Chicago Air and Water Show: Get ready for the skies to rumble as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights headline the 64th annual Chicago Air and Water Show. The show will feature two new performances this year, RJ Gritter Decathlon Aerobatics and the Trojan Phylers, who will fly two T-28B aircraft. Best part of the air show? It’s free — and requires relatively little effort to see. Make your way to the lakefront and look up. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 10-11 (rehearsals on Aug. 9) over North Avenue Beach; best views between Fullerton Avenue and Oak Street; more information, including accessibility and transportation, at chicago.gov
Bud Billiken Parade: The 95th annual Bud Billiken Parade aims to kick off the school year with a joyous, two-mile march down King Drive, showcasing all that’s special about Chicago’s South Side. Billed as the largest Black parade in the world, it draws more than 200 marching bands, drill teams, dancers, tumblers and others from across the country to participate. This year’s grand marshal is actor and singer Jason Weaver. The parade is accompanied by the It Takes a Village Back to School Festival in Washington Park, featuring hairstyling, an employment fair, college admissions information, vendors and special performances. 10 a.m. Aug. 10 from 35th Street and King Drive, heading south through Washington Park; free, more information at budbillikenparade.org
Chicago Musical Theatre Festival: Five new musicals featuring the work of emerging composers and lyricists will be presented as part of Steppenwolf Theatre’s LookOut series. The five shows, selected from a field of 100 submissions, include: “Wanderlust,” a musical comedy about a vacation gone wrong; “The Brass Teapot,” about a mysterious object that pours money when it senses pain; “Jenny,” a coming-of-age story; “ei hytte (the cabin),” an a cappella musical about strangers trapped by a blizzard; and “Out of Focus,” a rock musical about a kid’s first year of college. 8 p.m. Aug. 8 (“Wanderlust”), 8 p.m. Aug. 9 (“The Brass Teapot”), 3 p.m. Aug. 10 (“Jenny”), 8 p.m. Aug. 10 (“ei hytte (the cabin)”) and 3 p.m. Aug. 11 (“Out of Focus”) at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St.; tickets $20 at steppenwolf.org
Members of the South Shore Drill Team perform in the Bud Billiken Parade on South King Drive on Aug. 13, 2022.
World’s Largest Karaoke: Want to sing in front of 5,000 people? Now’s your chance: Empty Bottle and The Salt Shed are attempting to stage the world’s largest karaoke party. Sign up — as many times as you want — at the event to sing; participants will be randomly selected. 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Aug. 8 at The Salt Shed Outdoors (Fairgrounds), 1357 N. Elston Ave.; free tickets at saltshedchicago.com
Metallica: Metallica promises a no-repeat weekend — two different sets over two different nights, with two sets of opening acts. The M72 World Tour will open with Pantera and Mammoth on Aug. 9 and Five-Finger Death Punch and Ice Nine Kills on Aug. 11. For fans who can’t make it out to Soldier Field, consider checking out the Saturday morning Metallica Film Fest on Aug. 10 at the Music Box Theater. Aug. 9 and 11 at Soldier Field, 1410 Special Olympics Drive; tickets $85 and up plus information about related events at metallica.com
Billy Porter performs at the San Francisco Pride Celebration on June 30, 2024 in San Francisco, California. (Miikka Skaffari/Getty)
Northalsted Market Days: Billy Porter leads the lineup at this year’s Northalsted Market Days, a two-day street festival celebrating the neighborhood’s diverse, LGBTQ+ community. Featuring five stages, more than 250 vendors, drag performances and dance exhibitions, it promises a weekend-long street party. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Aug 10-11 on Halsted Street, between Belmont Avenue and Addison Street; more information at northalsted.com
Printers Row Art Fest: Nearly 100 artists and artisans will set up in the streets of the Printers Row neighborhood. The juried show promises a full range of vendors — from jewelry to fine art — as well as a Kids Art Zone, face painting, art demonstrations, live music and food and drink. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug 10-11 on Dearborn Street between Harrison and Polk streets; more information at amdurproductions.com
“Dance for Life”: The Joffrey Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and about a half-dozen other dance companies will join together for a fundraiser supporting the Chicago Dance Health Fund. The fund supports preventative health care and critical medical care for local professional dancers. Expect Argentinian and Spanish dance from Ensemble Espanol Spanish Dance Theater, “Gershwin in B” from Giordano Dance Chicago, a celebration of sisterhood in Praize Productions’ “Black is the Color” and more. The evening culminates in a finale choreographed by Jonathan Alsberry and set to an original score by Ira Antelis; it’s inspired by James W. Johnson’s poem “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” 6 p.m. Aug. 10 at Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive with an after party at Venue SIX10, 610 S. Michigan Ave.; tickets $45-$500 at auditoriumtheatre.org
“Fertile Ground”: Community members from Chicago’s South Side and Stony Island Corridor present a play celebrating the Great Migration and green living in Chicago. Participants will share personal experiences through dance, song and spoken word. The play is the culmination of Deeply Rooted Productions’ Creative Communities Story Bridge Program; it’s presented in collaboration with Blacks in Green, an environmental economic development group. 7:30 p.m. Aug. 9-10 and 5 p.m. Aug. 11 at St. Benedict the African, 6547 S. Stewart Ave.; tickets at deeplyrooteddancetheater.org
Party in White at the Zoo: Hardly anyone follows the old rule about nixing white from your wardrobe after Labor Day, but it’s still the quintessential summer look. Get decked out in your best white clothes to mingle at the Lincoln Park Zoo after hours. Drinks, music, karaoke, lawn games, photo ops and free rides on the Endangered Species Carousel will be on offer. 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N. Clark St.; tickets (21+) $15-$39.99 at eventbrite.com
Have something to do around Chicago? Email events to day.chitribevents@gmail.com
