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.

April 3 + May 1, 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: June 5th.

April 4, 2019, 8pm Afterglow. June 6th, 7:30pm - Desire in a Tinier House. July 18th, 7:30pm - Casa Valentina. High school and college students come to experience a PFP production at no cost. A program to provide young adults with free, theatrical productions dealing with LGBTQ+ themes in a safe, open, and educational space. An ongoing program see updates on upcoming productions.

April 11 - May 5, 2019, 8pm. Exploring the emotional, intellectual, and physical connections between three men. Josh and Alex, a married couple in an open relationship, invite Darius to share their bed one night. When a new intimate connection begins to form, all three men must come to terms with their individual definitions of love, loyalty, and trust. Features full male nudity.

April 11, 2019, 8pm-2am. Chicago's RPDR Viewing Party. Watch and Win with Team Sidetrack hosts Dixie Lynn Cartwright + DiDa Ritz + the Sidetrack Pit Crew. After Ru, don't miss the Celebration of Chicago Drag: Shantay You Stay! w/ Danika Bone't. Bring Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, Talent and we'll Start Your Engines with games, RuPaul's Drag Race swag + fun surprises!

April 12, 2019, 6pm - start the weekend with the monthly theme party Lollipop - Broadway, with guest performers and drink specials all night.

April 12, 2019, 8-10pm (every 2nd FRI) Leatherwomen of Chicago Cruise Night + Cowboy Roundup Beer Bust w/ ILGRA. Apr 19th Full Moon Party + Shoot the Moon Contest. Apr 20th Gear Night w/ Bluf - strict dress code. Apr 21st Beer Bust + Movie Night at 7pm. Apr 27th LeatherEye for the Preppy Guy Leather Makeover - a Heartland Alliance Vital Bridges benefit event.

April 12, 2019, 9pm-2am. Come out and play with the bearded, the burly and their admirers at Chicago's Best Bear Night, this Friday. DJ RONS on the decks with your favorites. No cover, no attitude, it's a fun-fur-all.

April 12, 2019, 11pm-4am. The Cruisin' with Moose night is back w/ your favorite dark electro pop, new wave, synthwave and industrial beats. Featuring: New Order, Depeche Mode, OMD, Front 242, MLWTTK, Parralox, Xymox, Duran Duran, The Presets, Japan, Fenech-Soler, Kraftwerk, Yaz, Erasure, Ultravox, Nine Inch Nails and more to satisfy a synthetic itch by Moose the DJ.

April 13, 2019, 10pm-5am. JOCK/UNDERWEAR/GEAR PARTY! FEATURING DJs TOMMY K (SEA), MILTY EVANS (CHI). HOTTEST JOCK PARTY in the Country, BACK in CHICAGO with F*KR for MEN! ENCOURAGED: JOCKSTRAPS, HARNESS STRAPS, SUSPENDER STRAPS. GET STRAPPED/ GEARED UP for FUN! HOT DIRTY HOUSE MUSIC + HOT DIRTY FUN you can only have at the world famous JACKHAMMER!

April 14, 21, 28, 2019, 10pm + every Sunday through Dec 23rd. Join the regulars on the wrestling mats with everyone’s favorite bartender, Dan, playing all your alternative-electro-industrial music favorites. The event will also feature pop-up fetish demonstrations.

April 17, 2019, 9pm-2am. Get on stage as if A Star Is Born. Lip sync favorite Lady Gaga songs and win Fun Prizes w/ hostess Dixie Lynn Cartwright. Mix of Gaga-inspired Party Music for you to Just Dance to all night long. A Perfect Illusion with Gaga tribute drag performances by Krissy Feetface, Jasmine Phoenix, Osira Obscura and Fay Ludes. You were Born This Way for Gagariffic FUN!

April 20, 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: Matthew Christian and Max Carmichael. Caller: Lauren Kriel. 6:30pm lesson. 7-9:30pm dance. Beginners welcome/ encouraged. Suggested donation $10 at the door.

April 20 + May 11, 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:

April 21, 2019, 1pm-2am. Join Dixie Lynn Cartwright for a fun afternoon featuring a Bonnet Contest at 5pm. Enjoy Party Music from 1-5pm (and all day/night up at Deck Bar), sing-along to Show Tunes 5-10pm, and then stay for our Christina Aguilera Sunday Funday After Dark Party with Jasmine Phoenix. During the day shop the Men's Room Chicago Pop-Up Shop. No Cover...it's Sidetrack!

April 21, 2019, 7-8pm. Dom/sub relationships take many forms. A class on dynamics of a healthy and satisfying Daddy/son bond: nurture, mentorship and sex. Explore the nature of power and consent specific to Dads and their boy(i)s. Open to people who identify as Dad or son, or curious others; all genders/ sexual orientations. Leather Archives/ Museum Exec Dir Big Daddy G (Gary A Wasdin).

April 21, 2019, 5-10pm. Back in April for Easter... C U Next Tea! DJ Seth Breezy (ATL), Blu 9 (CHI), and Dom Brown (Resident). Sponsored by Steamworks Chicago. Men's Room Chicago PopUp Shop. DarkRoom/ PlaySpace by SportLube. FREE Clothes Check. People of any color, size, body type, gender, gender expression(s), and sexual orientation are welcome. Next date: May 26th - IML.

April 22, 2019, 7pm, at Davis Theater. Veronica, a brainy, beautiful teenage misfit hustles her way into the powerful/ ruthless clique at Westerberg High: the Heathers. Then she falls in love with the dangerously sexy new kid J.D. and Heather Chandler, the Almighty, kicks her out. Veronica decides to bite the bullet and kiss Heather’s ass, but J.D. has another plan for that bullet.

April 22, 2019, 7:30-9pm. The team of Pride's Buyer & Cellar - Donterrio Johnson and Scott Gryder - celebrate Barbra's birthday was a fantastic array of talent.

April 24 - June 29, 2019. Happiness is on the horizon when Bowzie gets a college scholarship. But when a chance to become a Freedom Rider arises, he leaves obligations as a husband and friend behind to join the fight against racism in the Deep South. A powerful look at the tenuous balance between security and risk, the bonds of love and friendship, and the personal cost of progress.

April 25, 2019, 8:30am-2:45pm. Tweet and Big Chicks are partnering with TPAN to generate much needed funding for programs designed to educate communities and stop the spread of HIV, hepatitis, and related conditions right here, in Chicago.

April 27, 2019, 11pm-5am. World-class circuit beats upstairs; best of best dirty tech house downstairs in the Hole. Neverland founder Anthony DiFiore's birthday. The Chicago debut of DANI BRASIL (The Week/ Sao Paolo) + KARSTEN SOLLORS spinning a marathon set in The Hole. NVRLND and O.G.C. bring lights and sound to make sure Jackhammer is unlike ever before.

May 17-23, 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 at the Congress Plaza Hotel, 520 S Michigan Ave. Thousands converge to party, network/ select International Mr Leather. Four-day Leather Market leather/fetish artisans/ retailers; erotic attractions, body enhancement specialists. FRI Party. SAT APEX ONYX dance. 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 24 + 25, 2019, midnight. A highschool cheerleader, sent to gay conversion therapy camp when her parents suspect her to be a lesbian, meets a girl named Graham who challenges camp ideals and what it means to be gay. Filled with clever innuendos, colorful imagery, and witty characters to make you smile and laugh as it offers a satirical look at queer identity issues/ gender roles.

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 25, 2019, 11pm-5am. A celebration of the locker rooms, the uniforms, and the DILFS that dominated our adolescent fantasies. MUSIC by DJ PAULO (Los Angeles) and DJ Alex Cabot (Neverland Resident). LIGHTS by Joe Gillan.

May 26, 2019, 5-10pm. International Mr Leather Weekend... C U Next Tea! with Karsten Sollors (Black & Blue Ball), Dan Darlington (BRÜT / NY), and Dom Brown (Resident). Sponsored by: Steamworks Chicago. FREE Clothes Check. People of any color, size, body type, gender, gender expression(s), and sexual orientation are welcome. Next date: June 30th - Pride.

April 21, 2019, 7pm. STARRING: Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, and Peter Lawford. When Broadway star Fred Astaire gets dumped by his current dancing partner, he sets out to make a dancing star out of the next person he sees, which happens to be Judy Garland. With palpable intensity Easter Parade is wired, featuring some of Garland's best work (and Astaire's too).

May 27, 2019, 9pm. The official closing party of IML weekend returns to Chicago’s historic House Of Blues w/ Matthew Harvat + team to transform the venue into an exciting space specifically for the event. Show for ages 21+ w/ DJ Karsten Sollors (CHI) and International Superstar DJ/Producer Tom Stephan (LON) headlining, bringing their bass and drum beats to the dance floor.

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?

June 5-9, 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. 

June 8, 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.

June 8-9, 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 16, 2019, 7:30pm. Theatrical legend. Jazz Age pioneer. Gay icon. A look back on the extraordinary career of Noel Coward; trailblazing style, enduring influence, and songs rivaling Cole Porter for their emotional range and irresistible melody: Mad Dogs and Englishmen; A Room with a View; If Love Were All - from the swooningly romantic to the shamelessly ribald.

June 23, 2019, 7:30-10:30pm. Join the best singers in Chicago for a rousing celebration of 50 years of Pride! Daniel Washelesky directs.

June 29, 2019, 9pm-2am. Dance party for bears, beards, cubs, pups, daddies, furballs, beefcakes, otters, and other wildlife. PRIDE SATURDAY with very special guest from Sydney - Paul Goodyear; and from Bearracuda LA - Ryan Jones! Hot Go-Go's and 700+ guys await you. Clothes check available.

June, 2019 Pride Month events, with two day Pride Fest, and final Sunday Parade June 30th, 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:

July 4-8, 2019. FRI Urbano Blackout Party at Fantasy w/ DJs X-Tasy, Trouble (ATL) and Gavin T (MIA); SAT Wet n Wild Pool Party at Holiday Inn Chicago O'Hare + Black Party at Metro w/ DJs Unknown (NYC), Trouble (ATL) and X-Tasy (CHI); SUN Closing Party at Club Escape w/ DJ Ron Carroll + XXX Dancers. FRI-MON nights at Club Escape. Host hotel: Holiday Inn Chicago O'Hare.

August 10-11, 2019, 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 23 - September 1, 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.

September 19-29, 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.

October 16-27, 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. 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:

January - February, 2020. 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.