Our picks for events in and around Chicago this weekend.
Chicago Blues Festival
Taj Mahal and The Phantom Blues Band, plus shows celebrating 75 years of Billy Branch and 55 years of Alligator Records, headline this year’s Chicago Blues Festival. You’ve got three days to take in dozens of live music acts across four stages in Millennium Park. Noon to 9 p.m. June 5-7 in Millennium Park, enter at Michigan Avenue and Washington, Madison, Randolph and Monroe Streets; free, more at ChicagoBluesFestival.us
Pokémon GO Fest
Is it an act of fate that the Pokémon GO Fest is happening down the street from the Blues Festival this weekend? Or does someone in the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events have a sense of humor? Special eggs. Hatch candy. Stardust. If you know what these things are and what they have to do with Pokémon, be sure you’re in Grant Park (not Millennium Park) this weekend. The Pokémon GO Fest is in town — a week after Tokyo and a week before Copenhagen — offering augmented-reality gameplay. (And if you’re not playing, keep an eye out for even more people than usual wandering around town, staring at phones.) Through June 7 in Grant Park, 337 E. Randolph St.; tickets $33 at pokemongo.com
American Writers Festival
Now that Printers Row Lit Fest is part of the fall literary calendar, we can thank the American Writers Museum for filling the summer reading void. Highlights of the American Writers Festival include 2026 Pulitzer Prize winner Daniel Kraus in conversation with Susan Orlean; religion scholar Reza Aslan (“Zealot”); Jacob Mchangama and Sara Paretzky on free speech; Eve L. Ewing and others on poetry; and, for sci-fi enthusiasts, Nebula Award finalists. The two-day festival spans the museum (great excuse to check it out) and the Harold Washington Library Center. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 6 at the American Writers Museum (180 N. Michigan Ave.), and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 7 at the Harold Washington Library Center (400 S. State St.); free (including Saturday museum admission), schedule and more information at americanwritersmuseum.org
Danielle Allen
Or for your intellectual fix, head to the Newberry Library to hear two fantastic speakers tackle the Declaration of Independence: Danielle Allen, Harvard professor and author of “Our Declaration,” and R. Scott Stephenson, president and CEO of the Museum of the American Revolution. While you’re there, check out artifacts from Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution, including a recreation of George Washington’s tent. Curator Eric Slauter will also be available to discuss his Newberry exhibition, “Free and Independent: The Declaration of Independence and the Words that Made the U.S.” It’s all part of the library’s yearlong United States 250 Initiative. 2-3 p.m. June 6 in Ruggles Hall at Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St.; register for the free event at newberry.org
Bleachers
It’s music for a summer night. Jack Antonoff’s band tours on the heels of the release of its album, “Everyone for Ten Minutes.” Antonoff is best known for producing Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, and Lorde, but this weekend, you’ve got two chances to hear his indie rock band Bleachers. 6:30 p.m. June 5 and 7 at Salt Shed Fairgrounds, 1357 N. Elston Ave.; tickets from $75.20 at saltshedchicago.com
Melissa Etheridge
She’s the only one. Well, not really, but that’s how you know her. Grammy-winner Melissa Etheridge kicks off the Brookfield Zoo’s “Roaring Nights” summer concert series. Nelly and Blues Traveler will appear later in in the season. Tickets include access to the zoo before the show, as well as unlimited rides on the carousel and Ferris wheel. 7 p.m. June 7 at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, 8400 31st St., Brookfield; tickets from $65 at brookfieldzoo.org
“Fond of His Mother: Queer-Coded Hitchcock”
Just in time for Pride Month, the Music Box Theatre has curated a series of Alfred Hitchcock thrillers featuring queer characters and storylines that deftly skirted the so-called moral standards of the Hays Code. And even if you’re not in it for the subtext, it’s a great opportunity to catch some true classics on the big screen. It kicks off this weekend with “Strangers on a Train” and continues later in the month with “Rebecca,” “Rope” and “Psycho.” Through June 27 at Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave.; tickets from $13 at musicboxtheatre.com
Midwest Haunters Convention
It’s finally warm out, but you’re pining for fall? We know people like you. No need for sunblock in the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, where you and all your vampire friends can game out your Halloween decorations. The Midwest Haunters Convention will offer plenty of ideas and friendly advice for that garage-sized haunted house you’re planning. Maybe you’ll even find a storage bin big enough to finally get that giant skeleton off your yard. Noon to 6 p.m June 5, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 6, and 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 7 at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont; tickets from $40 at midwesthaunterscon.com
57th Street Art Fair
Go meet some artists, and maybe buy some of their works, at the 57th Street Art Fair. Now in its 79th year, the Hyde Park show is a highlight of the summer street fair calendar. Plus, check out the music programming provided by Buddy Guy’s Legends. It’s a family-friendly event, featuring kids’ art activities, too. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 6 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 7 on 57th Street between Woodlawn and Kenwood avenues; free, more at 57thstreetartfair.com
“Shimmering Summer”
The Chicago Botanic Garden is betting you love bubbles — and really, who doesn’t? The garden will feature “Evanescent,” a temporary sculpture installation in five areas on the grounds, by Renzo B. Larriviere and Zara Pasfield. The giant iridescent bubbles aim to help you see the world a little differently. And who couldn’t use that? Opening weekend is 11 a.m.-3 p.m. June 6-7 (installation runs through Sept. 20) at Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe; tickets from $12.95 (children ages 2 and under free) at chicagobotanic.org
Have something to do around Chicago? Email events to day.chitribevents@gmail.com.
