Things to Do This Labor Day Weekend ✨
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This issue is sponsored by Jackie Mack & More
Enter Jackie Mack & More’s August Giveaway for a chance to win a Spa DaBin gift card for a mani/pedi. Jackie is celebrating the local businesses that make Evanston special with a new giveaway each month. Enter by Thursday, September 3. The winner will be announced Friday, September 4.
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In this issue:
Check the event details before heading out in case of changes/cancellations!
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Thursday, September 3
Downtown Summer Sounds & Thursday Night Market
Time: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Fountain Square
Suite Mollie Band plays the last Downtown Summer Sounds and Thursday Night Market of the season. Food and alcohol will be available for purchase.
Northwestern Women's Soccer vs. Loyola Chicago
Time: 6:30 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium
Northwestern's women's soccer team faces Loyola Chicago in a regular-season match.
Thursday Night Live
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:45 PM
Cost: $17.85 General / $5.00 Student
Location: Culture Connects 707
Hosted by a Northwestern professor Sepehr Vakil, this weekly stand-up showcase pairs Chicago-area comedians with rising student comics from Northwestern, Loyola, DePaul, and other local colleges.
Friday, September 4
Outdoor Swing Dance at the Harley Clarke Mansion
Time: 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Cost: $15.00
Location: Harley Clarke Mansion
Traffic Jam! Swing presents an evening of live swing music and social dancing outdoors on the East Lawn of the Harley Clarke Mansion. A beginner dance lesson runs 6:15 PM - 7:00 PM, with live music 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM. Hatchet Burger will also be on site serving smash burgers.
Community Campfire
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Arrington Lagoon
Attendees can gather around a lakeside campfire to roast marshmallows and learn about local wildlife active after dark.
Small Batch Comedy Night
Time: 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Cost: $10.00 suggested donation
Location: Sketchbook Brewing
Sketchbook Evanston hosts a monthly stand-up showcase featuring a mix of local comedians.
Saturday, September 5
First Saturdays with Evanston Made
Time: Varies
Cost: Free
Location: Varies
Evanston Made hosts First Saturday Evanston art events, offering a self-guided exploration of Evanston's creative community. Discover art displays at various venues, shop for handmade goods, learn to sketch, and make new art friends.
Events this month include:
Downtown Evanston Farmers Market
Time: 7:30 AM - 1:00 PM, early shopping at 7:00 AM for seniors and those with disabilities
Cost: Free
Location: Evanston Farmers Market
The Downtown Evanston Farmers Market features over 70 local vendors offering fresh produce, baked goods, flowers, and more, with live music and local group collaborations weekly. Early access at 7:00 AM for seniors and adults with disabilities.
Parks for Pollinators BioBlitz
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Cost: $10.00 Residents / $13.01 Non-Residents
Location: Evanston Ecology Center
Participants explore the Ladd Arboretum's ecosystems and use guides and the iNaturalist app to identify and log as many species as possible. The event contributes to a nationwide community science campaign tracking biodiversity for conservation.
Walking Tour: Prairie School North Evanston
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Cost: $15.00 - $20.00
Location: Quinlan Park
Presented by the Evanston History Center, the tour starts in Quinlan Park, near architect Dwight Perkins' home. Stops also include designs by Frank Lloyd Wright and Evanston native Thomas Tallmadge, with discussion of the architects' working relationships and design choices.
Evanston Folk Festival Day Party
Time: 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Evanston SPACE
A free Labor Day party celebrating the Evanston Folk Festival, featuring DJ Faithful Anchor spinning folk and Americana music, free hamburgers and hot dogs while supplies last, and wristband pickup for the festival.
Introduction to Bookbinding
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Cost: $45.00
Location: Hive Center for the Book Arts
Participants will learn basic bookbinding vocabulary, tools, and paper choices while assembling a few simple book structures. The session serves as a prerequisite for more advanced bookbinding workshops offered later.
Healing Through Sound: Seed & Story
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Robert Crown Community Center
Storytelling, a drum circle, and sound bowl healing sessions make up this all-ages gathering centered on nature and community.
Northwestern Football vs. South Dakota State
Time: 7:00 PM
Cost: $23.00 - $280.20
Location: Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium
Cheer on the Wildcats as they take on South Dakota State. You can also watch the game from the beer garden at the Harley Clarke Mansion.
Le Bespoke Drag Show
Time: 7:00 PM
Cost: $20.63
Location: Evanston SPACE
This cabaret-style drag show emphasizes original, tailored performances rooted in jazz, showtunes, and music from earlier eras.
Sunday, September 6
Open Stitch
Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Velvet Stitch House
Stitchers can bring current needlework projects to work on while socializing with others.
French Fest Evanston
Time: 11:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Fountain Square
French Fest Evanston celebrates French culture at Fountain Square with food, shopping, music, and activities from local businesses, including scarf styling lessons, a live DJ, and a dog costume contest.
Northwestern University Walking Tour
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Cost: $35.00
Location: Segal Visitors Center
The walking tour covers a range of campus architecture, from 19th century Collegiate Gothic buildings to newer contemporary designs.
Plant Parenthood: Caring for Houseplants 101
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Cost: $35.00
Location: Cultivate Urban Rainforest & Gallery
Participants will learn how to choose houseplants suited to their space and light conditions, plus basic watering and care techniques. Time for questions and general plant conversation follows the presentation.
Chicago Stars vs North Carolina Courage
Time: 3:00 PM
Cost: $18.43 - $172.60
Location: Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium
Chicago Stars host North Carolina Courage in a 2026 NWSL match, with a Hello Kitty Day matchday theme.
Oldies but Goodies: Labor Day Patio Party w. DJ Corey Bless
Time: 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Evanston SPACE
DJ Corey Bless and other guest DJs spin classic tracks on the patio for a free Labor Day party. Pizza service starts at 4:30 PM, with drink specials running throughout the afternoon.
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Sponsored by Evanston Chamber of Commerce
One night. 40 restaurants. All of Evanston.
MashUp is Evanston's biggest party of the year: all-you-can-eat food and drinks from dozens of local favorites, plus 500+ leaders from Evanston's business, civic, nonprofit, and university communities. Get your tickets today!
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Friday, September 4
Nature Play Date
Time: 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Cost: $20.00 Residents / $26.03 Non-Residents
Location: Evanston Ecology Center
Children and caregivers meet animals up close, listen to a nature-themed storytime, and make a related craft. The group also explores the Ladd Arboretum nature trail, with a different theme each session.
Saturday, September 5
Saturday Storytime
Time: 11:00 AM
Cost: Free
Location: Bookends & Beginnings
Kids gather in the children's corner for stories read aloud each week. The weekly program is free and open to young children and their caregivers.
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Sponsored by Traffic Jam Swing
Join the Traffic Jam! Swing Quintet, featuring Joel Paterson and Paul Asaro, for a live outdoor swing dance at the Harley Clarke Mansion Beer Garden on Friday, September 4. Beginner lesson at 6:15 PM, dancing 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM, plus smash burgers from Hatchet Burger. Get your ticket today!
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Click the included links for info and tickets!
Thursday, September 3
¡Ex Maquina! & The Telepaths at Double Clutch Brewing, 7:00 PM, No cover Connor Bernhard Organ Trio (Early) at Local Note Jazz Club, 7:30 PM, $18.94 Corky Siegel, Ernie Watts, Kalyan Pathak - TRIO at Evanston SPACE, 7:30 PM, $47.17 - $60.45 Jazz Jam Session at Prairie Moon Restaurant, 8:00 PM, No cover Connor Bernhard Organ Trio (Late) at Local Note Jazz Club, 9:30 PM, $18.94
Friday, September 4
Traffic Jam Swing Quintet ft. Joel Paterson and Paul Asaro at Harley Clarke Mansion, 6:00 PM, $15.00 Alejandro Urzagaste Trio (Early) at Local Note Jazz Club, 7:30 PM, $18.94 John Primer and Friends Tribute to Theresa's Lounge at Evanston SPACE, 8:00 PM, $40.54 - $53.81 Mr G & The Mystery Band at Celtic Knot Public House, 8:30 PM, No cover Alejandro Urzagaste Trio (Late) at Local Note Jazz Club, 9:30 PM, $18.94
Saturday, September 5
Evanston Folk Festival Day Party at Evanston SPACE, 12:00 PM, Free Jeff Libman at Harley Clarke Mansion, 5:30 PM, No cover Chris Kent at Sketchbook Brewing, 7:00 PM, No cover Kirby Fellis Quartet (Early) at Local Note Jazz Club, 7:30 PM, $18.94 Kirby Fellis Quartet (Late) at Local Note Jazz Club, 9:30 PM, $18.94
Sunday, September 6
Monday, September 7
Tuesday, September 8
Wednesday, September 9
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Thursday, September 3
Mahjong Night at Evanston Games & Cafe, 6:30 PM, No cover Trivia at Stacked & Folded, 7:00 PM, No cover Trivia at Pizzeria Deville, 7:00 PM, No cover
Friday, September 4
Saturday, September 5
Sunday, September 6
Scrabble Club at Evanston Games & Cafe, 2:30 PM, Free Trivia at Saint Errant Brewing, 3:00 PM, No cover Trivia at Sketchbook Brewing, 3:00 PM, No cover Jeopardy Night at Double Clutch Brewing, 5:00 PM, No cover
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Did you do something fun this past week? Or take a great pic of our city? We’d love to hear about it! Send us a note or picture, and we may include it in the newsletter!
Thanks for reading! We’ll be back in your inbox on Monday.
-Jonathan and Melissa
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