Winter has returned, but luckily there’s plenty to do indoors in the city this weekend. Here’s some of what we recommend:
Fri 2/24: Four 30-minute battles determine this year’s winner of the Windy City Rollers’ Juanna Rumble Cup at UIC Pavilion, which includes half-time entertainment from Environmental Encroachment. 6-10 PM
Fri 2/24: At Silent Party at the Promontory (5311 S. Lake Park), guests don headphones and choose between the live channels of three different DJs who concurrently spin hip-hop, R&B, and afro-beat. 10 PM
2/24-4/1: Rhona Hoffman Gallery (118 N. Peoria) hosts “Tell Me Something Good,” a solo exhibition for the New York-based multimedia artist Derrick Adams. Opening reception Fri 2/24, 5-7 PM.
Sat 2/25: Soulful Chicago Black History Book Fair at Lutheran School of Theology (1100 E. 55th), which celebrates the literary arts in the black community and seeks to counter negative stereotypes of Chicago’s south side, features more than 50 black authors, live jazz music, food, and more. 10 AM-6 PM
Sat 2/25: Unlimited chili and games take center stage at the Hashbrown Chili Cook-Off and Carnival at Spudnik Press (1821 W. Hubbard) featuring tamales, a silent auction, music by DJ Pickled Beets, and, of course, an awarded chili cook-off. 6-10 PM
2/25-3/25: The former pool room (“the Tank”) at Chicago Athletic Association Hotel (12 S. Michigan) transforms into the Backroom, a pop-up bar designed by Johalla Projects that features cocktails from Paul McGee, glimpses at pieces from the Field Museum’s upcoming exhibit “Specimens,” and discussion with the museum’s experts. Opening reception Sat 2/25, 7-10 PM. Fri-Sat 5 PM-midnight
Sun 2/26: This month the Empty Bottle Book Club at (where else?) the Empty Bottle (1035 N. Western) discusses the Booker Prize-winning Margaret Atwood work of speculative fiction, The Handmaid’s Tale. Copies of the book available at the Wicker Park Secret Agent Supply Co. 3 PM
Sun 2/26: The OscArts of Life Party fund-raiser hosted by the Arts of Life Associate Board at North Bar (1637 W. North) features raffles, costume contests, popcorn, pizza, and a viewing of the Academy Awards. 6-11 PM
Sun 2/26: The NoSleep Podcast, the spooky audio show based on ghosts stories from the Reddit forum of the same name, stops at SPACE (1245 Chicago, Evanston) on its Sleepless tour. 7 PM
For more stuff to do this weekend—and every day—check out our Agenda page.