Bedno.com

2015.12.18 (wk963)

What we need is Star Peace.

RECOMMENDED:

Movie: "Star Wars Force Awakens" now playing everywhere.
Movie: "Sisters" now playing everywhere.
Ongoing: Ice Skating.
..-We: Holiday Train.
..-Th: Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza.
Ongoing: Holiday Sing-A-Long Double Feature at Music Box Theatre.
Ongoing: Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier.
Ongoing: Collected Holiday Songs and Recipes.
Ongoing: Dance Chicago at Athenaeum Theatre.
..-Fr: The Power and Politics of Anger at Woman Made Gallery.
Fr: Acrobatica Infiniti Circus at Uptown Underground.
Fr: Kiss Kiss Cabaret at Uptown Underground.
Fr: Trap vs Juke at Concord Music Hall.
..-Sa: Kill Hannah at Metro.
Fr: Blacklight Blackout at Exit.
Fr: Cosmix at Berlin.
Fr: Improv Star Trek at iO Theater.
Fr: Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind at Neo-Fut.
Sa: College of Complexes at Dappers East Restaurant.
Sa: Improvised Shakespeare at IO Theatre.
Sa: Star Wars Burlesque at Gorilla Tango Theatre.
Sa: "Twisted" at Berlin.
Su: "People's Promenade" at The 606.
Su: "Adult Swim" on TOON.
Mo: Winter Solstice.
Mo: Winter Vacation at Chicago Public Schools.
Mo: Do-it-Yourself Messiah at Harris Theater.
Mo: Pron and Chicken Dance Party at evilOlive.
Tu: Start of Capricorn.
Tu: Chicago Underground Comedy at Beat Kitchen.
We: The Academy Is at House of Blues.
We: "Pressure" drum&bass at SmartBar.
We: "In One Ear" at Heartland Cafe.
Th: Live Santa tracking.
Th: Chinatown ride at Daley Plaza.
Th: "Matzo Bash" at Sound-Bar.
Th: Mass.

Movie:    ^

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" now playing.

Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Peter Mayhew, Simon Pegg, ...
http://starwars.com/the-force-awakens
Theaters Everywhere.
http://bedno.com/movies
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"Sisters" now playing.

Amy Poehler, John Cena, Madison Davenport, Tina Fey, John Leguizamo, James Brolin, Kate McKinnon, Maya Rudolph, ...
http://sistersfilm.com
Theaters Everywhere.
http://bedno.com/movies
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Now playing.

The Big Short, Chiraq, Hunger Games 4, The Night Before, Peanuts, Spectre, Love, Our Brand Is Crisis, Steve Jobs, I Smile Back, Jem and the Holograms, Rock the Kasbah, Pan, The Walk, The Martian, The Intern, ...
Theaters Everywhere.
http://bedno.com/movies
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Seasonal:    ^

Ice Skating. -2016.02.28 Yearly.

Weather permitting: Wrigley Field; Millennium Park, 312/742-5222, 55 N Michigan; Warren Park, 773/262-8656, 6601 N Western; Riis Park, 312/746-5735, 6100 W Fullerton; Daley Plaza, 312/742-7650, 337 E Randolph; more...
http://chicagoparkdistrict.com
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Holiday Train. -2015.12.23 Yearly. Wk 3-7p, Sa 1-8p.

Dec.16:Purple, Dec.17:Red, Dec.18:Purple, Dec.19:Red&Purple*, Dec.22:Purple, Dec.23:Yellow. (*=Photos with Santa).
http://transitchicago.com/holidaytrain
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Christkindlmarket (since 1997). Festive German style holiday market. -2015.12.24 Yearly. All ages. Free Su-Th -8p, Fr+Sa -9p 11a.

50 Timber cabins, ethnic foods, fine crafted gifts, music, sweets.
http://christkindlmarket.com
Daley Plaza, 312/744-3370, 50 W Washington. Washington and Dearborn.
http://cityofchicago.org
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Holiday Sing-A-Long Double Feature (since 1984). -2015.12.25 Yearly. $10-15 Various times.

"White Christmas" and "It's a Wonderful Life" double features with singing between (and during) lead by Santa.
Music Box Theatre, 773/871-6604, 3733 N Southport.
http://www.musicboxtheatre.com
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HOLIDAY CLASSICS. -2016.01.03 Yearly. All ages.

* A Christmas Carol: 11.14-12.27 Goodman Theatre, 312/443-3800, 200 S Columbus, http://goodmantheatre.org
* The Nutcracker: 12.04-27 Joffrey Ballet, Auditorium Theatre, 312/431-2357, 50 E Congress, http://www.joffrey.com
* Christmas Around The World: 11.19-01.03 Dozens of spectacular International holiday decorated trees, Museum of Science and Industry, http://msichicago.org
* Zoolights: 11.27-01.03 Over a million lights, certain dates/times, Lincoln Park Zoo, http://lpzoo.com
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Winter Wonderfest (since 2001). -2016.01.10 Yearly. All ages. $10-17+ Hours vary.

Festival Hall is transformed into a wonderland of lush decorated trees, sparkling lights, wintertime decorations and a main town square with vending. Includes ice rink, inflatable slide/bungee games. Santa and elves listen to children's wishes in a mountain top village.
Navy Pier, 312/222-9328, 600 E Grand.
http://navypier.com
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Collected Holiday Songs, Recipes and Stories. -2015.12.30 Yearly. All ages. Free.

Check out this terrific comprehensive set of popular holiday songs, recipes and stories.
http://bedno.com/winter
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Ongoing:    ^

Dance Chicago (since 1995). -2016.02.14 Yearly. All ages. $25+ Various times. 8:15p.

100s of performers, 100s of works.
http://dancechicago.com
Athenaeum Theatre, 773/935-6875, 2936 N Southport.
http://www.athenaeumtheatre.com
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The Power and Politics of Anger. -2015.12.18 We-Fr -7p, Sa/Su 12-4p.

Works in all media investigating positive and negative roles that anger plays in art, culture, politics, and everyday life.
Woman Made Gallery, 312/738-0400, 685 N Milwaukee.
http://womanmade.org
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WAY too much great theater and comedy and dance to cover.

Pickup Reader and NewCity and TimeOut magazines.
Hundreds of city locations.
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Different rock, experimental, jazz, ethnic bands almost every night. 21+ $?

Metro / SmartBar, 773/549-0203, 3730 N Clark, Near Red Line Addison stop, metrochicago.com
Darkroom, 773/276-1411, 2210 W Chicago, darkroombar.com
Double Door, 773/489-3160, 1572 N Milwaukee, Wicker Park near Blue line Damen stop, doubledoor.com
Empty Bottle, 773/276-3600, 1035 N Western, dive-ish, emptybottle.com
Martyrs', 773/404-9494, 3855 N Lincoln, martyrslive.com
Ravinia, 847/266-5100, Highland Pk, ravinia.org
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Friday 2015.12.18:    ^

* Acrobatica Infiniti Circus. 3rd Fridays All ages. $25-40+ 8p.

The Nerd Circus! Combining circus, cosplay, and genre fiction for all manner of fans. Great performers, breathtaking acts. Also raffle, swag, photo booth...
http://aicircus.com
Uptown Underground, 773/867-1946, 4707 N Broadway.
http://uptownunderground.net
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Kiss Kiss Cabaret (since 2011). Fr/Sa 18+ $20-40 8p.

A wild mix of hilarious hosts, quirky musicians, incredible variety performers and beautiful burlesque beauties.
http://kisskisscabaret.com
Uptown Underground, 773/867-1946, 4707 N Broadway.
http://uptownunderground.net
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Trap vs Juke. 18+ $10+ 9p-2a.

DJ Funk & Luminox, Nephets, Zebo, Brotinez.
Concord Music Hall, 773/570-4000, 2047 N Milwaukee. Near Blue Line Western stop. Body searches. No reentry.
http://concordmusichall.com
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Kill Hannah. -Saturday 18+ $26+ 2 nites 9p.

Final shows.
http://killhannah.com
Metro, 773/549-0203, 3730 N Clark. Near Red Line Addison stop.
http://metrochicago.com/shows
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Blacklight Blackout (since 2011). 3rd Fridays 21+ Free 10p-2a.

Big freakfest in a tiny space. Lots of DJs, cheap beer, UV paints, radiation.
http://facebook.com/blacklightblackoutexit
Exit, 312/395-2700, 1315 W North. 2nd Fl.
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Cosmix. Fridays 21+ $0-5 10p-4a.

"A multimedia music & video dance party where art meets nightlife." Often preceded by theme events. Greg Haus spins Electronica/Indie Alternative dance music.
12.18: All Geeks party / cosplay show -midnt.
Berlin, 773/348-4975, 954 W Belmont. Near Red line Belmont stop.
http://berlinchicago.com
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Improv Star Trek. Fridays $14 10:30p.

Cast creates an episode live from audience title, detailing adventures of a lesser-known crew on a less "enterprising" starship. May include first contact, time travel, mind control, intergalactic intrigue, unexplained phenomena, the eminent destruction of the entire quadrant, or all of the above.
http://theimprovisedstartrek.com
iO Theater, 312/929-2401, 1501 N Kingsbury. Chris Farley Cabaret.
http://ioimprov.com/chicago
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Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (since 1988). Fr/Sa/Su All ages? $6-11+ Su 7p, Fr+Sa 11:30p.

30 plays in 60 minutes, lots of improv, very welcoming, sometimes topical.
Neo-Futurarium, 773/275-5255, 5153 N Ashland.
http://neofuturists.org
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Saturday 2015.12.19:    ^

College of Complexes (since 1951). "The Playground for People Who Think" Saturdays All ages. $3? 2.5hrs 6-11p.

Structured weekly free speech forum with quality lecturers and good American food and bar.
12.19: What is a Christian? Why I am One, and Why I Plan to Celebrate Christmas.
312/326-2120 http://collegeofcomplexes.org
Dappers East Restaurant, 773/509-9100, 2901 W. Addison.
http://facebook.com/Dappers-Restaurant-East-111805538856448
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Improvised Shakespeare. Saturdays 18+ $16+ 10:30+8p.

Based on audience suggestion The Co creates a fully improvised play in Elizabethan style with ALL the typical elements.
http://improvisedshakespeare.com
IO Theatre, 773/880-0199, 3541 N. Clark.
http://ioimprov.com/chicago/
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Star Wars Burlesque. Saturdays 18+ $28 9p.

Gorilla Tango Theatre, 773/598-4549, 1919 N Milwaukee. By Blue Line Western stop.
http://GorillaTango.com
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"Twisted" Saturdays 21+ $0 -11p, $5 -1a, $7+ 9:30p-5a.

"Meet and mingle with a truly diverse crowd. Dress up or dress down... this is the place to be what you want to be!"
Berlin, 773/348-4975, 954 W Belmont. Near Red line Belmont stop.
http://berlinchicago.com
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Sunday 2015.12.20:    ^

"People's Promenade" All ages. Free 4:30-6:30p.

Artists at play. Come decorated with lights. Bonfires with storytellers and more at Walsh Park.
http://Bedno.com/fb/1663276887275815
The 606, 773/661-9172, Bloomingdale from Ridgeway to Walsh.
http://The606.org
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"Adult Swim" Sundays All ages. Free 10p-12a.

Extraordinary block of popular and leading-edge absurdist cartoonage.
http://www.adultswim.com
TOON. On cable.
http://www.cartoonnetwork.com
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Monday 2015.12.21:    ^

* Winter Solstice. Yearly.

Shortest day/longest night (sun 07:13-16:42), official start of winter.
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/EarthSeasons.php
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Winter Vacation. -2016.01.01 Yearly.

http://www.cps.edu
Chicago Public Schools.
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Do-it-Yourself Messiah (since 1976). A grand tradition. Yearly. All ages. Free but sells out. RSVP required. 7p.

Handel's work with full orchestra, audience participates as chorus.
888/880-9701 http://www.imfchicago.org/diy/main
Harris Theater, 312/334-7777, 205 E Randolph. Millennium Park.
http://harristheaterchicago.org
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Pron and Chicken Dance Party. Mondays 21+ $? 10p-?a.

"A safe haven for all things lewd & crude, lascivious & licentious."
12.21: Fancy Lad Banger.
http://soreadytobang.do312.com
evilOlive, 773/235-9100, 1551 W Division.
http://evil-olive.com
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Tuesday 2015.12.22:    ^

Start of Capricorn. Astrological sign, the goat. Yearly.

http://www.astrology.com
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Chicago Underground Comedy. Tuesdays 21+ $5 Doors 9p.

"The Hippest, Hottest Stand-Up Showcase to Emerge in Years" +good menu & booze.
http://chicagoundergroundcomedy.com
Beat Kitchen, 773/281-4444, 2100 W Belmont.
http://beatkitchen.com
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Wednesday 2015.12.23:    ^

The Academy Is. All ages. $25+ Doors 6p.

http://theacademyis.com
House of Blues, 312/527-2583, 329 N Dearborn.
http://houseofblues.com/chicago
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"Pressure" drum&bass. 21+ Free 10p-?a.

Alfonz Delamota, Dioptrics, Seleckta Steel, Sincerious, Romance, Zala, +MCs.
SmartBar, 773/549-0203, 3730 N Clark. Near Red Line Addison stop.
http://smartbarchicago.com/calendar
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"In One Ear" (since 1988). Poetry Open Mic. Wednesdays 18+ $3 10p-?a.

"2nd Longest Running Open-Mic In Chicago!"
http://facebook.com/groups/5016477382
Heartland Cafe, 773/465-8005, 7000 N Glenwood. Near Red Line Morse stop.
http://heartlandcafe.com
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Thursday 2015.12.24:    ^

* Live Santa tracking. Yearly. All ages. Free.

NORAD air traffic control follows the big guy all night, with radar and video feeds.
http://www.noradsanta.org
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Chinatown ride. All ages. Free 5:30-11:45p.

Xmas Eve pedal to dinner and drinks in Chinatown (Triple Crown Restaurant, 2217 S Wentworth. Movie and/or drinks at Delilah's after.
312/560-3966 http://thechainlink.org/events/xmas-eve-in-chinatown-2
Daley Plaza, 312/346-3278, 50 W Washington. Washington and Dearborn.
http://cityofchicago.org
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"Matzo Bash" Yearly. 21+ $? 8p-4a.

"The biggest Christmas Eve party in Chicago"
http://MatzoBash.com
Sound-Bar, 312/787-4480, 226 West Ontario. Walkable from Red and Brown lines.
http://sound-bar.com
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Mass. Yearly. All ages. Free. 8p-1a.

Late Christmas eve gatherings at most churches welcoming all. Northsiders try the Evanston cluster.
http://bedno.com/mind/seasonal/winter/songs
http://bedno.com/album/20031225
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Attractions:    ^

Many great exhibits of local works and curated collections. All ages. Free. Mo-Th 8a-7p, Fr 8a-6p, Sa 9a-6p, Su 10a-6p.

With various special events, music and performances almost every day.
Chicago Cultural Center, 312/744-6630, 78 E Washington. SE of State/Lake train stops.
http://chicagoculturalcenter.org
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Various good modern art shows. All ages. $0-12, Free Tu 10a-8p, Mo closed, We-Su 10a-5p.

Museum of Contemporary Art, 312/280-2660, 220 E Chicago.
http://www.mcachicago.org
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LIKE A DOWNTOWN AMUSEMENT PARK. All ages. Mostly free.

With Giant Ferris Wheel, IMAX theatre, historic carousel, a*mazing Chicago ride, classic spinning swing ride, new mini-golf course, major VR games, food court, quality restaurants and bars, stained glass window museum, enclosed garden, wonderful specialty shops, children's museum, water taxis, several cruise lines and the Shakespeare Theatre.
Summer: 10a-10p Su-Th, 10a-midnt Fr-Sa; Fall: Mo-Th 10a-9p, Fr+Sa 10a-11p, Su 10a-7p; Winter: 10a-8p Mo-Th, 10a-10p Fr-Sa, 10a-7p Su.
Navy Pier, 312/222-9328, 600 E Grand. On-site parking, or Grand Red line stop then take free trolley.
http://www.navypier.com
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See how the universe works. All ages. $10-18+ Mo-Fr 9:30a-4:30p (-10p 1st Fridays), Sa/Su 9a-4:30p, closed xmas, open -6p 12.26-1.5.

Much high tech exhibitry.
Adler Planetarium, 312/922-7827 (STAR), 1300 S Lake Shore.
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org
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Masterpieces. All ages. $0-18 Mo/Tu/We/Fr 10:30a-5p, Th 10:30a-8p, Sa/Su 10a-5p, closed xgiving+xmas.

And other interesting permanent and visiting exhibits.
Art Institute, 312/443-3500, 210 S Michigan.
http://artinstituteofchicago.org
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World class gardens. Easy to get to. All ages. $8.75 parking. 8a-sunset, closed xmas.

385 acres, 23 gardens, 9 islands, prarie simulation, oriental features, miniature railway, produce, shows, restaurant, more...
Chicago Botanic Gardens, 847/835-5440, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe.
http://www.chicago-botanic.org
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Quality exhibits and activities for young minds. All ages. $0-14, Free Th 5-8p. 10a-5p.

Chicago Children's Museum, 312/527-1000, Navy Pier.
http://chicagochildrensmuseum.org
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Natural History done right. All ages. $6-12. Last entry 4p, closed xmas. 9a-5p.

"Sue" permanent dinosaur exhibit, insects, anthropology, world culture, geology, ecology, much more.
Field Museum, 312/922-9410, Roosevelt at Lake Shore Drive.
http://www.fmnh.org
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Exhibits covering 4000 years of surgical history. Not for the squeamish. All ages. $3-6, Free Tuesdays. Tu-Sa 10a-4p. Closed 12.24-25, 12.31-1.1.

International Museum of Surgical Science, 312/642-6502, 1524 N Lake Shore.
http://www.imss.org
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World class zoo. Now with web cams. All ages. Free (Building hours vary) 9a-6p.

Lincoln Park Zoo, 773/742-2000, 2200 N Cannon.
http://www.lpzoo.com
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Consistent world class wonderland, set aside a whole day. All ages. $6-11 +parking/movies, Sometimes free. Mo-Sa 9:30a-4p, Su 11a-4p.

Exhibits include clock (possibly the best historical collection in existence), trains, toys, flight, genetics, chemistry, coal, petroleum, human body slices, cyberspace, farming, the U-505, TONS of space flight tech, and much more.
Museum of Science and Industry, 773/684-1414, 57th at Lake Shore.
http://www.msichicago.org
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Truly stunning world class aquarium. $11-18, some deal days. Sa/Su 9a-6p, Mo-Fr 9a-5p (-6p in summer), some later days.

Rear outside deck has the city's best skyline view. Now with web cams.
Shedd Aquarium, 312/939-2438, 1200 S Lake Shore.
http://SheddAquarium.org
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Notes:    ^

ALWAYS call before going to a listed event.

ALWAYS call before going to a listed event.
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Disclaimer.

My mom the attorney would want me to remind you that no Bedno accepts any liability whatsoever for your use of any information presented here, as-is, at your own risk, ad infinitum, etc etc.
http://bedno.com/terms

2015.12.18