What to do in Chicago in December 2026

Tuesday, December 1, 2026

• Visual arts

  until Dec 31

  Double Feature with Short Subject

  Art Institute of Chicago · The Loop

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Jan 31

  Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s–70s

  Chicago History Museum · Lincoln Park

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Jan 3

  Raqib Shaw: Paradise Lost

  Art Institute of Chicago · The Loop

  • Visual arts

• Other

  until Jan 31

  Anne Frank The Exhibition

  Griffin Museum of Science and Industry · Hyde Park

• Visual arts

  until Feb 7

  Chicago Works | Mike Cloud: Worldless Obstruction

  Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago · Streeterville

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Jan 25

  Embroidered Traditions from Morocco to Afghanistan

  Art Institute of Chicago · The Loop

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Jan 25

  Abigail Lucien: Blood of the Earth

  Art Institute of Chicago · The Loop

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Jun 20

  Atrium Project: Celeste Rapone

  Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago · Streeterville

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Jan 31

  Kenzi Shiokava

  Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago · Streeterville

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Jul 11

  From the Center: Looking at Lucy Lippard

  Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago · Streeterville

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Dec 7

  Lee Miller: Fearless

  Art Institute of Chicago · The Loop

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Jan 3

  Mary Cassatt: After Impressionism

  Art Institute of Chicago · The Loop

  • Visual arts

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• Visual arts

  until Dec 11

  Karimah Ashadu: Machine Boys

  Art Institute of Chicago · The Loop

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Mar 14

  Slow Dance

  Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago · Streeterville

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Jan 18

  Jill Mulleady: The Passenger

  Art Institute of Chicago · The Loop

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Jul 11

  How Do We Heal?

  Smart Museum of Art · Hyde Park

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Jul 11

  Nina Chanel Abney: Between Us

  Smart Museum of Art · Hyde Park

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Feb 21

  teamLab: Everything Exists in Infinite Continuity

  Smart Museum of Art · Hyde Park

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Dec 20

  Utamaro: Elements of Beauty

  Art Institute of Chicago · The Loop

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Mar 14

  Tony Cokes: On Boredom

  Art Institute of Chicago · The Loop

  • Visual arts

• Other

  until Jan 3

  After the Age of Dinosaurs

  Field Museum · Museum Campus

• Other

  until Dec 31

  Aquí en Chicago

  Chicago History Museum · Lincoln Park

• Comedy

  Open run

  Best of The Second City

  The Second City · Old Town

  • Comedy

• Theatre

  until May 2

  Dennis Watkins' The Magic Parlour

  Goodman Theatre · The Loop

  • Theatre

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• Other

  until Dec 31

  Injustice: The Trial for the Murder of Emmett Till

  Chicago History Museum · Lincoln Park

• Comedy

  Open run

  No Grown-Ups Allowed

  The Second City · Old Town

  • Comedy

• Visual arts

  until Dec 31

  Nuestras Historias: Stories of Mexican Identity from the Permanent Collection

  National Museum of Mexican Art · Pilsen

  • Visual arts

• Comedy

  Open run

  Pandemonium, Please Hold (114th Mainstage Revue)

  The Second City · Old Town

  • Comedy

• Other

  until Apr 11

  Pokémon Fossil Museum

  Field Museum · Museum Campus

• Comedy

  Open run

  Reality Detox: The Improv Experience

  The Second City · Old Town

  • Comedy

• Comedy

  Open run

  Second City Presents: Thank You, Goodnight

  The Second City · Old Town

  • Comedy

• Visual arts

  until Jan 31

  US at 250: Dorian Sylvain, We Weave Our Future

  Chicago History Museum · Lincoln Park

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Jan 31

  Where Memory Lives: 40 Years of Día de Muertos

  National Museum of Mexican Art · Pilsen

  • Visual arts

• Visual arts

  until Feb 21

  ¡TINTA ARDIENTE!

  National Museum of Mexican Art · Pilsen

  • Visual arts

• Theatre

  until Dec 6

  Adirondack Chair Circle

  Steppenwolf Theatre Company · Lincoln Park

  • Theatre

• Comedy

  Open run

  Not Today, Santa

  The Second City · Old Town

  • Comedy

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• Comedy

  Open run

  Planes, Trains and ??

  The Second City · Old Town

  • Comedy

• Comedy

  Open run

  Rudolph Runs Wild

  The Second City · Old Town

  • Comedy

• Visual arts

  until Mar 1

  Body and Being in African Art

  Art Institute of Chicago · The Loop

  • Visual arts

• Theatre

  until Dec 31

  A Christmas Carol

  Goodman Theatre · The Loop

  • Theatre

• Visual arts

  until Mar 1

  Beatriz González: In Series and Full Color

  Art Institute of Chicago · The Loop

  • Visual arts

• Music

  until Dec 13

  Blue Man Group "A New Holiday Surprise"

  CIBC Theatre · The Loop

  • Music
  • Theatre

• Comedy

  until Dec 27

  Who's Holiday!

  Theater Wit · Lakeview

  • Comedy
  • Theatre

• Music

  6 PM

  Suicide Silence

  House of Blues Chicago

  • Music

  Tickets ↗

• Music

  6:30 PM

  Kim Petras

  Radius Chicago

  • Music

  Tickets ↗

• Music

  8 PM

  DEVON GABRIELLA

  Schubas Tavern · Lakeview

  • Music

  Tickets ↗

• Music

  8 PM

  Steve Schneck Quartet

  Jazz Showcase · South Loop

  • Music

Wednesday, December 2, 2026

• Music

  7 PM

  Queen Of Jeans

  Subterranean · Wicker Park

  • Music

  $17 Tickets ↗

• Music

  8 PM

  Bob Lark Septet

  Jazz Showcase · South Loop

  • Music

• Music

  8 PM

  Pokey LaFarge

  Lincoln Hall · Lincoln Park

  • Music

  Tickets ↗

Thursday, December 3, 2026

• Music

  6 PM

  Gerry Hundt - Acoustic Set - 6pm

  Kingston Mines · Lincoln Park

  • Music

• Music

  7:30 PM

  Joanna Connor - North Stage - 7:30pm

  Kingston Mines · Lincoln Park

  • Music

• Music

  until Dec 6

  Jeremy Pelt Quintet

  Jazz Showcase · South Loop

  • Music

• Music

  8:30 PM

  Nicholas Alexander - Main Stage - 8:30pm

  Kingston Mines · Lincoln Park

  • Music

• Music

  9 PM

  Dave Rempis Residency

  Dave Rempis

  Hungry Brain · Roscoe Village

  • Music

  $20

Friday, December 4, 2026

• Music

  6 PM

  DragonForce

  Riviera Theatre

  • Music

  Tickets ↗

• Music

  7 PM

  Ensiferum

  Riviera Theatre

  • Music

  Tickets ↗

• Music

  7 PM

  Gerry Hundt - Acoustic Set - 7pm

  Kingston Mines · Lincoln Park

  • Music

• Music

  8 PM

  Darkest Hour

  Reggies Rock Club

  • Music

  Tickets ↗

• Music

  8:30 PM

  Angela Autumn, The Spine Stealers

  Hideout · Goose Island

  • Music
  • Hardcore
  • Punk

Everything on in Chicago