What to do in Chicago: Beyoncé, Vintage Store Day and BADBADNOTGOOD

Chicago Tribune

16-05-2025

Beyoncé: Queen Bey is here to set the record straight, as she wraps a three-night stand of the 'Cowboy Carter' tour at Soldier Field. Based on earlier reports from the tour, the three-hour spectacle is not to be missed — but then, who would expect anything less?
Mayfest: The summer festival season gets underway with Lincoln Park's Mayfest. In addition to the usual music, food and fun, Mayfest will include a Spring Fine Art Mart featuring artists from across the country.
BADBADNOTGOOD: Perhaps best known for their Grammy Award-winning collaborations with Kendrick Lamar and Thundercat, Toronto's BADBADNOTGOOD has sold out two shows at Thalia Hall. See them perform their 'Mid Spiral' tour with Baby Rose and Tim Zawada.
CHIRP Music Film Festival: Love CHIRP's vibe? This weekend, you can see it reflected on the big screen, in a half-dozen or so movies that make up the CHIRP Music Film Festival. The festival closes Sunday with Sam Jones's Wilco documentary, 'I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.' In the meantime, you can watch 'Save the Children,' a film documenting a 1972 Operation PUSH concert featuring Roberta Flack, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and more; 'Angelheaded Hipster,' a documentary about T Rex frontman Marc Bolan; and 'Lifers,' which captures a Local H show at the Metro.
Chicago Humanities Festival Lincoln Park Day: Another reminder that the Chicago Humanities Festival continues to chug along, offering a thought-provoking spring lineup. On Sunday alone, you can hear from actor Leslie Odom Jr. ('Hamilton'); Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller ('Hamilton' and 'Rent'); National Book Award-winner Ibram X. Kendi on Malcolm X; New Yorker writer John Cassidy ('Capitalism and Its Critics'); poet Reginald Dwayne Betts ('Doggerel'); a conversation between cartoonist Chris Ware and writer/curator Dan Nadel about cartoonist Robert Crumb; Michigan Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson; and activists Tamika Mallory and Amanda Nguyen.
'The Antiquities': Jordan Harrison's dystopian play offers 'snapshots of the earliest days of techno-danger (such as the AOL dial-up moment) and their connection to his imagined future where humans can no longer find any purpose in their lives,' according to the Tribune review. If you prefer theater that makes you think, get to the Goodman.
Wright Plus Architectural Housewalk: This weekend, homeowners in Oak Park, Elmhurst and Oak Brook offer a glimpse of private residences designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his contemporaries. See how these historic structures live on as individual homes.
Vintage Store Day: April brought us Record Store Day and Independent Bookstore Day. Now we get the inaugural Vintage Store Day, co-founded by two Chicago shops — Lost Girls and Rare Form. More than 100 stores across Illinois will join with 700 or so across the country to encourage vintage shopping. Reduce, recycle, reuse — right?
Swing Into Summer: The forecast is looking good to get outside this weekend, so consider heading to Navy Pier to try out some sports. Coaches will be available to help you hone your skills in pickleball, wiffle ball, baseball softball or golf. The Pier Park Mini Golf Course will also host competitions.
The Sugar Hole: Summer must be around the corner, because The Sugar Hole opens this weekend. Now in its second season, the Color Club's ice cream stand is one of the city's most delightful experiences. Puppets — Puddles, Moolissa or Jeremiah Carburetor — take your order. Thanks to an expanded menu, that order could now include strawberry soft serve, adult drinks or Bang Bang Pie & Biscuit hand pies. This year's opening day, May 17, will feature a parade, yoga, a puppet show and crafts.