The weekend is nearly upon us, and we have rounded up the best things to do in Chicago and on the North Shore, including celebrating Latin arts at Navy Pier, sampling new beers and ciders from start-up breweries, grooving to Ben Harper during Out of Space in Evanston, and more.
August 7: Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals at Canal Shores Golf Course
1030 Central St, Evanston
This Saturday, SPACE and the City of Evanston welcome GRAMMY®-winning musician and activist Ben Harper, with the Innocent Criminals during the 2021 Out of Space Series. Know for his eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music, the concert will take place outdoors at Evanston’s Canal Shores Golf Course. The event is rain or shine, and proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test within 24 hours is required.
Through August 8: The Seltzer Shop at Kimpton Gray Hotel
122 W Monroe Street
Are you a fan of hard seltzers? The Seltzer Shop in The Kimpton Gray Hotel is offering visitors the option to choose from over 25 different flavors for a tasting flight and toast, in an adorable nostalgic soda shop setting. The pop-up, the first of its kind for the spiked seltzer category, is in its final weekend, and reservations are required. Book a 90-minute reservation online, which includes a complimentary tasting flight curated by the staff.
August 6 – 7: Navy Pier’s Fourth Annual LatiNxt Music Festival
600 E. Grand Ave.
This free, two-day music festival is a celebration of Latin arts. In addition to featuring Latinx artists like Los Rakas and Angelica Garcia, the festival will include the Mercadito Vendor Fair — produced by the Pilsen Community Market — showcasing small, Latinx-owned pop-up shops. Guests can stay later on Saturday for an exciting firework show, which will be synchronized to a Latin music soundtrack.
August 7: Art Uncorked
Art Uncorked at Lincoln Commons, is a free, interactive event with live art demonstrations and informal fashion modeling by local artists. There will also be expertly paired wine samples inspired by the artist’s work from Verve Wine, bites from Velvet Taco and Parson’s Chicken & Fish, and live music performed by eclectic Chicago band The Noize.
August 8: Pilot Project Brewing’s First Annual Beer Fest
2140 N. Milwaukee Ave.
This inaugural event will feature 12 of Pilot Project’s brewery start-ups, partners and collaborators. Guests will be able to sample their most popular beer, cider, and hard kombucha offerings. Purchase your tickets today on the Pilot Project Brewing’s website.
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Macaire Douglas lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and two sons. She proudly supports Save Abandoned Babies Foundation, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that works tirelessly to prevent the illegal abandonment of newborns nationwide. Since its inception in 2000, more than 3,600 newborns have been safely surrendered and adopted into loving homes.
