Our friend Memorial Day is a good excuse to up the Sunday Funday ante. Picture drinking fish bowls poolside, downing a funky-fresh dose of soul jams, gobbling up crawfish by the handful. Find all of the above and more at these eight Memorial Day weekend events. Turn off your Monday alarm and go have another.
Memorial Day Weekend Jam
The Promontory (5311 S. Lake Park Avenue West, 312-801-2100)
Get your soul fix at the Hyde Park bar with We Love Soul’s DJ party, featuring The Twilite Tone, DJ and producer who has previously worked with Kanye West. Other DJs include Sean Alvarez, Joe Kollege and Kwest_on. 4–11 p.m. Sunday. $10. Tickets: promontorychicago.com
Crawfish Boil
Frontier (1072 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-772-4322)
It’s a cajun celebration at the Noble Square restaurant, where New Orleans native chef Brian Jupiter cooks up an all-you-can-eat crawfish boil with potatoes and corn on the cob. Four Star Brass Band furthers the southern atmosphere with Louisiana jams. The event is hosted by Who Dat Nation, the Chicago chapter of the New Orleans Saints fan club. Seating is first come, first served until the crawfish is gone. 3 p.m. Sunday. $25. Tickets: thefrontierchicago.com/events-tickets
Foam Party at Minibar
Minibar (3341 N. Halsted St. 773-871-6227)
Check your clothes at the door at this annual favorite, when the Lakeview bar’s basement is filled with suds and the suggested attire is swimwear. Shots of Jim Beam Kentucky Fire are on special for $4, and Avi Sic is delivering the dance tunes. Towels are provided, and clothing check is to be determined but will be between $3 and $5. 10 p.m. Sunday. No cover.
Sunday BBQ series
Sportsman’s Club (948 N. Western Ave. 872-206-8054)
Chef John Manion of La Sirena Clandestina brings his asado grilling techniques to kick off the weekly backyard barbecue-style series, with grilled beef short ribs, housemade linguica (cured pork sausage), piri piri chicken thighs, feijoada black beans and a passionfruit caipirinha snow cone ($20). Also, try the first beer collaboration between Sportsman’s Club and Off Color Brewing, The Grizzly King Tiki-Weiss, a grapefruit, passionfruit and cinnamon berliner weisse ($6). 4–10 p.m. Sunday. No cover.
Roof Sundays: Sail Away
Roof on The Wit (201 N. State St. 312-239-9502)
The Sunday Funday summer series at the Loop hotel’s rooftop bar returns this weekend with a new nautical theme and a different DJ each week. The weekly party kicks off with Denver-based EDM duo Manufactured Superstars and special menu items like a tempura lobster roll ($24). 2 p.m. Sunday. No cover.
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Malibu Memorial Day Luau
Deuce’s and the Diamond Club (3505 N. Clark St. 773-644-5554)
Kick it poolside (yup, there’s a small pool out back) at this Wrigleyville bar’s Hawaiian-themed patio party with a $10 pig roast buffet. Expect $5 beer margaritas and fishbowl specials, $20 Corona and Dos Equis buckets, and swag giveaways from sponsor Malibu rum. 1–4 p.m. Sunday. No cover.
Memorial Day Pig Roast
Lotties Pub (1925 W. Cortland St. 773-489-0738)
Chow down on all-you-can-eat cured and smoked pig roast from Frontier with baked beans, potato salad and coleslaw ($12) at the Bucktown bar’s fifth annual event. Drink specials include $4 Veteran beers, Sam Adams seasonal pints and vodka-lemonades served in mason jars and $15 Miller and Coors buckets. 2 p.m. Sunday.
Motown on Mondays: Memorial Day All-Residents Jam
East Room (2828 W. Medill Ave. 773-530-1478)
DJs Intel, Trew, Johnny Walker, Scend and Maker throwdown the Motown at the weekly event at this Logan Square hangout. Sixteen-ounce Tiger Beer cans are $4, or tack on a shot of Paddy Irish whiskey for a dollar. 9 p.m.–2 a.m. Monday. No cover.
Catch the Memorial Day Parade on Saturday in the Loop. Click here for more weekend festivals.