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player ready...This weekend is comparatively quiet for Chicago, but there’s still plenty to do: another music festival, a local circus act, Chicago Jazz Festival and a pair of soon-expiring events. Take your pick.
Music fest season rolls on
You can practically hear the ringing in your ears already, as the electro-driven North Coast Music Festival—the city’s loudest audio festival this side of Spring Awakening—touches down Friday for three days (times vary Friday-Sunday) in Union Park (1501 W. Randolph St.). The festival still largely features electronic acts but continues to diversify the lineup, and this year’s acts include everyone from Gucci Mane to Deadmau5 to Damian Marley to Primus. Get ready to get down, and stay safe, kids! Tickets: northcoastfestival.com
Circus in the park ‘after dark’
First thing’s first: The Midnight Circus is not like the problematic big tops that have been falling out of favor recently in the U.S. Rather, the Midnight Circus is a show featuring local performers showing off myriad skills: juggling, musical performances, hula-hooping, acrobatics and more. There are even rescued pit bulls—Junebug and Rae—who do their own stunts. The Circus continues its citywide tour this weekend at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in Hamilton Park (513 W. 72nd St.), and tickets are just $5, with all of the proceeds benefiting local Chicago parks. Tickets: midnightcircus.net
Jazzy city
The Chicago Jazz Festival is a Labor Day staple, with four days of frantic fingers and impressive lung capacities pumping out jazz music in all its forms—and it’s free. You can hear tributes to jazz icons like Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald, as well as modern greats like the Rebirth Brass Band. The free festival kicks off with performances from noon to 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.), then moves at 6:30 p.m. to Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.) for the remainder of the weekend (noon-9:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday). You can either buy food and drink or BYO, and lawn chairs are also welcome. cityofchicago.org
Out with a bang
Summer means fireworks season at Navy Pier (600 E. Grand Ave.) Unfortunately, the end is near for both. This weekend’s show at 10:15 p.m. Saturday is summer’s final edition of the Pier’s famous fireworks, which can only be seen for Halloween and the holidays before they return next spring. So maybe tuck into a picnic, or post up on a rooftop nearby, and take in another kind of air show. navypier.com
Don’t miss the ‘Octopus’
Here’s another “last chance” reminder: the Museum of Contemporary Art’s (220 E. Chicago Ave.) acclaimed Takashi Murakami exhibit “The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg” is in its final weeks, ending Sept. 24. The exhibit features multiple mediums from the modern Japanese artist, including statues of Kanye West’s iconic Dropout Bear, which Murakami featured prominently when he designed West’s “Graduation” album artwork. mcachicago.org
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