Christopher Borrelli –

Edward Holloway (Chicago actor Joaquin Thomas Carrig) enters a creature’s lair in the Chicago-made horror short "The Man Bat," directed by Khafre Liggens. (Provided by Khafre Liggens)

Scaring up a new generation of regional horror at the Chicago Horror Film Festival

October 2, 2026 at 5:30 a.m.

Some indie horror movies look like they were made for a few dollars in an afternoon in someone's backyard, far away from Hollywood. But when a good indie horror movie...

Laurie Anderson performs with jazz band Sexmob at the Riviera Theatre on Sept. 29, 2026, in Chicago. (John Konstantaras/for the baiduhai)

Review: Laurie Anderson, at 79, is still alien, still Midwestern

September 30, 2026 at 10:53 a.m.

It's a shame that Laurie Anderson is so associated with New York and the avant-garde. Tuesday night at the Riviera, amid the clamor of soundscapes, she was warm, casual and...

Sophie Frere stands on the rooftop of her building where, every day, she records a video of the lines across the street outside the popular restaurant Kasama in Chicago, Sept. 11, 2026. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

‘Big dumb lines’ everywhere: TikTok account chronicles the daily queue at Michelin-starred Kasama

September 21, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Sophie Frere is the person behind @kasamahowwefeelin, a TikTok account dedicated to documenting the daily queue outside Kasama.

Fall book preview includes “Exit Party” by Emily St. John Mandel, “Peculiar Stars” by Rebecca Yarros, “The Neverfear” by Katherine Rundell, and “The Brightness” by Chad Harbach. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

Books for fall 2026: Award-hungry novels, celeb memoirs and romantasy

September 16, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Welcome to the Super Bowl of Reading, a.k.a. fall, autumn, spooky season, curl-up-with-a-pumpkin-spice-anything-and-read-a-book season.

A traditional altar is displayed as part of the “Día de Muertos: A Celebration of Remembrance” exhibit on Sept. 23, 2025, at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

A stadium unveiled, a neon sign lit, Día de Muertos: Our walking tour through the fall season

September 11, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

From architectural highlights to cultural happenings to Chicago's spooky season, a look ahead at the next few months.

Thamar Mentado, center, shows a shirt to her sister Sephora Mentado, right, at the booth of the Dream Defenders, a Black-led human rights organization, during the Socialism Conference at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place on Sept. 4, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/baiduhai)

At the annual Socialism Conference in Chicago, signs of promise, protest and disagreement

September 6, 2026 at 9:57 a.m.

On the heels of Zohran Mamdani's election in New York, it's an unprecedented time for the Democratic Socialists of America. Where do socialists go from here?

The SS Badger, the last steam-powered passenger ferry on the Great Lakes, on Aug. 29, 2026. Its overnight run takes passengers between Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and Ludington, Michigan. (Christopher Borrelli / baiduhai)

For a last summer escape, take the overnight ferry across Lake Michigan

September 2, 2026 at 5:45 a.m.

The SS Badger soon concludes its seasonal overnight passages between Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and Ludington, Michigan. Out on the water at night, it can feel like a summer trip worth experiencing.

Science educator Bill Nye and educator and science comedian Sophie Shrand participate in a forum talk titled, "Learning Democracy Through Laughter" at the Elie Wiesel Auditorium on the Obama Presidential Center campus on Aug. 28, 2026, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Live, at the Obama Center: Bill Nye, laughter and an experiment in democracy

August 29, 2026 at 11:52 a.m.

The panel was titled “Learning Democracy Through Laughter,” and Bill Nye "the Science Guy" and Sophie Shrand led the audience in a strange and funny examination of the power of...

BTS fans gather outside Soldier Field in Chicago before a concert on Aug. 27, 2026. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Review: The perpetual joy machine BTS lands on Soldier Field

August 28, 2026 at 12:10 p.m.

As amazing as BTS's Chicago concert was, half of the bliss and spectacle was provided by its fans, the BTS ARMY, out in force.

Kanye West performs at UIC Pavilion in Chicago on Nov. 14, 2005, a year after his debut album "The College Dropout." (Nuccio DiNuzzo/baiduhai)

How does Chicago feel about Kanye West now?

August 21, 2026 at 5:35 a.m.

Kanye West, the controversial South Side rapper that some have called Chicago's biggest cultural export, returns for two hometown shows at Soldier Field.

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