Need Valentine’s Day Plans? We Have You Covered

By Nolan Shaffer, Shawn Quek, Emily Sun, Elias Buttress, Violet Conklin, Noël Da, and Alkis Karmpaliotis / January 27, 2026

The Arts and Culture editors pitch seven different Valentine’s Day itineraries.

Requiem Mass Rises From the Dead

By Deniz Kurdi / January 24, 2026

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem Mass is the composer’s incomplete swan song. The history of the piece is almost as dramatic as the composition itself, complete with masked figures and Mozart’s...

Chicago Rings in the New Year with a Historic Countdown, Fireworks, and a Hometown Legend

By Gabby Mansilla / January 16, 2026

As part of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, bundled up crowds braved subfreezing temperatures along the Chicago River to witness the Central time zone countdown to 2026.

AxLab Blends Art and Technology

By Deniz Kurdi / January 15, 2026

Ken Nakagaki leads the effort of bringing art and technology together.

Sounds Echo at Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind

By Ciara Balanzá / January 14, 2026

At the Museum of Contemporary Art’s sprawling retrospective, Yoko Ono commands a cacophonous presence.

City in a Garden Brings Chicago’s LGBTQ+ History to Light

By Elias Buttress / January 14, 2026

MCA Chicago’s newest group show offers an intergenerational look at art, activism, and the hidden sites of LGBTQ+ life in Chicago.

Chicago-Based Band Real Friends Brings High-Energy Set to Milestone Tour

By Gabby Mansilla / January 14, 2026

An emotionally immersive performance at the Salt Shed built on vulnerability, movement, and connection.

An Angel on Earth: Leith Ross

By Ciara Balanzá / January 12, 2026

On the I Can See the Future Tour, Leith Ross embraced the crowd with radical love.

The Band Camino Brings Their NeverAlways Era to Chicago

By Gabby Mansilla / January 9, 2026

The night was packed with heartfelt songs, cascading confetti, and a crowd beaming with joy.

Dean’s Men Put a Cowboy Twist on a Shakespearean Classic

By Madison Schultz / January 8, 2026

As Y’all Like It, the Dean’s Men fall production of As You Like It, is strikingly funny and beautiful.

Mixing Matcha and Masculinity at the Performative Male Study Break

By Lara Orlandi and Ciara Balanzá / January 8, 2026

The Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality offers a fresh take on the viral archetype of the performative male.

Courtney Lund O’Neil Tells Stories that Go Beyond a Serial Killer

By Emma Beazley / January 8, 2026

In Postmortem, Courtney Lund O’Neil centers the voices of people impacted by the John Wayne Gacy murders.