June 7-9, 2013, 48th annual Andersonville summer street festival; 50,000 people fill Clark Street from Foster to Catalpa for music from cutting-edge bands, ethnic dance troupes, lots of food, and vendor wares.
June 14 - July 7, 2013. Painting, illustration, multimedia and assemblage is the focus of, ”Modern Storytellers.” 12 artists working in different mediums and at various stages of their careers come together in this group show of affordable small works.
June 22, 2013, monthly screening of cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show -- with audience participation of course! All at The Music Box, 3733 N Southport Avenue. Also other cult classic weekend midnight movies throughtout the month.
June 23, 2013, parade from N Halsted at Belmont to Lincoln Park by way of Broadway & Diversey. Pride Street Festival, on N Halsted, music, food, vendors. Dozens of social, cultural, athletic & political events. See website for 2012 media & 2013 updates.
June 29-30, 2013, noon - 10pm daily on Racine between Fullerton & Webster. The works of over 80 juried artists in the heart of the Lincoln Park/DePaul neighborhood; also an eclectic music stage lineup and food vendors. $5 donation benefits Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce.
July 21, 2013, 10am-8pm festival with Lion Dance procession at 12:30pm on Wentworth Ave 23-24th Streets; entertainment, music, arts, crafts, and the taste of Chinatown's many restaurants. See the Chicago Dragons for this and other Chinatown events year-round.
August 10-11, 2013, annual street fair on six blocks of N Halsted, many musical acts on multiple stages, plus hundreds of food, arts and crafts vendors. Dozens of gay bars, dance clubs, restaurants, stores and a bathhouse surround the festival site.
August 23-25, 2013 at Six Guns Ranch & Arena, 26926 State Line Rd, Crete IL (tentative venue). The rodeo runs, rain or shine. Get info online for this and other Illinois Gay Rodeo events including ongoing year-round events at Charlie's and Touché.
November 7-14, 2013. Award-winning international feature films, social documentaries & experimental shorts. 65 screening at six venues around town, including: Landmark's Century Centre, 2828 N Clark St; Instituto Cervantes, 31 W Ohio; Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N Clark St; ShowPlace ICON, 150 W Roosevelt Rd.
November 8-10, 2013. Vendors from around the globe at the Center on Halsted (3656 N Halsted), contest events Friday & Saturday, & more events at Cell Block, Jackhammer, Touche, and Steamworks.
February, 2014. Annual multi-arts non-narrative, multidisciplinary fringe festival - seasoned veterans along with obstreperous young newcomers - poetry, music, video, new media, theater, dance, performance art... and more from Curious Theatre Branch.
May 22-26, 2014. Memorial Day Weekend. Thousands converge to party, network, & choose new International Mr. Leather. 4 day Leather Market has finest leather/fetish artisans & retailers, erotic attractions, body enhancement specialists & more. See website for 2013 IML media.
May 23-26, 2014. Meet & Greet Social, explore the city Trolley Tour or Boat Tour, over-the-top parties, and bath time with Wet 'n' Wild at Steamworks. Plus games in the Bear Lounge and late night After Hours Parties. See details/venues online:
May 24-25, 2014, Memorial Day weekend -the hottest male porn stars in the business, emcees Honey West & Chi Chi LaRue, big awards bash, parties with the guys appearing in clubs around town. See the website for venues and more info.
Choral, Cabaret and Musical Theater. More than 150 singing members, a small army of volunteers, a diverse cross-section of the Chicago metropolitan area, Artistic Director, Patrick Sinozich. Entertainment that keeps the audience coming back again and again for the ambitious schedule of performances, fund-raisers and charitable appearances.
Chicago Water Taxi (400 North Michigan Avenue)Michigan Avenue (Wrigley Building base) to Chinatown, or reverse, boat trips for just $2 to $4 per ride (on-board). All day pass for $4 ($6 on weekends).
Explore Chicago (163 E Pearson Street)The City of Chicago Office of Tourism has a thousand ideas for places go and things to do. Consult them online, at their visitor centers, or download free tours in five languages at Downloadchicagotours.com
Gay media includes: Boi Magazine, and the group of publications from Windy City Times. Grab Magazine is Chicago's gay bi-weekly magazine, with business listings, bar events and maps, plus local color.
The weekly Chicago Reader is an alternative paper with massive listings on what's happening, all over the metro area.
Online info resources include Chicago Events, the Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, NewCityChicago, and the Northalsted Business Alliance.
Toto Tours (1326 West Albion Ave; 800-565-1241) is the pioneer in gay adventure travel with twenty years of experience. They provide small group adventure travel for gay men exclusively, bringing together fellow travelers, and fostering mutual understanding with those of other cultures.
A bi-monthly, all-ages, queer music and spoken word series, the first and third Tuesday of every month at Big Chicks / Tweet (5024 N SHERIDAN 773-728-5511). Enter at Big Chicks for performance in Tweet. Free parking in back (through alley), and free admission -- but pass the hat for the artists.
Leather Archives and Museum (6418 N Greenview Avenue)Kinky History: The Leather Archives and Museum open Thursday to Sunday, is a must-see shrine to leather and fetish.
Millennium Park (78 E. Washington Street)Go parking: Millennium Park is an eye-catching urban park where you'll find plenty of men for the public art.
Steppenwolf Theatre Company (1650 N. Halsted Street)A night at the theater: Steppenwolf Theatre Company, a crucible of talent, is where John Malkovich made it big.
Art Institute of Chicago (111 South Michigan Avenue)Art for art's sake: The Art Institute of Chicago, a world-class museum and school of art and design, has free admission Thursday and Friday nights.
Willis Tower (233 S Wacker Drive)Bird's eye perspectives: The Willis Tower, (formerly the Sears) Chicago's tallest building, has great vistas. Save the price of observation deck admission with a drink at the bar on the 95th floor, for a similar view.
