"Free, Free, Free!" is an e-newsletter and website that provides a monthly curated list of free programs, events and activities happening throughout the city in our libraries, museums, cultural centers and parks. We encourage you to express your culture through the arts and take advantage of the many opportunities the City of Chicago provides you to engage, create and participate!
(events are subject to change)
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Year of Chicago Theatre
2019,
Citywide
This citywide, year-long focus on theatre is the first of its kind in the U.S. The initiative will include theatre performances - including improv, dance, opera, puppetry and more - and special events for the public at hundreds of cultural venues, theaters, parks and neighborhood locations throughout the city.
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December TAP'd In Theatre Night for Teens
Wednesday, December 4, 6pm
Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.
FREE open to teens, registration required
Teen Arts Pass (a program of Urban Gateways) presents TAP'd In, a series for teens to explore a featured Chicago art form through unique engagement experiences. TAP'd In is supported by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events for 2019 Year of Chicago Theatre.
About Face Theatre presents POWER IN PRIDE, an original touring show developed by the celebrated About Face Theatre Education & Outreach Program. To RSVP or learn more about TAP'd In, visit teenartspass.urbangateways.org.
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Caroling at Cloud Gate
Fridays, November 29, December 6, 13, 20, 6-7pm
Millennium Park, Cloud Gate, 201 E. Randolph St.
All are invited to bundle up and belt out holiday classics during
Caroling at Cloud Gate located on the park's iconic Cloud Gate Plaza. The festive series is part concert, part sing-along with some of our city's most entertaining choirs on Fridays from November 29 through December 20 beginning at 6pm.
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Skate Millennium Park
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presented by
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November 15, 2019-March 8, 2020 (weather permitting)
Millennium Park, McCormick Tribune Ice Rink, 201 E. Randolph St.
Take a
spin on the ice during the 18th season of this Chicago winter tradition. Skating is FREE and open to the public. Those skating with their own skates will need to pick up a FREE admission wristband. Learn more about our FREE programming scheduled for this season:
Free Ice Skating Lessons: Free skating lessons one hour before the rink opens, every Friday through Sunday with added dates during CPS closed dates. Supported in partnership with the Millennium Park Foundation. Visit the website to view the full schedule.
Ice Rink DJ Nights: Live DJs every 1st and 3rd Thursdays from 6-8pm Dec. 5-March 5. Admission is free. Skate rental rates apply. DJ Nights are supported by the Millennium Park Foundation.
Visit the website to view the full schedule.
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Dance-Along Nutcracker®
Sunday, December 8, Dance Lessons at 9am & 12pm; Performances at 10am & 1pm
Preston Bradley Hall, 3rd Floor South, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.
Sugar plum fairies and mouse kings of all ages and abilities are invited to point their toes to the familiar music of Tchaikovsky's holiday classic.
9am and 12pm: Members of Ballet Chicago will teach basic ballet positions and movements at an optional lesson
10am and 1pm: Dancers of all ages and abilities are invited to join the dancers of Ballet Chicago
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Maggie Daley Park Skating Ribbon
Opens Friday, November 15th
Maggie Daley Park, 337 E. Randolph St.
In the heart of downtown Chicago, with the City's skyline as a backdrop, a ribbon of ice winds through a rolling landscape providing an ice skating experience unlike any other. The skating ribbon is dramatically different from typical civic ice rinks, creating a multi-sensory activity that is integrated into the landscape. Skaters can experience "alpine in the city" as they lace up their ice skates and follow a path twice the length of a lap around a traditional skating rink. Complementing the ribbon are places to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and rent skates.
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Chicago Philharmonic Side by Side at South Shore
Sunday, December 1, 1-5pm
South Shore Cultural Center Park, 7059 S. South Shore Dr.
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Side by Side with the Chicago Philharmonic" brings students and community musicians to Chicago public parks to rehearse and perform a free concert alongside professional Chicago Philharmonic musicians. Past participants have ranged in age from 7-87 and come from all over the city of Chicago and the surrounding areas.
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Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins at Nichols
Thursday, December 5, 4:30-6pm
Nichols (John Fountain) Park, 1355 E. 53rd St.
A new stage adaptation of the classic children's holiday book is the latest edition of Strawdog's programming geared towards families and young audiences. Emerald City Theatre Artistic Director Jacqueline Stone uses live music to tell the fantastical story of Hershel of Ostropol defeating a series of goblins over the eight nights of Hanukkah. This event is presented as a part of the City of Chicago's Year of Chicago Theatre.
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Holiday Showcase at Austin Town Hall
Friday, December 13, 6-8pm
Austin Town Hall Park, 5610 W. Lake St.
Enjoy demonstrations of dance, cultural performances, poetry, theater and more. Girl Scouts will be caroling too! Free for you and the entire family. Get in the holiday spirit.
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New Year's Eve At Noon Party at Lincoln
Tuesday, December 31, 10:30am-12pm
Lincoln Park Cultural Center, 2045 N. Lincoln Park West
Come to the park and ring in the "noon year". We will have an afternoon new year's eve party, with balloons, music and crafts. The whole family is welcome.
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Film Screening: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Monday, December 2, 5:30-7pm
Vodak-East Side Branch, 3710 E. 106th St.
The Muppets' version of the Dickens holiday classic about a miser who's visited by three ghosts features Kermit the Frog as the penny-pincher's hardworking and loyal employee.
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Holiday Concerts: Walter Payton High School
Tuesday, December 10, 12:15-1pm
Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St.
Sounds of the season ring out at the library with a variety of talented local singers and musicians, including high schools, colleges and universities, and community groups. This program will feature the Walter Payton High School "Sounds of Sweetness" with Kathleen "Kate" Johnston, Director of Choirs.
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Holiday Concerts: Members of The Chicago Gay Men's Chorus
Thursday, December 12, 12:15-1pm
Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St.
Sounds of the season ring out at the library with a variety of talented local singers and musicians, including high schools, colleges and universities, and community groups.
Today's program will feature members of The Chicago Gay Men's Chorus with Jimmy Morehead, Choral Music Director. Presented with the support of the Library's LGBT Pride Committee.
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The Principles of Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community & Culture
Saturday, December 14, 1-4pm
Coleman Branch, 731 E. 63rd St.
Celebrate and learn the customs and principles of Kwanzaa. The African American Services Committee (AASC) and the Woodlawn Community Services Corporation (WCSC) will host the annual event with special guest musician and storyteller Sister Niambi Shalewa.
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National Museum of Mexican Art
Tuesday through Sunday, 10am-5pm
1852 W. 19th St.
Come to the National Museum of Mexican Art, where you can immerse yourself in the richness of Mexican art and culture right here in Chicago. Whatever your background, you'll connect to this museum on a very personal level. They showcase 3,000 years of creativity from both sides of the border, connecting museum visitors to the diversity of Mexican culture.
You'll find us in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. Here, in the heart of the city's Mexican community, our 10,000-piece permanent collection meets the highest museum standards. Our pieces and exhibitions travel to museums around the globe because the quality of our collection is highly valued. But here at home, the museum is always free.
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