1. Hit up Tomorrow Never Knows shows
The annual comedy and music festival is already in full swing, with the bulk of its shows happening this weekend. Catch local musical favorites like Into It. Over It. and Open Mike Eagle, and excellent stand-up comics like Beth Stelling and 2 Dope Queens’s Phoebe Robinson. Laughing and dancing in the same weekend? Is that even legal? (Hideout, Schubas and Lincoln Hall, Fri–Sun. Check full lineup for details)
2. Go in for round 2 of SketchFest
It’s weekend 2 of the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival—are you ready? This weekend’s lineup focuses more heavily on local acts, so get out and see your friends, co-workers and crushes perform sketch comedy. (Stage 773, 1225 W Belmont Ave, shows every hour, Fri, Sat 7pm–12am, Sun 1–7pm. $15 per show)
3. Chow down on all of the grilled cheese
Do you have taste buds? Great, you’ll love our Grilled Cheese Meltdown, where nine of the tastiest sandwiches in Chicago battle for the title of grilled cheese champ. A few tickets are still available, so jump on this! (Thalia Hall, 1807 S Allport St, Sun 11:30am, 2pm, 4:30pm sessions. $30)
4. Catch great local storytellers at their finest
The quarterly live-lit show You’re Being Ridiculous is taking over Steppenwolf for its winter show this weekend. Yeah, Steppenwolf—so you know it’s good, and also fancy. (Steppenwolf Theatre Company, 1650 N Halsted St, Sat at 8pm. $20)
5. Warm up with a big, sweaty dance party
Big Chicks—daytime alias Tweet—hosts its monthly dance party FKA tonight. The all-inclusive, genderfluid dance party is a queer staple of Chicago nightlife, so, seriously, no haters allowed. (Big Chicks, 5024 N Sheridan Rd, Fri at 9pm. Free)
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