Friday | April 6
If you’re tired of playing hide-and-go-seek at the Art Institute, why not try a scavenger hunt through one of the Museum of Contemporary Art’s current exhibits instead? At this month’s hip hop–themed First Friday at the MCA, guests will also have the chance to create their own graffiti art, enjoy live entertainment from DJ Alvin Black III, and engage in some harmless hobnobbing (this should go well with the complimentary Wolfgang Puck hors d’oeuvres). 220 East Chicago Avenue. 6–10 p.m., $14 in advance; $18 at door, 21+.
The Japanese Student Association’s Second Annual Spring Matsuri Dinner and Show is happening on the third-floor theater of Ida Noyes. Enjoy a catered dinner from Shinju Sushi and fun arts activities like a kimono photo booth and an origami workshop. Then, at seven, the Chicago Koto Group, Judo Martial Arts, and Shin Dancing Troupes, among others, will take the stage. 1212 East 59th Street. 5–8:30 p.m., $10.
Saturday | April 7
You can never be too drunk to brunch. Every Saturday and Sunday for the rest of April, get a plateful of chilaquiles on the house when you order the Mexican hangover brunch at Mercadito. The catch? You have to actually remember in the morning to bring along the receipt from the bar, club, or restaurant where you drank in order to get the free goods. 108 West Kinzie Street. Brunch served Sat. 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m.; Sun 11:30 a.m.–4 p.m., 21+.
How do you jump to the island of conclusions? By deciding that there’s no way you could possibly miss Jules Feiffer, Pulitzer Prize–winning illustrator of childhood classic, The Phantom Tollbooth, at the Jean Albano Gallery. In honor of Tollbooth’s 51st Anniversary, Feiffer will be signing a completely different work—his memoir, Backing into Forward—but you’ll still have time to reminisce about the good old days when every book you read had pictures in it. 215 West Superior Street. 12—3 p.m., free.
Sunday | April 8
When it comes to Mad Men, there’s always a better way to get your fix. If the themed parties and Banana Republic clothing line haven’t been satisfying enough, then I suggest making a trip to Public Chicago (the classy downtown hotel that also houses the Pump Room) for their weekly Mad Men viewing party featuring flights of manhattans, martinis, and gimlets, and DJ spins during commercial breaks. The screening room, with its dark, wood-paneled walls, suede couches and plush carpeting, is the kind of place in which Don Draper has sex all the time. 1301 North State Street. 7–10 p.m., $25, reservation required.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is one of those movies that will always entice and baffle. At the Music Box Theatre this Easter Sunday, you can skeptically revel in a special screening of the 1971 classic film adaptation that brought you chocolate rivers, edible Mario mushrooms, and purple Gene Wilder. There will also be a preshow costume contest (don your best Veruca Salt, Augustus Gloop, etc.) and complimentary goodie bags for all. 3733 North Southport Avenue. 2 p.m., $12 in advance; $14 day of if available.
Remember when you were an impressionable, imaginative eight-year-old, for whom Hogwarts was just a letter-delivered-in-the-beak-of-an-owl away? Well, you’re here now, so you might as well face the music. University of Chicago Quidditch, which just got off the ground (but not literally) this past year, has invited a genuine wizard rock band. Harry and the Potters of “Save Ginny Weasley” fame will play at Ida Noyes to hoards of eager and ironic fans, hopefully brandishing twigs and dressed in Snuggies®. 1212 East 59th Street. 7:30–8:30 p.m., $5.
