Discover October annual events and things to do that go well beyond the boo.
October Highlights: Chicago Halloween Events and Things to Do
- AIDS Run & Walk - Saturday, October 3
This 5K run/walk to benefit the AIDS Foundation of Chicago starts and ends in Grant Park. - Eli's Cheesecake Festival - October 3 and October 4
Chicago's home town cheesecake factory rolls out this two-day fest every year to benefit local charities. - Country Music Festival - Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4
This festival grew out of the Taste of Chicago. It now turns 19 and moves back to Grant Park this year. - Chicago Flatwater Classic - Sunday, October 4
This is the Chicago River's only canoe and kayak race. It has competitive and non-competitive options for participating. - Vive La Hispanidad - Friday, October 9
Billed as the "signature celebration" of Hispanic Heritage month, the evening will feature Latin food samplings, music, arts, and more at the Galleria Marchetti. - National Association of Reptile Breeders Convention - Open to the Public - Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11
If reptiles or the acquisition there of are your thing, then you may want to slither to the Tinley Park Holiday Inn Convention Center for this regional event. - Chicago Marathon - Sunday, October 11
This perennial favorite for runners and spectators alike strides through Chicago's neighborhoods this October. - Columbus Day Parade - Monday, October 12
The parade marches along Columbus (of course!) from Balbo to Monroe. Kick off time is 12:30 p.m. - Chicago Humanities Festival - Saturday, October 17 and Wednesday, November 4 through Sunday, November 15
This annual exploration of ideas and people sprawls across the city every fall, centers around a theme, and invigorates the city with new ideas. This year's theme is "Laughter." - Creative Nonfiction Week at Columbia College - Monday, October 19 through Thursday, October 22
A four-day celebration of truthful storytelling. - Fashion Focus Chicago - Thursday, October 22 to Sunday, October 25
A series of fashion forward events designed to showcase Chicago's rising fashion industry. - Chicago International Film Festival - Thursday, October 16 to Wednesday, October 29
North America's oldest competitive film festival with a focus on international work calls Chicago home. - Chicago Children's International Film Festival - Thursday, October 22 to Sunday, November 1
This is the only children's film festival in the world whose winners can go on to compete for Oscar nominations in the short film category. It's also a great way to expose your kids to something more enriching (in my opinion) than Barney or Wii. - International Astronomy Day Celebration at Adler Planetarium - Saturday, October 24
Take part in the Planetarium's annual astronomy celebration including telescope viewing and a Galileo impersonator. - Chicago Art Open - WILL BE MOVED TO SPRING
The annual festival of Chicago artists, art, and art buying has been moved to spring, according to this blog post from their board of directors. - Chicago Calling Arts Festival - TBD
The fourth annual festival of artistic collaborations between Chicago artists and artists living elsewhere on the planet. -
Annual Festival of Films from Iran - TBD
Held every year at the Gene Siskel Film Center, this festival provides a showcase for Iranian films and often provides many with their first U.S. screenings. - Andersonville Arts Weekend - TBD
This festival, which enjoys its fifth year this October, highlights how this neighborhood has evolved to embrace more art and design into its engaging mix.
- Mayor Daley's Kids and Kites Festival - TBD
Send your kite up to the highest height at Montrose Beach between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. - Third Newberry Library Sherlock Holmes-Arthur Conan Doyle Symposium - TBD
It's elementary. Sherlockians descend on the Newberry Library to explore more deeply the author, his work, and his most famous detective. From 9 a.m. to noon.