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City Cast Chicago

A cheat sheet for getting beyond your block.

Emily Mack

Early voting begins today at 9 a.m. in all 50 wards. Get ready to cast your ballot!

 Election Day can visit any early voting site in any ward. Find your nearest early voting site 

 at the Supersite at 137 S. State St. and the Chicago Board of Elections Office on the sixth floor of 69 W. Washington St., with expanded hours beginning Oct. 26.

These sites remain open to all Chicago voters on Election Day as well.

No ID is needed to vote if you’re registered, but it’s helpful to bring in case of any challenges.

The deadline to register to vote online has passed, but 

 at any of Chicago’s early voting sites or at your local site on Election Day.

To do that, you’ll need two forms of ID, one of which must include your current address. 

 can be used as an ID. Without proper identification, unregistered voters may cast a provisional ballot.

The deadline to update your registration online has passed. However, you can change your voting address or name on file in person at an early voting site or on Election Day at your local site. To do that, you’ll need 

, one of which must include your new address. 

If you update your registration, you must also vote at that time at that site.

 can also drop their ballots off at early voting sites. If not, the ballot must be postmarked by EOD Nov. 3.

 is 5 p.m. Oct. 29. Once you receive and fill out your ballot, make sure it’s postmarked by Nov. 3, 

 you can drop it off at any early voting site.

In addition to the top-of-the-ticket races for 

Its first-ever fully elected school board — and all 

The replacement of four U.S. congressional incumbents

And more … Stay tuned to City Cast Chicago now through Election Day for in-depth coverage on the rest of the ticket!

City Cast Chicago's Guide to Voting Early

Your Early Voting Guide

Everything to know about Chicago neighborhoods: Where to go, eat, shop, drink, and more.

Chicago Neighborhood Guides

Neighborhood Guides

Haunted houses, big parties, buckets of fake blood … that’s what spooky season means to me. But don’t worry, we’ve also got leaf-peeping recs for the faint of heart.

, expert Yareni Murillo popped off with an extensive list of cool Halloween parties. We’ve got our eye on:

 | The Giant Penny Whistle | Oct. 17 | Pilsen | Free

Chicago’s absolute scariest haunted house, La Casa de Satanas, did not return this year 😭 But if you’re craving an off-beat scare, I like 

 in West Chicago, which was started by a local teen. It’s full of massive animatronics and ‘80s-esque scenescapes.

Don’t worry, Chicago has family-friendly fall affairs, too:

 | Oct. 15-18, 21-25 | Chicago Botanic Garden | Glencoe

West Chicago Fall Festival and Pumpkin Patch

 | Through Oct. 30 | Sonny Acres Farm | Free on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays

 | Oct. 17 | North Park Village Nature Center | Free

I personally recommend the Fall Festival at the North Park Village Nature Center; you can build your own scarecrow. Growing up, I won the Zaniest award twice, but never the coveted Most Likely to Scare a Crow … 

 due to warm weather, so there’s time to plan your nature getaways.

Haunted houses, big parties, leaf-peeping … It's spooky season!

Guide to Halloween in Chicago in 2026

Your Guide to Halloween Season

Because I do, and I love it. Fall sometimes feels just as fleeting as summer. Luckily, we have a full guide on how to make the most of October in Chicago.

Get a head start with Tierra Colombiana Dance Ensemble’s 

 with dance, music, and storytelling at Harrison Park on Oct. 10. Then, visit the recently

 Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum in Evanston for their 

 on Oct. 12 to learn more about Indigenous histories and for guided craft activities.

Watch a Blackhawks game at the United Center.

 against the Wizards Oct. 24. Congratulations to the White Sox, who have – as of now – 

 at Soldier Field this month. The Bears only have two as they prepare 

, followed by our arch-nemesis, the Packers, on the road at Lambeau Field. Chicagoans have been chanting “Green Bay sucks” all year long. I’m sure that weekend won’t be any different.

Estimated peak times for Chicagoland are around the second week of October. Here are 

 the seasonal changes. Don’t sleep on broader Illinois’ fall colors. 

Check out this interactive fall foliage trip planner

 kicks off Oct. 16, but there’s plenty of autumn celebrations happening across the city.

 returns to Columbus Drive Oct. 24 after outgrowing State Street. Here are some more spooky events going down:

Haunted Halsted Halloween Fest and Parade

Upside Down Halloween Parade at Washington Park

All month long, we’ll continue following City Hall’s 

, the race for Chicago’s first fully elected 

Every month, the City Cast Chicago team tells you what we’re eating, where we’re shopping, and what else we’re planning for.

Michelle: Halloween and Día de los Muertos

I love walking around different neighborhoods, admiring the Halloween decorations. I’ll be setting up my altar throughout the month and visiting the National Museum of Mexican Art’s 

. I’m excited to check out the stunning 

Hooligan, Chef Christian Hunter’s Neo-Midwestern Bistro

. This is the Michelin-awarded chef’s first brick-and-mortar. Funny story: I booked a table for Hunter’s previous version of Hooligan inside Time Out Market back in January, but it was cancelled at the last minute with little explanation. A week later, Time Out Market announced they were shutting down. So this is a resy 10 months in the making.

This month, I’m looking forward to overdue friend dates and solo side quests to discover new hobbies. I can’t wait to see my friends perform in “

. And the Chicago Public Library’s maker spaces are gonna hate to see me coming because once I take 

Tickets to Get Now (Before It’s Too Late)

Wishing you a festive, cozy, and spooky October!

A full guide on how to make the most of October in Chicago.

Your guide to October

🎃 Your guide to October

OK, gorillas may not be native to Chicago, but we can still celebrate World Gorilla Day. Both of our local zoos have state-of-the-art habitats for the great apes. I visit Lincoln Park Zoo often and, last summer, toured 

Brookfield Zoo’s new $66 million gorilla home.

I know, watching gorillas at the zoo can be depressing — they’re so like us. But that’s also what makes it fascinating. Spend even a little time, and you’ll observe the sheer character of these wild animals.

 like they were on a sitcom. (Did you know 

 for male gorillas?) Binti Jua, now 38, is also still at Brookfield. Back in 1996, she famously 

At Lincoln Park, I always watch Kwan. (As a kid, my aunt Ellen gifted me a Kwan 

 — I thought he was really mine.) Kwan was once a movie star, stealing scenes in “Return to Me,” 

Of course, long before them all, there was Bushman, the first gorilla to live in Chicago. Bushman had no fancy habitat. 

If you’re interested in gorilla conservation:

Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes

Gorillas may not be native to Chicago, but you can celebrate World Gorilla Day at Lincoln Park Zoo or Brookfield Zoo.

Where to celebrate World Gorilla Day

Happy World Gorilla Day!

It’s officially fall — which means it’s officially cuffing season. Normally, I do not partake. But when my best friend Cori signed up for 222, an AI-curated meet-up app, curiosity (and FOMO) took over.

I’ve now explored multiple types of singles mixers across the city.

. After paying the hefty monthly fee, users answer a questionnaire that runs the gamut from Ye vs. Taylor Swift to your thoughts on abortion. Then the app invites you to group events matching your profile.

. I attended a seated dinner, which meant I spent almost two hours with machine-selected tablemates. Cori turned out to be the only female at her table. (My dream, her nightmare.)

My table’s gender ratio was mixed. Our conversations, though cordial, felt somewhat forced. Things got friendlier once we all moved to a nearby bar. Drinking might have helped.

Next, Cori and I tried Offline Dating Night, a happy hour at the Goose Island Taproom in West Loop. At the very least, I figured, a Google employee might buy our beers.

The bar offered three cup types: green (“Come talk to me”), yellow (“Proceed with caution”), and red (“I’m here by accident”). The showing wasn’t terrible, about 25 people, but most men were holding red cups.

Green cups in hand, Cori and I mainly talked to each other. Other women appeared to do the same. One man approached us — no connection. It seemed people were mainly there for the $3 Honkers. 

I did, however, meet a cute guy at the spot we went after to debrief …

The second Thursday of every month, Butch McGuire’s in Gold Coast turns into a sloppy, flirty mess. Entertaining to witness, but the crowd skewed 

. (Hence the sloppy flirtiness.) “Wow, you look good for 28,” someone told Cori.

The gender divide seemed even throughout the crowded rooms, and people took advantage, leaning in close to chat over loud music. Drinks were spilled. Phone numbers were exchanged. “We have nothing like this in Montana,” one out-of-town visitor told me, gushing.

I also made friends in the bathroom! It really was like being 22 again.

The singles mixers I attended were primarily straight, but plenty of queer events are coming up:

Got recs for singles like me? HMU!

Ahead of cuffing season, I explored Chicago's "singles" scene. I am still single.

Are Singles Mixers Worth It?

So, I jumped in the Chicago River. Considering 

, you might think me brave. Or stupid. But ever since 

, I’ve wondered, viscerally, what it would be like to wade in.

 was a fundraising effort for ALS research and swim education. On Friday, I took a small part in the festivities, jumping in alongside other passionate Chicagoans, some politicians, and former Bear Charles “Peanut” Tillman.

And I gotta say: Come on in, the water’s fine! Well, mostly.

As a multitude of speakers assured us before the jump, the water quality had been tested repeatedly. That didn’t 

 assuage my nerves — “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” But I took a literal leap of faith.

Once I jumped in, I immediately forgot about the river’s nasty reputation. The water was perfectly warm. It smelled only slightly metallic. And I gotta say, floating on your back while staring up at Marina City towers is downright dreamy.

Sure, after the swim, I couldn’t stop thinking about 

. There’s a reason swimming in the Chicago River is technically prohibited. But ongoing efforts to clean the river show.

When I told my friends I planned to jump in the river, they shuddered. Visibly shuddered. 

 It was once the “Stinking River,” flowing (slow and brown) into Lake Michigan, sickening Chicagoans.

Famously, the flow was reversed in 1900. But that didn’t mean the water was suddenly clean. Treated as a dump for decades, 

 until the 1970s. That’s when the Deep Tunnel Project began to 

Fifty years later, the project is still underway, expected to complete in 2029. Who knows? By then we might be meeting each other for a dip in the Loop.

I jumped in the Chicago River. It was quite warm!

So, I Jumped in the River

As the city gears up for the Bears’ first home game of the season, don’t sleep on college football games playing across the city.

Chicago State University’s Division 1 football team

 — that technically makes them Chicago’s only Division 1 team. (Sorry, Wildcats.) And 

But if you’re cheering for another Midwest alma mater, here are some sports bars to watch from. (Perhaps unsurprisingly, most are around Lincoln Park.)

A guide on where college football games are playing across the city.

City Cast Guide on Where to Watch College Football

Where to Watch College Football

(So were the vibes, if I’m being honest). So, let's not take September sitting down. Summertime Chi WILL continue for one more month, I’m officially announcing right now. This guide will not include pumpkin spice. It will not include light jacket reminders. Instead, here’s how to make the ABSOLUTE most of September.

Lately, most Chicago Bears talk has hinged on the team’s stadium standoff. (

, by the way.) But now it’s time to pivot to actual football. Last season was enough to turn even the grouchiest sports-haters — myself included — into megafans. Will they keep making fourth-quarter history? 

September marks fall theater season here in Chicago. For musical fans, there’s 

 about 1980s teens and hip-hop, at Definition Theatre.

 at the Goodman Theatre, based on the memoirs of a trapeze artist, and 

 at Lookingglass Theatre, which follows Tennessee Williams and Marlon Brando.

Another theater gem this month: The 9th annual 

Chicago International Latino Theater Festival 

kicks off Sept. 17. Latino Heritage Month runs through mid-October, making it the perfect time to 

. More official ways to celebrate include:

The Cubs’ Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month Celebration

 | National Mexican Museum of Art | Pilsen | Sept. 16

“Where Memory Lives: 40 Years of Día de Muertos” opening

 | National Mexican Museum of Art | Pilsen | Sept. 25

returns to Douglass Park the weekend of Sept. 18, and this year William Shatner is a special guest. Headliners include Twenty One Pilots, Iggy Pop, Tool, Pierce the Veil, Elvis Costello, and (my idol) Alanis Morissette. Meanwhile, many — many! — 

All month long, we’ll continue covering Chicago’s ongoing 

. The mayor must submit his own proposal by Oct. 5. Here at City Cast, we’re also gearing up for the general election on Nov. 3. (Remember? 

This month, I am seeing two of my favorite artists on back-to-back nights. I’m starting with Jungle at the United Center Sept. 10, followed by Noname at Park West Sept. 11.

Public pools close the day after Labor Day, and fall technically starts Sept. 22. But as stated above, I’m pretending September is still true summer. Catch me tanning at the Montrose ledge month-long, 

 and the Seadog (one of my favorite attractions) 

I’m visiting Lithuania for the first time this month! But I’m a bad Lithuanian. I know nothing about my heritage. So, I’m excited to 

, a two-day celebration of ambient and electronic music throughout the Garfield Park Conservatory’s nature campus. I’m also looking forward to reading at 

, an open mic by the Guild Literary Complex in collaboration with Brighton Park Poets. Palabra Pura is a bilingual reading series that showcases the work of Latino writers in Chicago.

I’m finally moved into my new place, and now it’s time to party! I’m making good use of 

, and will endeavor to build a nice charcuterie plate from 

. Also, if anyone has a line on where to find inexpensive large rugs, let me know!

A guide to things to do in Chicago in September 2026

City Cast Chicago's September 2026 Guide

Your Guide to September 2026 in Chicago

Every month, we bring you news about the newest 

 … and this month, they’re all cafes!

The world’s largest Hello Kitty Cafe just opened downtown. It’s 8,000 square feet, two stories tall and, you guessed it, pink. Very pink. The space also features a speakeasy-style Bow Room, 

, matcha horchata, affogato, sandwiches, and more to McKinley Park. It’s located on 37th Street between Archer and Leavitt and open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The sibling duo that runs Tawney initially 

 — then out of a car. Now, Tawney is back at its permanent space on Pope John Paul II Drive, following 

. Finally, there’s one in Logan Square, in the former Infuzed Cafe. And good news for night owls, it’s open till 10 p.m.

Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Colectivo has been expanding across Chicago for years. The newest location opened yesterday in the Southport corridor, following delays and a 

Inside luxury furniture store Design Within Reach, California-based Canyon Coffee is operating a pop-up shop through July 26. It also features pastry from Logan Square’s popular 

As if there wasn’t enough to explore inside the Fine Arts Building, Groundswell Coffee Roasters opens there July 20, next to the former Artist’s Cafe storefront. It will serve food from West Loop bakery Good Ambler.

🍽️ More places to sip and dine!

Every month, we bring you the newest restaurant openings across Chicago. This month, they’re all cafes!

Seven new cafes in Chicago

7 — Yes, 7! — New Cafes

Fests, fireworks, food, and freshwater fun — there’s a lot to do in Chicago in July. Here’s a guide to keep it all straight.

Fourth of July is always lit in the city — from lakeside shenanigans to big fireworks shows to, er, less official neighborhood displays. In honor of America’s 250th, Navy Pier is showing its 

. Meanwhile, our City Cast Chicago team talked with those 

Fitzgerald’s 43rd American Music Festival

African/Caribbean International Festival of Life

There’s a lot to do in Chicago in July. Here’s a guide to keep it all straight.