialism, bodies of water and, ultimately, bodies. Hanson teamed with several long-time collaborators for this project. A stellar team of visual artists (Bob Faust, Liviu Pasare and Andrew Glatt) assembled a dynamic, emotional projection by weaving dance, word and image. Mikhail Fiksel crafted a soundscape that includes field recordings of icebergs, water and rain; Maria Pinto created architectural garments in an array of watery blues; Seth Bockley provided text that moves from irreverent to elegiac. Performers include Sarah Gonsiorowski, Damon Green and Maggie Vannucci.
  • Ba Boom Boom Pa Pop Pop, Nick Cave (Until September 7, 2022) was made specifically for Art on theMART by acclaimed American artist Nick Cave, and features completely original footage together with remastered content from Cave’s original film Drive-By (2011). Bridging dance, performance, film and public art, Cave’s new projection features his iconic Soundsuits in motion. Brightly colored figures will dance across theMART’s iconic riverside façade, transporting the viewer to a kaleidoscopic other world on the river’s edge. Amidst the flurry of movement, a figure adorned with a stop-sign emerges, reminding viewers of the underlying sense of urgency despite the jubilant expression of freedom.

Color Factory’s largest experiential exhibit, is opening at Catalog at Willis Tower, the new curated dining, entertainment, and community experience in the heart of downtown Chicago, in June 2022. With over 25,000 square feet of multisensory art experiences inspired by the city’s vibrant culture, the space will feature brand new installations from local artists and beloved rooms from other locations.

The Morton Arboretum is celebrating its centenary by extending the art exhibition Human+Nature through March 2023, with the addition of two new large-scale sculptures and a commemorative centennial sculpture by artist Daniel Popper coming this June 2022. A new Grand Gardenwill open in September 2022.

The Obama Presidential Center broke ground last fall in Jackson Park; this amazing world-class museum will bring a spectacular new campus to Chicago’s South Side and provide a fabulous new gathering space for the Hyde Park community and residents. Upon completion, it will feature a museum, library, park and activity center, women’s garden and so much more.

The Pepper Family Wildlife Center, a new state-of-the-art habitat for lions and big cats, recently opened at the Lincoln Park Zoo. The Center’s Lion House features a Great Hall that can host dinners for 400 guests or receptions for up to 500. The Lion House also features a conference room, which can seat 80 guests, or 100 for a standing reception. Both the Great Hall and the conference room feature windows overlooking the inside of the exciting lion exhibit.

In preparation for the organization’s 100th anniversary in 2030, the Shedd Aquarium has unveiled a new, comprehensive strategic vision, a multi-faceted, $500 million dollar Centennial Commitment which will include deeper community investments and partnerships, a modernized aquarium experience through the transformation and restoration of the historic galleries and dynamic new exhibits. There will also be new educational and experiential programs created with equity and inclusion at the center, compelling digital engagements, advancement in exemplary animal care and welfare, and accelerated aquatic and scientific research.

Following stops in New York City, Houston and San Antonio, Pixar Putt is coming to Chicago’s Navy Pier, from May 28-August 21, 2022. This pop-up, open-air mini-golf experience is fun for the whole family, featuring 18 fun and interactive hotels inspired by Disney and Pixar classics like Toy Story, The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, Coco, A Bug’s Life, Wall-E, and Inside Out. The course will be open seven days a week (from 12PM-10PM on weekdays and 10AM-10PM on weekends) and adults can enjoy Pixar Putt After Dark evening sessions Thursday-Saturday from 7PM-10PM.

Skydeck Chicago at Willis Tower has reopened after completing an extensive redevelopment encompassing the attraction’s lower level, delivering an interactive experience that celebrates the unique personality, history, neighborhoods and sites of Chicago. This immersive, new Chicago-themed museum features modern physical and visual displays, educating guests of all ages on Chicago history, culture, cuisine and architecture through interactive and informative experiences.

Meetings, conventions, and venues

Choose Chicago’s new Meeting Professionals Guide provides planners with everything they need to know about the city’s venues, suppliers, and services. The digital guide also offers information about Chicago as a destination, what’s new throughout the city, and activities happening during your event.

Come experience The Penthouse Hyde Park the newest, premier wedding venue on the south side of Chicago–an experience a Century in the Making. Located in the heart of Hyde Park, The Penthouse features an elegant mix of art deco and modern design, sitting atop the former 1920’s Piccadilly Hotel & Theater. Magnificent floor to ceiling arched 20 feet windows encompass a 2,500 sq. ft. ballroom, with capacities of up to 200 guests in cocktail settings and 170 with a dance floor. Stunning views of the city and lake can be seen from the fabulous 2,600 sq. ft. rooftop terrace, perfect for ceremonies or cocktail hours.

Q Center, an IACC-certified Chicago Conference Center on a 95-acre campus with on-site recreational amenities and team building opportunities, is ready to kick off meetings and events in 2022. The D Building and Business Center hosts a bounty of meeting spaces and collaboration areas, and the newly renovated Business Center hub features a large Energy Hub to refuel and refresh. The Welcome Center has a newly enhanced lobby and guest services area. The dividable Fox River Ballroom is equipped with a stunning new ceiling, lighting and sound system. And the newest addition to Q Center is the vibrant atmosphere of The Fox, a bar, restaurant and game space for your whole group to gather after a long day’s work.

Theatre and performing arts

This season, Black Ensemble Theater will showcase:

  • Grandma’s Jukebox (May 29-June 26, 2022) – The spirit of Grandma B. lives on! Without her the family feels lost until they start playing her old jukebox. It is the music from the jukebox that helps the family to understand and accept the power of healing.
  • My Brother Langston (August 21-September 18, 2022) – We are in the apartment of Langston Hughes where he entertains prolific and profound legends of his time. On this fascinating journey, accompanied by outstanding music from the Harlem Renaissance, we come to understand why Langston Hughes was considered one of the greatest poets and civil rights leaders of his time and why his poetry continues to speak to us today.

On June 18, 2022 (7:30PM) the Chicago Philharmonic will host Marvel Studios’ Black Panther in Concert. Based on the 2018 global sensation and cultural phenomenon, visitors can now relive the excitement of T’Challa becoming king and battling Killmonger all while one of the country’s finest symphonic orchestras performs Ludwig Göransson’s Oscar and Grammy-winning score live to picture. Joining the orchestra for the concert is Massamba Diop, the revered Senegalese tama drummer who co-created many parts of the movie score with composer Göransson.

Broadway In Chicago is proud to announce the following shows:

  • My Fair Lady (playing June 28-July 10, 2022 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre) tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady.” But who is really being transformed?
  • Jesus Christ Superstar (playing July 19-31, 2022 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre) is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of Judas. With lyrics and music by Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winners Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
  • The Devil Wears Prada, The Musical (playing July 19-August 21, 2022 at the James M. Nederlander Theatre) is based on the hit film and features an all-star creative team led by Tony, Grammy and Academy Award winner Elton John and Anna D. Shapiro. This high fashion romp is a glamorous and hilarious story about finding your place and discovering what matters most.
  • Anastasia (playing September 20-25, 2022 at the CIBC Theatre) transports viewers from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past.
  • Wicked(playing September 28-December 4, 2022 at the James M. Nederlander Theatre) the Broadway sensation, looks at what happened in the Land of Oz…but from a different angle, and long before Dorothy arrives.

Chicago’s Congo Square Theatre Company, one of the nation’s premier African American theaters, is celebrating Juneteenth with two festive “Homecoming”-themed programs on June 19, 2022 at the Zhou B Art Center in Bridgeport.

  • Festival on the Square, taking place from 1:00 – 4:00PM, features lively, free, family friendly programming inspired by the original Congo Square located in New Orleans, and aims to celebrate arts, healing and Black joy. Themed around “Homecoming,” this year’s Festival will showcase a vibrant collection of live performances, theatrical readings, and Black owned vendors. Ayodele Drum & Dance kicks off the festival with a live performance followed by a dance class for all ages and skill levels. Then Congo Square Theatre Ensemble Member Aaron Todd Douglas will read August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned followed by a performance from Chicago blues star Melody Angel. Members of the Congo Square Theatre Ensemble will perform staged readings of plays by the 2022 Samuel G. Roberson Next Up Fellowship winners directed by Malkia Stampley. Fellowship winners will be announced during the festival.
  • Starting at 6:00PM, Congo Square hosts the 2022 Vision Benefit, to help support Congo Square’s important mission, and celebrate the company’s work, its return to live theater and its future. The 2022 Vision Benefit will honor three individuals for their contributions to the company and the Chicago theatre community: Luther Goins, Jacqueline Williams and Rueben Echoles. Entertainment for the Vision Benefit includes a Hit ‘em on the Blackside Watch Party with a cast and crew talkback, dance performances from Hawkins House of Horton and Ayodele Drum & Dance, and musical performances by Melody Angel and Alexis Roston & Friends. Jeffery Beckham, Jr. will do a live painting which will be auctioned off during the celebration. A dance party hosted by DJ Retro concludes the evening. Vision Benefit tickets are $250.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s upcoming shows include:

  • It Came From Outer Space (June 22-July 24, 2022): A new musical comedy adapted from the ‘50s cult classic sci-fi film from Universal Pictures! Amateur astronomer Jon Putnam encounters an alien spaceship in the desert and becomes the laughingstock of his small town—until the extraterrestrial visitors make their presence known and he must convince the gathering mob that they have come in peace.
  • The Notebook: A New Musical(September 6-October 16, 2022): Based on the bestselling novel that inspired the iconic film, this world premiere new musical is led by a powerhouse creative team, featuring music and lyrics by multi-Platinum singer/songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, and book by playwright Bekah Brunstetter. Beginning with a whirlwind summer romance, the decades-long love story between a mill worker named Noah and a privileged debutante named Allie spans a lifetime, despite the differences that threaten to pull them apart.

The Court Theatre’s 2022/2023 season begins with:

  • Arsenic and Old Lace(September 2-October 2, 2022): Mild-mannered sisters Martha and Abby Brewster live in their spacious Victorian home in a quiet neighborhood in Brooklyn with an eccentric nephew, Teddy. Famed for their hospitality, Martha and Abby are adored by their neighbors and frequently entertain guests. But when their other nephew, Mortimer, discovers his aunts’ macabre secrets, a hilarious chain of events ensue in this character-driven farce.

The Tony Award-winningGoodman Theatre’s upcoming shows include:

  • Life After(June 11-July 17, 2022): Frank Carter famously authored self-help books. But Alice, his 16-year-old daughter, finds cold comfort in his positivity platitudes when he tragically never comes home one night. As she puzzles out the events of the day that changed her family forever, Alice’s relentless search for the facts reveals a more complicated truth.
  • Where We Belong (June 24-July 24, 2022): In 2015, Mohegan theatre-maker Madeline Sayet travels to England to pursue a PhD in Shakespeare and finds a country that refuses to acknowledge its ongoing role in colonialism. In this intimate and exhilarating solo piece, Madeline echoes a journey to England braved by Native ancestors in the 1700s following treatise betrayals – and forces us to consider what it means to belong in an increasingly globalized world.

The Joffrey Ballet’s 2021/2022 season draws to a close with Don Quixote (June 2-12, 2022), Yuri Possokhov’s fresh, family-friendly interpretation of this revered ballet classic. Don Quixote, an aging and eccentric nobleman, who imagines himself to be a brave knight, embarks on a humorous and fateful journey with his faithful sidekick Sancho Panza.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company returns after a 20 month intermission, with the opening of the $54 million Liz and Eric Lefkofsky Arts and Education Center, which includes the Ensemble Theater in Honor of Helen Zell, an intimate state-of-the-art 400-seat theater-in-the-round, and The Loft, an arts and education center for young performers. The 2021/2022 season draws to an end with: 

  • Seagull(Until June 12, 2022): On a long summer weekend in the Russian countryside, three generations collide in ensemble member Yasen Peyankov’s extraordinarily funny and lyrical adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s play that addresses existential questions about love, art and life.
  • Choir Boy (June 16-July 24, 2022): Written by Oscar-winning ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney, this Tony-nominated play—threaded throughout with soul-stirring a cappella gospel hymns—is the story of a young gay black man and his battle between identity and community.

Playing at the Studebaker Theater, Skates: The Musical(Until August 28, 2022) is a coming of age story starring American Idol favorites Diana Degarmo and Ace Young. When complications hit rock star Jaqueline Miller, she takes a retrospective journey back to 1977 and finds herself again when she meets up with her 12-year-old self and all of the people who have made her who she is.

Sports

In 2021, the Chicago White Sox introduced several new ballpark additions to continue delivering a top-tier fan experience at Guaranteed Rate Field. The installation of modern LED lighting furthered the organization’s commitment to green initiatives while allowing for specialized light patterns and shows that enhance celebratory events like pregame productions, home runs, Sox victories and fireworks. The White Sox also opened a permanent DJ booth on the 100 level near The Goose Island and created three new bar spaces – the Jack Daniel’s Bar on the 200-suite level, the Gentleman Jack Bar on the 400-suite level and the Old No. 7 Bar located in section 110.

Chicago has been chosen to host the United States Sail Grand Prix (SailGP) at Navy Pier, June 18-19, 2022. SailGP is one of the fastest emerging properties in world sports featuring exciting, up-close action as teams race identical F50 catamarans – a highly-technical, hydro foiling race boat that boasts highway speeds – in an annual global championship held in some of the most iconic cities around the world. The F50s will race on Lake Michigan directly in front of the Chicago skyline, marking the first time the championship has ever competed on fresh water! General admission tickets at Navy Pier begin at $35; premium packages that include Food & Beverage, reserved seating etc. increase in price point.

The city of Chicago and the defending WNBA Champion Chicago Sky will play host to the 2022 WNBA All-Star Weekend. In addition to the All-Star game, set for Sunday, July 10 airing on ABC, the WNBA is unveiling a new, two-day, “WNBA Live” at the nearby McCormick Place, the setting for the 2022 Nike Tournament of Champions and the Girls Nike Nationals. TO be held on July 9 and 10, NBA Live is an interactive, outdoor event that will provide fans with an opportunity to experience the intersection of the WNBA, entertainment and pop culture like never before.

The PGA TOUR announced that the 16th Presidents Cup will be held at the Medinah Country Club outside of Chicago in 2026. Medinah is the fifth different venue in the United States to host the Presidents Cup and adds the biennial team event to an illustrious list of tournaments hosted at Course #3 that include the 2019 BMW Championship, 2012 Ryder Cup, two PGA Championships, three U.S. Opens, the 1988 U.S. Senior Open, three Western Opens (BMW Championship), and a number of other professional championships.

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About Choose Chicago

Choose Chicago is the official sales and marketing organization responsible for promoting Chicago as a global visitor and meetings destination, leveraging the city’s unmatched assets to ensure the economic vitality of the city and its member business community. For more information, visit www.choosechicago.com and follow @choosechicago on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. #CaptureChicagoExcitement