Nightlife & the Arts in Chicago

Nightlife Overview

Name	Category	Location

The Abbey Pub The Abbey Pub, about 15 minutes northwest of downtown in the Irving...	Music Clubs	Chicago

About Face Theatre The city's best-known gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender...	Theater	Chicago

Andy's Jazz Club Andy's Jazz Club, a favorite after-work watering hole with a...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Apollo Chorus of Chicago Apollo Chorus of Chicago, formed in 1872, is one of the country's...	Concerts	Chicago

Athenaeum Theatre The 1,000-seat Athenaeum Theatre adjacent to St. Alphonsus Church...	Theater	Chicago


Athenaeum Theatre Athenaeum Theatre hosts innovative small dance companies and...	Dance	Chicago

Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University Designed by notable architects Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler...	Theater	Chicago

B.L.U.E.S The best part about B.L.U.E.S. is that there isn't a bad seat...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Bailiwick Chicago Bailiwick Chicago stages new and classical material at various...	Theater	Chicago

Bank of America Theatre After its 1906 debut as the Majestic Theatre, the 1,800-seat...	Theater	Chicago

Baton Show Lounge At Baton Show Lounge, boys will be girls. The lip-synching revues...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Beat Kitchen North Side stalwart Beat Kitchen brings in the crowds because...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Bella Voce Bella Voce —"beautiful voices," indeed. Formerly known...	Concerts	Chicago

Black Ensemble Theater Black Ensemble Theater has a penchant for long-running musicals...	Theater	Chicago

Blue Chicago In an upscale part of downtown, Blue Chicago has none of the...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Blues Heaven Foundation For a walk into history, stop by the Blues Heaven Foundation...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Briar Street Theatre Originally built as a horse stable for Marshall Field, Briar...	Theater	Chicago

Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place Formerly known as Drury Lane, this 550-seat theater in Water...	Theater	Chicago

Buddy Guy's Legends Relocated from its original location a few doors down, the new...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Cadillac Palace Theatre Designed by famed theater architects the Rapp Brothers, Cadillac...	Theater	Chicago

Carol's Pub Carol's Pub, in the Uptown area of the Far North Side, showcased...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Chicago Blues Festival The Chicago Blues Festival leaves no doubt about it: Chicago...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Chicago Children's Choir A performance by the Chicago Children's Choir is the closest...	Concerts	Chicago

Chicago Cultural Center Chicago Cultural Center is a block-long landmark building that...	Theater	Chicago

Chicago Improv Festival The springtime Chicago Improv Festival, the nation's largest...	Comedy Clubs	Chicago

Chicago Opera Theater Chicago Opera Theater shrugs off esoteric notions of opera, preferring...	Opera	Chicago

Chicago Shakespeare Theater Chicago Shakespeare Theater devotes its considerable talents...	Theater	Chicago

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with internationally celebrated conductor...	Music	Chicago

The Chicago Theatre Since 1921, visitors to the Chicago Theatre, which began as a...	Theater	Chicago

City Lit Theatre City Lit Theatre produces notable staged readings and full productions...	Theater	Chicago

Collaboraction Collaboraction lets actors, artists, and musicians share the...	Theater	Chicago

Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago presents thought-provoking...	Dance	Chicago

DCA Theater This storefront theater, operated by the Chicago Department of...	Theater	Chicago

Double Door Double Door is a hotbed for music in hip Wicker Park. The large...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Elbo Room Elbo Room, a multilevel space in an elbow-shaped corner building...	Music Clubs	Chicago

The Empty Bottle Empty Bottle, in the Ukrainian Village near Wicker Park, may...	Music Clubs	Chicago

ETA Creative Arts Foundation ETA Creative Arts Foundation, a South Side performing-arts center...	Theater	Chicago

FitzGerald's Nightclub FitzGerald's, though a 30-minute schlep west of Chicago, draws...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre opened in...	Theater	Chicago

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre presents an exceptional repertoire of plays each...	Theater	Chicago

Green Mill Cocktail Lounge Green Mill, a Chicago institution off the beaten track in not-so-trendy...	Music Clubs	Chicago

The Hideout The Hideout, which is literally hidden away in a North Side industrial...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Horseshoe Horseshoe brings a slice of Texas to the Midwest, along with...	Music Clubs	Chicago

House of Blues House of Blues, though its name implies otherwise, attracts big-name...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Chicago's most notable success...	Dance	Chicago

Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance Located on the northwest corner of Millennium Park, the 1,500-seat...	Theater	Chicago

Joffrey Ballet Joffrey Ballet's fine-tuned performances, such as the glittering...	Dance	Chicago

Kingston Mines In 1968, Kingston Mines went down in Chicago history as the first...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Lee's Unleaded Blues Lee's Unleaded Blues has been a South Side favorite since it...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Light Opera Works Light Opera Works favors the satirical tones of the distinctly...	Opera	Chicago

Lincoln Hall The owners of Lincoln Hall transformed a former movie theater...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Lookingglass Theatre Company At the Lookingglass Theatre Company, marvel at offbeat and fantastically...	Dance	Chicago

Luna Negra Dance Theater Luna Negra Dance Theater has rapidly become one of Chicago's...	Dance	Chicago

Lyric Opera of Chicago At the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the big voices of the opera world...	Opera	Chicago

Mandel Hall at the University of Chicago Mandel Hall at the University of Chicago hosts an annual classical...	Music	Chicago

Martyrs' Martyrs' brings local and major-label rock bands to this small...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Metro Metro brings in progressive, nationally known artists and the...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago showcases dynamic interpretations...	Dance	Chicago

Music of the Baroque Take a step back in time with Music of the Baroque, one of the...	Music	Chicago

Neo-Futurists Neo-Futurists perform their long-running, late-night hit Too...	Theater	Chicago

The Newberry Library Head to the stately Newberry Library for performances by the...	Music	Chicago

Old Town School of Folk Music Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago's first and oldest folk-music...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Oriana Singers The small but mighty Oriana Singers are an outstanding a cappella...	Concerts	Chicago

Pops for Champagne Pops for Champagne can be found in trendy River North. The bi-level...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Redmoon Theater Redmoon Theater tells imaginative, almost magical stories that...	Theater	Chicago

Rosa's Lounge On a given night at Rosa's Lounge, near Bucktown, you'll find...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Royal George Theatre Center Royal George Theatre Center is actually a complex of three theaters:...	Theater	Chicago

Schubas Tavern Schubas Tavern favors local and national power pop, indie rock...	Music Clubs	Chicago

Stage 773 Formerly the Theatre Building, Stage 773 showcases new works...	Theater	Chicago

Steppenwolf Steppenwolf's alumni roster speaks for itself: John Malkovich...	Theater	Chicago

Theatre on the Lake Each summer a rotating roster of local off-Loop ensembles takes...	Theater	Chicago

Ticketmaster You can charge full-price tickets over the phone or online at...	Tickets	Chicago

Trinity Academy of Irish Dance Trinity Irish Dance Co., founded long before Riverdance, promotes...	Dance	Chicago

Victory Gardens Theater Victory Gardens Theater is known for its workshop productions...	Theater	Chicago
Nightlife Overview »