This weekend celebrates the cities local and global influence. This weekend sample some of the best Thai food the city has to offer, shut down the block with the Silver Room, help prune the oldest community garden in the city, and more. Check out this weekend seekers guide that gives you everything you need for a full and refreshing weekend in Chicago.
Style Seeker:
Silver Room Block Party
Saturday |July 15th| 12:00 p.m – 10:00 p.m.
The Silver Room |1506 E. 53rd St.| Free
The Silver Room will host its 14 Annual Block Party this Saturday in the South Side neighborhood of Hyde Park. The retail space offers an eclectic mix of handmade jewelry, accessories, clothing, and music. The owner, Eric Williams has made a clear effort to make The Silver Room not just a retail store but a real gathering place for the community. The outreach has created a celebration so large, that it could not be confined to just the boutique alone. Make sure you check out one of the biggest celebration of music, culture, and incredibly good vibes. Get more details about the event here.
Vintage Garage Show
Saturday |July 16th| 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Vintage Garage Chicago |5051 N. Broadway Ave. |$5
Grab a bag and get to thrifting at the Vintage Garage July 16 show this Sunday. This show features 100 vendors of all things vintages. The shops will include everything from vintage furniture, home decor, toys, art, vinyl and more! Stock up on your latest chic antique this weekend. Learn more about Vintage Garage and their full calendar of events here.
Food Seeker:
Thai Food Festival
Saturday – Sunday |July 16th|11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Thorek’s|851 W. Irving Park Rd. |Free
The Thai-American Restaurant Association of Illinois (TARA) will be hosting it’s first annual Thai Food Festival in Chicago this July! The festival will feature various Thai restaurants from all over Chicago such as Star of Siam, Sticky Rice, and Sweet Rice. In addition to the food, there will be different types of entertainment, souvenirs, and live music. Get more information of the fest including a list of food options( vegetarians and vegans, unfortunately, this fest is really not for you) here.
Unifest
Thursday |July 7th | 4:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Chicago Riverwalk|Wells and Franklin|Free
It’s hard leaving Chicago in the summer time. The city has terrific amounts of festivals every weekend, the rooftops are lit, and the weather is simply amazing. This Thursday, the city gives you another reason to stay in town with its kick-off of Unifest. Now until August, Chicagoans can enjoy a global vibe of food, drink, and music from 28 Chicago Sister Cities. The six-week celebration will take place every Thursday evening. This Thursday’s kick-off features music from Paris, spirits from Warsaw, beer from Shanghai, food from Hamburg and much more. Pricing for the event is definitely comparable to a Thursday night happy hour, so grab your work buddies and make your way down to the newly renovated Riverwalk.
Good Seeker:
Volunteer at New Horizons Community Garden
Saturday |July 15th| 9:00 a.m – 12:00 p.m.
East Garfield Park| Free
Volunteer this Saturday at one of the oldest community gardens in the city of Chicago. The New Horizons Community Garden includes individual plots for area residents as well as green spaces for the neighborhood to enjoy. Volunteers will be assigned gardening tasks such as weeding, planting, and pruning. This is an incredible way to learn some gardening 101 and to give back to the community at the same time. Sign-up for the few remaining volunteer spots here.
Arts Seeker:
Pitchfork Music Festival
Friday – Sunday |July 16th| Time Varies
Union Park |1501 W. Randolph St. |$55- $365
The independently run Pitchfork Music Festival is by far one of the most anticipated festivals that Chicago has to offer every year. The event features a broad range of music offerings bringing together over 50,000 attendees from across the world. The festival prides itself on supporting local business and promoting the rich arts of Chicago as a whole. This year’s headlines are pretty major and will feature artists such as Solange, A Tribe Called Quest, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, LCD Sound System and so many more. After parties and art activations courtesy of Solange’s Saint Heron platform. Grab your squad and some last minute tickets to attend the event and be sure to check out the after-shows taking place various music venues in Chicago. Get more information here.
Foundation Cabaret
Thursday|July 13th| 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Foundation Room at the House of Blues|329 N. Dearborn St.| Free
Classic burlesque meets soulful live music at Foundation Cabaret, a weekly variety show presented by neo-nerdy traveling showgirl Hot Tawdry. On July 13, see acclaimed burlesque temptresses Ms. B LaRose, Gaea Lady, Sanjula and, of course, Hot Tawdry. These seductive stars will be offering up sizzling, scantily clad, intimate burlesque numbers to tunes provided by Anthony Moser and The Fat Tone Blues Band starting at 8 pm. The event is free with RSVP.
What I’m Seeking:
A lot is going on this weekend! So much so that I am still planning it all out! Friday is still up in the air, with events like Glapptinova happening and other cool events I am still at a crossroads for what my Friday night looks like. Saturday evening I will definitely be at the Silver Room Block Party. Sunday I plan on making my way up North for the Thai Food Festival and possibly some vintage shopping. As always, be sure to peep my IG for my weekend of seeking the city.
Have an event to about fashion, food, the arts, or community good? Give me the details! Fill out the contact form below, and I’ll be sure to include it in an upcoming Weekend Seeker’s Guide!