Mickey Mouse leads the holiday procession on Saturday.
Magnificent Mile Lights Festival All day Saturday along the Magnificent Mile; free
Let the holiday season begin! Mickey Mouse leads the parade of floats down Michigan Avenue as more than 1 million lights are illuminated to kick off the season. There will be music all day at the Harris Stage (401 N. Michigan Ave.) including Plain White T's at 3 p.m. There's also a fireworks display over the river starting at 7 p.m. Need some help getting into the holiday spirit? Check out our holiday guide.
If you see something like this on Saturday, hop aboard. (via Flickr)
Santa, looks like you can put the folks at Miller/Coors on your "nice" list this year.
The Miller Lite Free Rides program, beginning this Saturday and continuing every Saturday through December 26 (plus New Year's Eve and New Year's Day), includes free double-decker buses running throughout the city from 8 p.m.-midnight, picking up inebriated passengers in the Loop, River North, Old Town, Lincoln Park and Wrigleyville. In addition to being a great way to prevent drunk driving, we're guessing the rides will provide some good after-hours entertainment (no word on complimentary booze).
To find out if the party buses -- ahem, shuttles -- will be passing by your watering hole of choice (or planned New Year's Eve destination), call 1-800-FREE RIDES (1-800-373-3743), text "RIDE" to 44636 or visit www.MillerLiteFreeRides.com.
Note: If you prefer to hiccup in private, you can grab a cab quickly using the Our Town-approved GoFastCab text service.
So, it's been a rough year for many Chicagoans. The murder rate is rising. The economy is tanking. The Cubs choked, again. But you know, there's always one place you can go to get away from all that, a place you know you'll feel safe and secure: home.
Of course, home usually comes with its own set of problems - annoying parents, socially awkward cousins, repressed childhood memories. So before you make that trip back, you might want to loosen up by partying on Thanksgiving Eve (aka Black Wednesday), the biggest bar and club night of the year.
We're giving away a free ticket ($25 value) to District Bar's party, which includes three hours of gourmet food, cocktails and beer (plus specials afterward). View the full menu here.
To enter, send a Twitter message ("Sign me up for Black Wednesday contest") to @CstageChicago by Wednesday, November 18 at 3 p.m.
Have you ever made a mixtape for a hopeless crush? Of course you have. Everyone's done it at one time or another. But not everyone is willing to share the crushing tales of heartbreak that are often intertwined with the sappy recordings.
Thankfully, there's Cassette From My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves, a new collection of mixtape-related memoirs edited by Found magazine's Jason Bitner and featuring remembrances from the likes of Rob Sheffield (Love is a Mixtape), Ben Greenman (The New Yorker) and Rick Moody (The Ice Storm).
Bitner will celebrate the book's release tonight at Hideout (8 p.m., $5) with a group of special guests including The Onion A.V. Club's Kyle Ryan, artist Derek Erdman and illustrator Arthur Jones (who will tell the story of how he lost his virginity in Post-It Note form). While the event may unearth some long-repressed memories, it also promises to be full of laughter and fun. Who knows, you might meet even someone who will actually appreciate your Stone Roses-fueled courting ritual.
Ice, ice, baby
Cartier, Boucheron and Tiffany are all well-represented in the new exhibit “The Nature of Diamonds” at the Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive. Tickets, $13-$23, includes general admission. Call (312) 922-9410; www.fieldmuseum.org.
Take part in a Chicago tradition
The 102nd annual lighting of the Walnut Room’s Christmas tree happens at noon today at Macy’s, 111 N. State. Free. Call (312) 781-4884.
Or you could just get lit like a Christmas tree
Kit Kat Lounge (3700 N. Halsted) is celebrating the season with two Thanksgiving-themed cocktails: banana nut bread martini (Vox Vodka, Hazelnut liquor, banana liquor, vanilla, splashes of simple syrup and cream) and apple pie martini (Vox Vodka, Dekuyper apple liquor, Dekuyper butter shots, cream, vanilla, splash of cranberry juice). Each are $12.50. Call (773) 525-1111; www.kitkatchicago.com.
HEY! YOU GOT THREE BETTER ONES?
Tell us your three favorite things about Saturday!
Artwork by Sergei Isupov looks over Navy Pier's Festival Hall during SOFA setup Wednesday. (Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)
SOFA Chicago Through Sunday at Navy Pier; $15-$25
Celebrating its 16th year, the Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair hits Navy Pier's Festival Hall to present work from top international galleries and dealers. Check out the opening night preview gala on Thursday ($50) to get a first glimpse at the show's best work. Hors d'oeurves and wine are included. Tickets for the rest of the show are $15 a day, or $25 for a three-day pass. Get them here or at the door. More: Check out the Sun-Times' SOFA photo gallery.
Open bars are all the rage in Chicago, but most of the time we're not sure why. With all the cash you pay up front, you spend most of your time lingering near the bar, sucking down watered-down well drinks as fast as possible in order to get your money's worth. Not exactly a recipe for a fun night out, in our opinion.
But there are exceptions, like this weekend's Drink for Hunger benefit -- a $30, three-hour open-bar event at AliveOne supporting the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Over the past five years, the event has raised money to supply more than 25,000 meals to Chicago's hungry, but it doesn't feel like a charity event (beyond the stickers they ask you to wear); it feels like a party. In addition to all-you-can-drink microbrews, domestics, wine and cocktails, you'll enjoy DJ entertainment (funk, soul and hip-hop) and a raffle with some sweet prizes, including signed memorabilia from Ernie Banks and Ozzie Guillen, a $100 spa gift certificate, drink packages at local bars and more.
So go ahead, hit the open bar hard, knowing that you have our blessing. Just don't blame us when you have a massive hangover on Sunday morning.
Are you that guy who can recite every line from "Caddyshack," or the girl who knows the climactic scene from "Titanic" by heart? You'll probably enjoy Movieoke, the interactive event that lets you re-enact your favorite movie scenes while they play out on-screen -- in other words, it's "movie karaoke," and it's hitting Chicago in a big way.
Aspiring Spaldings and Roses can do their thing tonight at The Whistler in Logan Square (8 p.m.) and next Wednesday at the Bucktown Pub. Want to make sure your favorite flick will be available to perform? Check out the full list of movies. (Phew, they do have "Darby Gill and the Little People"!)
The Rocky Horror Show 8 p.m., through Saturday at the Athenaeum Theatre; $20
Do the Time Warp (again!) at this live theater production of the musical cult classic, with shows running through Halloween night. Dress up as your favorite character (and who wouldn't take the opportunity to emulate Meat Loaf as much as possible?), but leave the props at home. There are special goodie bags you can buy at the theater to join in on the action.
Lonie Walker's not your average Chicago club owner -- which is good, because her club, the Underground Wonder Bar, is far from your average Chicago club. Since 1989, the wild child has made her Gold Coast spot a haven for local musicians of all stripes (including the rockin' Walker herself), pioneering green business practices and remaining a committed charitable donor along the way.
Sadly, making it to year 21 might prove difficult, as the club's building, at 10 East Walton, was recently bought out. If things don't work out, a lot of people will have the blues, but Walker and her pals aren't wallowing. Instead, they're partying, celebrating a different year in the club's tenure every day, starting with a tribute to 1989 (complete with de-inflated drink specials) tomorrow night. The fun continues over the next few weeks, with the big 20th anniversary bash on November 15, featuring live music from 4 p.m.-4 a.m., drink specials, food and prizes, with proceeds benefiting the People's Music School.
So whether you've been a faithful patron since the days when the Gold Coast was one of the seedier sections of town, or you've yet to make a visit, now is the time to stop in for a trip down memory lane. Lonie will be waiting.
Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers 8 p.m. Thursday at Cadillac Palace Theatre; $37-$75
The longtime funnyman drops the standup routine for a five-string banjo at this leg of a nationwide tour for charity. He's joined by the Steep Canyon Rangers, who are regulars on Grand Ole Opry. And did you know Martin now has three Grammys to his name -- two for comedy albums and another for his collaboration with Earl Scruggs on Foggy Mountain Breakdown in 2001.
The Holy Hour House Band performs at The Kerryman.
Yesterday's news that the city may cancel or shorten several of its biggest summer festivals came as something of a shock, even if it makes good fiscal sense. Seriously, if the 50-year-old Venetian Night can be chopped, is nothing sacred?
You'd better have a backup plan to get your fest fix. We're not sure where else you can go to see boats loaded up with lights, but we do know of two upcoming ways to dull the blow in case (god forbid) the Celtic Fest is ever sent back to the Emerald Isle.
One: Magners Irish Sessions. This series of concerts sponsored by Magners Irish Cider, which began last month, features the city's best known traditional Irish musicians playing songs in intimate settings (plus, lots of cider). Upcoming events:
Friday, October 23: The Holy Hour House Band, 9-11 p.m. at Chicago Gaelic Park, 6119 W. 147th, Oak Forest
Thursday, October 29: Danny Burns and The Defectors, 8-10 p.m. at Mystic Celt
Friday, October 30: Danny Burns and The Defectors, 9-11 p.m. at Hidden Shamrock
Thursday, November 5: Danny Burns and The Defectors, 8-11 p.m. at Abbey Pub
Two: iBAM!. Did you know the Celtic New Year is coming up soon? Celebrate it with three days of books, arts and music at the Irish American Heritage Center.
It starts with a $100 black-tie-optional dinner (6-11 p.m.) on Friday, October 30, with entertainment from the likes of Malachy McCourt and Black 47. On Saturday and Sunday, the fun continues, with a $5 admission fee getting you access to book sales, panel discussions, live dance, theater and more (11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily). Because it is Halloween weekend, expect a costume parade, face painting and a presentation on the life of Bram Stoker (writer of Dracula). You'll need to pay a little extra for access to the full Irish breakfast (11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday) and concerts from Black 47 (7 p.m. Saturday) and Maura O'Connell (7 p.m. Sunday). Tickets are available on the website.
We're guessing "no" is a word that RJ and Jerrod Melman didn't hear too often growing up. We're not saying they were spoiled by their dad (Rich Melman, founder of the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group), but it appears they do have a tough time reining in their desires.
Take their popular restaurant, HUB 51, whose menu includes everything from nachos to sushi to burgers to steaks-- it's like the brothers took a look at a list of food suppliers and said "I want it all." (Hey, if it's alright with Jessica Alba, it's alright with us.)
And now comes word of Jerrod's birthday celebrations this weekend. That's right, celebrations, plural. The soon-to-be 27-year-old will host three parties at his restaurant's underground club, SUB 51 (click for table reservations). "Dance Your Pants Off" starts tonight with DJ Jem and DJ Kiss, with Dante the Don to follow on Friday and Konsept behind the decks on Saturday (the actual b-day is Sunday). Is it too much? Probably. Should you go anyway? We're not gonna tell you "no."
Mike Doughty 7 p.m. Thursday at Schubas, 9 p.m. Friday at Lincoln Hall, $20-$22
If you like studio works from Doughty (of Soul Coughing), like the recent Golden Delicious album, you absolutely can't miss seeing him in person. If possible, ind yourself a ticket to Friday's sold-out show at the brand-new Lincoln Hall, a live music venue just recently opened by the Schubas crew. Doughty will be joined on stage by cellist Andrew "Scrap" Livingston, who played guitar on Golden Delicious.
Svengoolie will be among the spooky stars at this weekend's Ghost Conference.(photo via myspace.com/svengoolie26)
Chicago Ghost Conference 5-11 p.m. Friday and 8:30 p.m.-midnight Saturday; Portage Theater; $50 for a two-day pass
Join paranormal experts and speakers for this annual event about all things otherworldly. This year's speakers include Lorraine Warren from A&E's "Paranormal State" and Jeff Belanger, paranormal author and creator of Ghostvillage.com, who join members of paranormal groups from around the country to educate, inform, network, share ideas and entertain others that are fascinated with the supernatural. If that's not enough, Chicago legend Svengoolie makes an appearance on Friday night.
