First Tuesdays, 7-9pm (doors at 6pm) at Sidetrack. Welcoming new storytellers to the OUTspoken! stage; unique first hand tales from across our diverse community. Inspired, inspiring, funny, heartbreaking - like life…with friends all around you. Typically there will be 6 storytellers and one intermission.

Every Tuesday + Thursday 7-9pm practice at Clarendon Park Community Center, 4501 N Clarendon Ave. Social and fundraising events at Replay, Sidetrack, Hydrate and other venues - see their facebook page for upcoming events.

First FRI M.A.F.I.A Club Night and CD4 POZ socials/ postive-minded men. First SAT Bear Night w/ 12am pizza. Second FRI Chicago Leather Women's Cruise. Second SAT Dungeon Master Night w/ midnight S/M demo. Third SAT BLUF Leather, Rubber, Uniform Dress Code Gear Night w/ barber + bootblack. Fourth FRI ONYX Club Nights. Fourth SAT Ripe Party w/ Deep Beats, Dim Lights, Hot Go-Go Dudes.

When they feel like it Rock/Punk/New Wave queer night hosted/ co-curated by Donnie + Madison Moore of ABSOLUTELY NOT. New/exciting local bands from Chicago/ beyond perform onstage. Previously 3rd Wednesdays - now "held WHENEVER THE #$%! WE FEEL LIKE IT! So get pumped for STACKED bills, SIQQ hosts, and of course MORE GLITTER! Keep your eyes peeled and brows on fleek!"

Saturdays 8pm at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont.. Fast paced, musical sketch show; hilarious, irreverent, and a raunchy good time. For belly laughs about body image and relationships this is sure to deliver with comedic wit to spare. Created by Stage 773 Creative Director, Brian Posen, who directs and plays accompaniment.

Ongoing at Art Institute. 44 iconic works by artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Jasper Johns. These paintings, sculptures, and photographs transform the museum’s presentation of contemporary art, bringing new depth and perspective to the Art Institute’s already strong holdings, making this collection the strongest of any encyclopedic art museum in the world.

Ongoing through January 26, 2019. Jim Falconer, Art Green, Gladys Nilsson, Jim Nutt, Suellen Rocca, and Karl Wirsum transformed the art landscape of Chicago, injecting new and unique voices into the city’s rising national and international profile. Vividly unbridled yet also formally refined, their work embodied irreverence and youthful fearlessness.

Through March 17, 2019, 8pm. The daughter of American missionaries and a local teenage girl attempt a makeshift wedding. But the brutality of the war around them encroaches on their fragile union, forcing them to face a reality they cannot escape. The religious/ cultural roots of intolerance, exploring violence, its aftermath, and the human capacity for hatred, forgiveness, and love.

Through February 10, 2019, TH/FR/SA 7:30pm, SU 3:30pm. Inspired by the secret coded diaries of Yorkshire gentlewoman Anne Lister, detailing affairs with various women in the early 19th Century. Donoghue is best known for her novel and subsequent screenplay and stage play of ROOM. This will be the US premiere of I KNOW MY OWN HEART and it will be directed by Elizabeth Swanson.

Through February 16, 2019, 7:30pm (Sun 3pm). Two gay couples and their friends venture into the world of modern parenting. As friendships deepen, vulnerabilities are exposed, and foundations of family and commitment shaken. With marriage equality the law of the land, DADA WOOF PAPA HOT explores the many ways that lives change and relationships shift when children enter the picture.

Through February 24, 2019. Annual month-long multi-arts non-narrative, multidisciplinary fringe festival; new theatrical works by invited artists/ companies. The longest-running multi-arts fringe festival in Chicago, the Rhino features works in theater and performance from Chicago companies and national artists alike.

February 2, 2019, 10pm-5am. An eclectic mix of electronic dance beats, from house to disco and techno, showcasing fresh talent of producers in the UK, Europe and the US and dance classics to school the kids. DJS: HARRY CROSS, CLUB CHOW, DAVID OH. SHOWS: BAMBI BANKS, TIFFANY DIAMOND, VALENTINE ADAMS. ZADDYS: OLLYWOOD, DAVI STEFOND, AMIR MORRIS, ANDRES PEREZ, ERIC TURNER.

February 6 + March 6, 2019, 9pm-2am. Team Sidetrack is geared-up and ready to Party! Join us each first Wednesday of the month for naughty games to win fun prizes with Dixie Lynn Cartwright! As always, our friends from Men's Room Chicago will be here with an awesome Pop-Up Shop and cool giveaways! No Cover…it's Sidetrack. Next: April 3rd.

February 8, 2019, 7-10pm. Chicago's RPDR Viewing Party. Watch + Win w/ Team Sidetrack hosts Dixie Lynn Cartwright + DiDa Ritz + the Sidetrack Pit Crew. Bring Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, Talent and we'll Start Your Engines with games, RuPaul's Drag Race swag + fun surprises! TGIF Show Tunes 4-7pm. Shantay you Stay after Ru with drag performances + music till 2am!

February 8, 2019, 9pm. BOY HARSHER is a dark electronic duo that produces gritty dance beats infused with ethereal vocals, creating a sound that is eerie, intense and incredibly danceable. GRÜN WASSER is inspired by the juxtaposition of beauty and tragedy in the world.

February 8, 2019, 9pm-1am at Cerise Rooftop, 203 N Wabash Ave. New WERK, WALK + TALK competition for upcoming drag queens/ kings to express artistry/ self expression. Come KIKI w/ hosts Auntie Heroine, IMP, Claire Voyant, Discord Addams, Eva Styles, Miz Gender, Thin Mint (ATL). FREE when you RSVP. First 200 get cocktail or quesadillas venue voucher. Performances, cash prizes + giveaways!

February 9, 2019, 10pm-5am. Tired of standing around looking pensive but warm, fierce but approachable, yet that mega crush of yours still hasn't come over? You gotta go up and be all like- "hey, wanna make out with me for a photo? you get a free jello shot" and they go "um yes duh" - the rest is drunk history. DJs: MISTER WALLACE, NARK, CLUB CHOW, MADELINE.

February 10, 2019. Curtiz's roving camera deftly catches a dozen memorable and quotable performances (Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Dooley Wilson) in Rick's Cafe Americain. The World War II propaganda film/ Best Picture Academy Award winner remains a beloved touchstone and represents golden age Hollywood filmmaking at its height.

February 14, 2019, 9pm-4am. The Newest Fantasy Night Club Party aims to launch new talents, with Top40 music, monthly special events, fresh ideas by Armandi Events and Fantasy. $5 cover / free with invitation. Drink specials. Gogog Dancers
Food. Confetti Blasts.

February 15, 2019, 9pm-2am. Come play with the bearded, the burly and their admirers; prowl + paw all the fleece and flannel in motion … it’s a Onesie Party! DJ RonS will mix up all your favorite nighttime tunes and more! $7 Bear-Sized Miller Lite drafts, $4 Fireballs and $3 Hamm's Tall Boys on special all day & night! No cover, no attitude, all bears in pajamas!

February 15-16, 2019, 11pm-1am. Illinois Leather Alliance contest events FRI + SAT at Touche Chicago and the Leather Archives & Museum. SAT 11pm-1am Victory Party celebration with the contestants and new Illinois Leather titleholders at Touché, Chicago's oldest leather bar!

February 16, 2019, 10pm-4am. Free clothing check & raffles, discounts for those in union suits, long johns, underwear, or jocks! Show off your skivvies and enter in the 2019 Mr. Union Suit Contest- judging at midnight, with $100 cash & trophy to the winner!

February 16, 2019, 11pm-5am. Valentine's Day coming; weird things (feelings) in the air. Multi-floor dance party w/ DJ/Producer ISAAC ESCALANTE upstairs; KARSTEN SOLLORS + JANKY dark/ dirty tech house downstairs in BoilerRoom/ The Hole w/ extra sound to make it lit. A no frills lovefest/feelingsfest/dancefest/fuckfest - all about the music and the energy. Wear red or get read.

February 17, 2019, 5-10pm. Featuring TED EIEL (BRÜT, FURBALL, RAM NYC), Dom Brown (Porn and Chicken), and Ethan Cole (Hydrate). PopUp Shop by Men's Room Chicago. DarkRoom / PlaySpace by SportLube. Sponsored by: Steamworks Chicago. FREE Clothes Check. People of any color, size, body type, gender, gender expression(s), and sexual orientation are welcome.

February 18, 2019, 7am-1pm. The Jackhammer Complex's third installment of our #AFTERTHOTs party series... closing out a truly epic President's Day Holiday Weekend in Chicago with DJs Alex Cabot - (Neverland, Happily Never Afters), and REDUX (Matt Bauhaus Wyser + Carlos Torres), GoGo THOTs - Dressed by Men's Room Chicago. Sponsored by: SportLube.

February 20, 2019, 9pm-2am. Get on stage as if A Star Is Born. Lip sync your favorite Lady Gaga songs and win Fun Prizes with hostess, Dixie Lynn Cartwright. A mix of Gaga-inspired Party Music for you to Just Dance to all night long. Enjoy a Perfect Illusion with Gaga tribute drag performances by Krissy Feetface, Jasmine Phoenix and Bonnie Mi. You were Born This Way for Gagariffic FUN!

February 22, 2019, 8pm. Come compete or watch those who are competing for the Mr Fetish Jackhammer contest.

February 23 + March 23, 2019, midnight cult classic screenings: The Rocky Horror Picture Show features the Midnight Madness shadowcast, with audience participation of course! At The Music Box, 3733 N Southport Ave. See schedule for more midnight movies at their website:

February 28, March 1-2, 7-9, 2019, 7:30pm (also 2pm Mar 9th). With echoes of Stoppard, Kafka and The Brothers Grimm, about a writer in a totalitarian state being interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and similarities to the M.O. in a series of child murders. An urgent work of theatrical bravura and an unflinching examination of the very nature and purpose of art.

February 28 - March 31, 2019, 7:30pm (22 dates). Based on the 2001 Sundance Film Festival documentary, SOUTHERN COMFORT follows the last year of Robert Eads, a transgender man in Georgia. He surrounds himself with his chosen family, As they share monthly potluck meals, like any family, they have their own trials and tribulations, but ultimately as spring arrives, so do warmer days.

March 2, 2019, 10pm-5am. A fun + sexy party featuring guest DJ Ariel Ztn, joining resident Eric Bloom on two floors. Clothes check available so get your gear on! 21+ people of any color, size, body type, gender, gender expression(s), and sexual orientation are welcome. No-photo event (text or phone outside).

March 9, 2019, 10pm-5am. Jock/gear party w/ 3 hot international DJs! Special event for Mr Leather 64 Ten Weekend! DJS Milty Evans, Jack Chang (Frankfurt), Xavier Alvarado (Mexico City). The hottest Jock party in the USA, back in Chicago with our F*kr party for men! Encouraged:
jockstraps, harness straps, and suspender straps. Hot dirty house music + hot dirty fun - at Jackhammer!

March 10, 2019, 7:30pm. Amit wants to transition as a woman, his wife Galit pledges support to maintain the marriage. But, as Amit transforms with surgery, social stigma and bureaucracy, tensions rise as everyone in the family readjusts to understand themselves and each other anew. In the process, Galit must redefine her own identity: what it means to be a parent, a spouse and a lover.

March 16, 2019, 6:30-9:30pm at Second Unitarian Church of Chicago, 656 W Barry Ave. Live music - uniquely queer, inclusive dance - bring your friends! Band and Caller TBA. 6:30pm lesson. 7-9:30pm dance. Beginners welcome/ encouraged. Suggested donation $10 at the door.

March 29, 2019, 10pm-4am. A night of everything HARD, HEAVY, AND OUTSIDE THE MAINSTREAM with DJ Germ of Modern Day Rippers/Sexy Baby Records/and Rotten Fruits. Super excited let's rage! Pre-punk to post hardcore, Oi to power pop, psychobilly to garage rock, heavy metal to industrial and pop punk to street rock n roll. This is going to be so much fun!

March 30, 2019, 10pm-5am. Dance party for bears, beards, cubs, pups, daddies, furballs, beefcakes, otters, and other wildlife. Welcoming HORSE MEAT DISCO from London. Hot Go-Go's and 700+ guys await. Clothes check available.

March 30, 2019, 11pm-5am. Neverland returns from its winter hiatus to tell the story of the MATADOR - a story of life, love, dance, ritual, and death. MUSIC by TOM STEPHAN (London) and DJ Alex Cabot (Neverland Resident). LIGHTS by Joe Gillan.

Early May, 2019, the Chicago Film Critics Association week-long selection of films including recent festival favorites and as-yet-undistributed works from a wide variety of filmmakers. The only major film critics group hosting its own festival. Features works from around the globe and offers viewers an eclectic blend of raunchy comedy, introspective drama and mind-blowing fantasy.

May 23-27, 2019, Memorial Day Weekend (usually) at the Congress Plaza Hotel, 520 South Michigan Ave. Thousands converge to party, network/ select International Mr Leather. A 4-day Leather Market leather/fetish artisans/ retailers; erotic attractions, body enhancement specialists. FRI: Party. SUN: IML Competition + IML Victory Celebration Party. MON: Black and Blue Ball. More info:

May 24, 2019, 10pm-5am. Joe Whitaker/ The Dilf Party Present Hot House Music Beats by DJs TBA. The F*kr Party For Men! The Hottest USA Jock Party is back to kick off the IML Weekend. Encouraged: jockstraps, harnessess, suspender straps. Get Strapped + Geared Up for Fun! Hot Dirty House Music + Hot Dirty Fun - Only at the World Famous Jackhammer! Clothes Check Available.

May 25, 2019, Memorial Day weekend with the hottest male porn stars in the business. Saturday awards bash, plus parties with the guys at Hydrate, Sidetrack, Lucky Horseshoe, and Charlies; Sunday Recovery Brunch at North End. Host hotel (this past year): The Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park. See website for updates, nominees, interviews, and more:

May 30 - June 29, 2019, 7:30pm (22 dates). Trevin has chased his ex-boyfriend all the way to Colorado, only to fall madly in love with his ex’s friend Carlos. Trevin seduces Carlos into a trailer-bound life where they weather disasters and dystopia in their sexual island. But can their love-home outlast jealous intruders and time itself?

Early June, 2019, at Logan Theatre. Annual 5-day film showcase: 25 screenings, 4 Bar Talk discussions, 5 After-Parties. independent features, shorts, documentaries + experimental films from around the world. Innovative/ unique programming from lowbrow entertainment of John Waters, Doris Wishman and Coffin Joe to fine art avant-garde films and videos. 

Early June, 2019, the 54th annual Andersonville summer street festival; around 50,000 people fill Clark Street each year, from Foster to Catalpa for music for cutting-edge bands, ethnic dance troupes, lots of food, and vendor wares. Born out of Andersonville’s Swedish heritage, Midsommarfest will transport you back to old-world Swedish traditions.

Early June, 2019, on N Wells St, between North Ave and Division St. Glass and ceramics, to pencil drawings and oil paintings - a diverse mix of nearly 200-plus juried artists + free educational workshops + tasty cuisine from the neighborhood’s eclectic restaurants and cool music stage acts. A treasure trove of creativity in Chicago’s historic Old Town neighborhood.

June, 2019 Pride Month events, with two day Pride Fest, and final Sunday Parade June 23rd (TBC), from N Halsted at Belmont to Lincoln Park by way of Broadway & Diversey. The Pride Street Festival, takes place on N Halsted, with music, food, vendors. Dozens more social, cultural, athletic & political events. See website for 2018 media + 2019 updates:

June - July, 2019 (TBC). Past year: FRI Urbano Blackout Party at Fantasy; SAT Wet n Wild Pool Party + Black Party at Metro; FRI-MON nights at Club Escape. Host hotel: Holiday Inn Chicago O'Hare.

August 10-11, 2019 (TBC), 11am-10pm. Celebrating its 38th anniversary, the annual street fair on 6 blocks of N Halsted, between Belmont and Addison; many musical acts, multiple stages; hundreds of food, arts and crafts vendors. Dozens of gay bars, dance clubs, restaurants, stores and a bathhouse surround the festival site. A crowd of over 180,000 people arrives from across the globe.

August - September, 2019, Labor Day Weekend in Millennium Park Cultural Center, Von Freeman Pavilion (S Promenade), the Jazz and Heritage Pavilion (N Promenade), the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E Washington), and other venues. A favorite Labor Day Weekend tradition of free, quality live musical performances since 1979.

Late September, 2019. Award-winning international feature films, social documentaries & experimental shorts. Past year: 65 screening at six venues around town, including: Landmark's Century Centre, 2828 N Clark St; Instituto Cervantes, 31 W Ohio; Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N Clark St; ShowPlace ICON, 150 W Roosevelt Rd.

Mid October, 2019, 12 days at AMC River East 21, 322 E Illinois St. Oldest competitive North American film festival, founded in 1964 to provide an alternative to commercial Hollywood movies that dominated city theaters. 12-day world-renowned annual event with the best in international cinema, new talents, and windows to a world of film previously or otherwise unavailable in Chicago.

October 31, 2019 (TBC). The 23rd Annual Halloween Parade, 5-10pm up N Halsted from Belmont, to Addison, with cash prize awards and live entertainment. Registration on Halsted just north of Belmont near The Playground Theater, 5-7pm for Costume Contest in one of five categories.

November 8-10, 2019. The Center on Halsted registration, Kink Market, Social, Gear Sale. Past year included: Touché Welcome Party. Contest at The Center, Brût Party at Fantasy, Strict Rubber Dress Code Party at Leather Rose Assn, The Rubber Ball, Steamworks and Cell Block events. Contest at MCA + Galleria Domain 2 + Jackhammer events. SUN Closing at Sidetrack.

Mid-November, 2019. Affirming diversity in gender/ sexual expression within the Black LGBTQ community, and celebrating stories of Black LGBTQ-identified people through the art of film. Two days of screenings at The Reva and David Logan Center. Tickets and line up details at website: