19 things to do in Chicago July 2-8

Theater

• “Suffs” is Shaina Taub’s Tony Award-winning musical about the women’s suffrage movement and the fight to secure the right to vote. Variety says Taub has created a work that is “thrilling, inspiring and dazzlingly entertaining.” Leigh Silverman directs. From July 7-19 at CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St. Tickets: $38-$133. Visit broadwayinchicago.com.

• Kokandy Productions opens its season with “Hair,” the American tribal rock musical that celebrates the ’60s counterculture. The show’s now classic tunes include “Aquarius,” “Good Morning, Starshine” and “Let the Sunshine In.” Brennan Urbi. From July 2-Sept. 13 at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. Tickets: $55.20, $65.87. Visit kokandyproductions.com.
• The Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Dorothy come to life in “The Wizard of Oz,” the stage adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s classic story that takes the foursome along the yellow brick road and into the Land of Oz. Tor Campbell directs. From July 8-Aug. 9 at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. Tickets: $25-$49. Visit metropolisarts.com.
• Porchlight Music Theatre’s free summer concert series Broadway in Your Backyard returns with performances of songs from the Great White Way and Hollywood including “Hello, Dolly!, “Mary Poppins,” “Toy Story,” “The Wiz” and more. Michael Weber directs. Performances are at 6:30 p.m. July 6 at Northcenter Town Square, 4100 N. Damen Ave.; July 7 at Welles Park, 2333 W. Sunnyside Ave.; July 13 at Berger Park, Waterfront Café, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd.; July 14 at Washington Square Park, 901 N. Clark St.; and 12:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave. Visit porchlightmusictheatre.org.
• “Behind the Curtain: Untold Stories from Canada’s Team Broadway” features Broadway performers and reality TV stars Craig Ramsay and Catherine Wreford performing a cabaret of songs, dances and stories from their lives on the stage. At 7:30 p.m. July 6 at Hoover-Leppen Theatre, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St. Tickets: $35. Visit pridearts.org.

Music

FitzGerald’s annual American Music Festival returns with four days of music including headliners The Heavy Heavy, Spin Doctors, Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore and the Guilty Ones and Neal Francis. From July 2-5 at FitzGerald’s, 6615 W. Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn. Tickets: $74.34. Visit fitzgeraldsnightclub.com.

• The Grant Park Symphony Orchestra presents its popular Independence Day concert with performances of Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” George Gershwin’s “Three Preludes,” Carlos Gardel’s “Tango (Por Una Cabeza),” John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” and more. Christopher Bell conducts. At 7:30 p.m. July 4 at Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street. Admission is free. Visit grantparkmusicfestival.com.

• On her debut album, “Not Ready,” Chicago-based indie-pop artist Julia Minkin moves from French-inspired dance-pop to warm indie-Americana. The album title belies the fact that Minkin is ready to prove she is a seasoned singer and songwriter. Also on the bill: Middle Sister and Evan Montgomery. At 8 p.m. July 2 at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport Ave. Tickets: $17.55, $20.25. Visit lh-st.com.

• Third Coast Percussion performs the Chicago premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’ concerto “Drum Circle” along with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. Each of the piece’s five movements explores a different aspect of percussion. Also performed is Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’ majestic Symphony No. 2. Laureate Carlos Kalmar conducts. At 8:15 p.m. July 8 at Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street. Admission is free. Visit grantparkmusicfestival.com.

• Icelandic singer-songwriter Árný Margrét Sævarsdóttir is from Ísafjörður, located on a sparsely populated peninsula in northwestern Iceland. Growing up, she never expected anyone would hear her songs. She proved herself wrong with her debut album, 2022’s “They Only Talk about the Weather,” which she has followed up with 2025’s “I Miss You, I Do.” Morgan Powers opens at 8 p.m. July 8 at The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia Ave. Tickets: $26. Visit hideoutchicago.com.

Museums

• “Beyond Form: Abstraction at Midcentury” explores how abstraction emerged across the globe between 1940 and 1970. The exhibit is an opportunity to experience the various approaches to abstraction by artists such as Ruth Asawa, Helen Frankenthaler, Jackson Pollock, Sam Gilliam, Mark Rothko, Yayoi Kusama and more. To Oct. 19 at Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave. Admission: $14-$32. Visit artic.edu.

• “Flyway City: Architecture for a Flourishing Ecosystem,” (to Jan. 2) designed by Studio Gang and its founder architect Jeanne Gang, looks at how cities can be made safer and more welcoming for birds and diverse wildlife by creating healthier urban habitats. A companion exhibit “Chicago’s Living Habitat” (to Jan. 14) examines the diverse ecosystems of the Chicago region. At the Chicago Architecture Center, 111 W. Wacker Dr. Admission: $15. Visit architecture.org.

Movies

• 20th Century Queers traces the history of the roots of contemporary queer cinema in avant-garde and underground filmmaking where queer artists disrupted traditional filmmaking forms to suit their cinematic vision. The films screened are Dorothy Arzner’s “The Wild Party,” Cheryl Dunye’s “The Watermelon Woman,” Lino Brocka’s “Macho Dancer,” John Waters’ “Desperate Living,” Chantal Akerman’s “Les Rendez-Vous D’Anna” (“The Meetings of Anna”), Sally Potter’s “Orlando” and Pedro Almodóvar’s “All About My Mother.” From July 4-30 at Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St. Tickets: $15.50. Visit siskelfilmcenter.org.

Family fun

• The public art exhibit, “We the People: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Beauty in Greektown Chicago,” features 40 outdoor and indoor artworks, from professional and emerging artists as well as young artists from area Greek schools, that celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Through May 2027, sculptures will be displayed along Halsted Street from Madison Street to Van Buren Street with paintings featured inside and in the windows of Greektown businesses. Visit greektownchicago.org.
• Chicago History Museum (1601 N. Clark St.) celebrates Independence Day (10 a.m.-4 p.m. July 4, free for Illinois residents) with arts and crafts, face painting, games, a sing-along, Poems While You Wait, trivia fun and more. At 6:30 p.m. the Americana Concert Band presents a free outdoor concert featuring patriotic favorites, a spoken-word performance and an appearance from an Abraham Lincoln reenactor. Visit chicagohistory.org.

• The Shedd Aquarium has unveiled a new immersive 4D theater offering multi-sensory adventures that step into the world of penguins, sharks and octopuses. There’s also a newly designed preshow space where visitors can interact with augmented reality animals and take photos with large-scale underwater visuals. At 1200 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr. Admission prices vary; 4D shows $5.95 in addition to Shedd entry fee. Visit sheddaquarium.org.

Festival fun

• Taste of Chicago returns to its original summertime schedule in Grant Park (July 8-12). Dozens of food vendors and food trucks from across the city serve up festival favorites and Chicago classics like Rainbow Cone and Billy Goat Tavern. The entertainment roster includes Common, Beach Bunny, Babyface, Julieta Venegas, Friko, Funkadesi and more. Admission is free. Only credit cards are accepted by food vendors; no food tickets will be sold. Visit chicago.gov/taste.

• Chow down on barbecue while listening to some of country music’s top stars at Windy City Smokeout. Headliners include Blake Shelton, Lainey Wilson, Jordan Davis, Hootie & the Blowfish and Treaty Oak Revival plus more than 15 rising country artists. Some of the biggest names in BBQ from across the country — including Michelin and James Beard recognized pitmasters — serve up delicious eats. From 4-10 p.m. July 8, 2-10 p.m. July 9-10 and 1 p.m.-10 p.m. July 11-12 at United Center, Parking Lot C, 1901 W. Madison St. Tickets: $84.99+. Visit windycitysmokeout.com.

• A Hyde Park tradition, the 4th On 53rd Parade & Festival, begins at 11 a.m. July 4 with a parade (stepping off from 1525 E. 53rd St.) featuring floats, marching bands, equestrians and a children’s bike/scooter parade that ends in Nichols Park, 1355 E. 53rd St., with a festival from noon-3:30 p.m. with a variety of performances, games, face painting, bounce houses, magician John Measner and more. Visit 4thon53rdparade.com.