All Weekend
NU Baseball vs Rutgers
Time: 3:00 PM Thursday and Friday, 1:00 PM Saturday
Cost: Free Thursday, $12.00 - $14.00 Friday and Saturday
Location: Rocky and Berenice Miller Park
Cheer on the Wildcats as they take on Rutgers.
La Bohème
Time: 2:00 PM Thursday, 7:00 PM Friday and Saturday
Cost: $49.87
Location: Trinity Lutheran Church
Opera Aeterna presents Puccini’s La Bohème. The opera follows a group of young artists in Paris as they navigate friendship, love, and loss.
Thursday, May 14
Grand Reopening and Trunk Show
Time: 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Cost: Free
Location: cloth + home
Cloth + home marks its grand reopening with a trunk show featuring designers Parron Allen, Volta Atelier, and Indie-Pendant.
Evanston Arts & Craft Beverage Crawl
Time: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Cost: $44.00 at the door
Location: The Main-Dempster Mile
This crawl features pop-up art exhibits inside local shops along Main, Dempster, and Chicago Avenue. Attendees can view and purchase artwork by local artists while sampling craft beverages from Evanston producers. The event also includes food pairings and live entertainment, with proceeds supporting Evanston Made.
Edible Evanston Beginning Gardener Series: Planting
Time: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Cost: Free, $5.00 suggested donation
Location: Robert Crown Branch Library
One of a series of four beginner classes offered in 2026, Planting class will guide you from seedlings to a planted garden, and set you up for a successful harvest. Covers ideas like hardening off, temperature and water needs, spacing and more.
Friday, May 15
Six Eleven Social: Game Night
Time: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Cost: $20.00
Location: 611 South Blvd
This rotating game night features short rounds, changing tables, and casual competition for adults 21 and older. Proceeds support Six Eleven and its community programs.
Saturday, May 16
Dillo Day 2026
Time: All day
Cost: $0.00 - $45.00
Location: Northwestern Lakefill
Dillo Day is Northwestern’s annual student-run music festival organized by Mayfest Productions. The festival features live music performances and campus activities for NU students, alumni, faculty, and Evanston community members. Wristbands for entry must be picked up by Friday May, 15.
Exercise for Epilepsy Awareness
Time: 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Cost: $50.00
Location: Sona Fitness
Sona Fitness hosts this HIIT fundraiser benefiting the Danny Did Foundation and its Seizure Device Program. The workout includes modifications for different fitness levels, with childcare, refreshments, and giveaways available after class.
Mug Workshop
Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Cost: $85.00
Location: Joanna Kramer Ceramics
Participants will make and decorate their own ceramic mug during this pottery workshop at Joanna Kramer Ceramics. The class covers clay tools, glazing, and firing, with finished mugs available for pickup later.
Mack’s May Market
Time: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Mack’s Bike & Goods
Mack’s hosts a spring market with bike gear, clothing, and other goods from local vendors. There will be coffee, food, and live music all day.
The Volunteer Fair
Time: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Palmhouse
This community event connects people interested in volunteering with nonprofit organizations from Evanston and across Chicago. Attendees can learn about local groups, meet organizers, and find ways to get involved in community work.
Cocktail Class - Amaro & Mezcal Cocktails
Time: 12:00 PM
Cost: $80.35
Location: Evanston SPACE
Long-time SPACE bartender Lisa Zielke leads this cocktail building class in SPACE’s new lobby. Participants will learn how to make cocktails while hearing tips and techniques from an experienced bartender.
Intro to Bookbinding
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Cost: $40.00
Location: Hive Center for the Book Arts
This beginner workshop covers basic bookbinding tools, materials, techniques, and vocabulary. Participants will make several simple book structures.
Spring Watercolors Hike
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Cost: $15.00 Residents / $19.52 Non-Residents
Location: Lighthouse Landing Fog Houses
Participants will hike through Lighthouse Beach to observe spring plants and changing colors along the shoreline. The program includes watercolor painting, plant identification, and discussion about native species and local natural areas.
Chicago Union vs Minnesota Wind Chill
Time: 6:00 PM
Cost: $11.00 - $19.00
Location: ETHS Lazier Field
The Chicago Union take on the Minnesota Wind Chill in a home game of professional ultimate frisbee.
Sunday, May 17
Plant Parenthood: Advanced Techniques
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Cost: $40.00
Location: Cultivate Urban Rainforest & Gallery
Participants can bring a plant from their home collection to discuss common care problems and recovery methods. The workshop covers pest prevention, fungal treatment, pruning, and plant propagation techniques.
Connections, Conversations and Commitment: Reflections on the Great Lakes
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Grove Gallery Evanston
Grove Gallery hosts a salon-style gathering alongside the exhibition Horizons, featuring waterscape artwork. Artist Louise LeBourgeois and Alliance for the Great Lakes representative Matt Altstiel will discuss Lake Michigan, environmental stewardship, and the role of art in shaping connections to the Great Lakes.
Open Mic Evanston
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Cost: No cover
Location: Prairie Moon
Local singer-songwriter Frank D. Hill hosts this Sunday afternoon open mic at Prairie Moon. Performers can share up to three songs with fellow musicians.
Freedom Quest Book Release Party
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Guitar Works, Ltd.
Author and musician Debora Masterson celebrates the release of Freedom Quest at this book launch event in Evanston. The gathering includes songs from the original 1973 Freedom Quest band performed by Gil Willow.
The John Waters Screenplays: A Reading and Conversation
Time: 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Cost: $25.00 - $70.00
Location: Pick-Staiger Concert Hall
Filmmaker and writer John Waters discusses his career and screenplay work during this reading and conversation presented by Chicago Humanities. The event includes live readings and audience discussion centered on Waters’ films and writing.
Sponsored by Chicago Ballet Arts
Experience the magic of The Sleeping Beauty, presented by Chicago Ballet Arts on May 16 and 17, at the McGrath Family Performing Arts Center (Wilmette, IL). With Tchaikovsky's sweeping score and pre-professional young artists, enchantment abounds as CBA celebrates 40 years. Don’t miss this beloved ballet. Get your tickets today!
