Concerts and events at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park have been canceled through Sunday “out of a deep respect” for the community, according to a statement on Ravinia’s website.

Based on the iconic 1953 Universal Pictures film that was inspired by the writings of sci-fi master Ray Bradbury (who grew up in Waukegan, Illinois), “It Came From Outer Space,” the zany new musical now in its world premiere at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, is so crazily “in and out” of this world that it is irresistible.

“Tagged” follows a street artist named Lex who gets caught up in a murder investigation after the vape shop owner who hired him to create a mural suddenly disappears. The film was released June 27 by Kernel Productions, a grassroots film production company based in Bucktown. 

“The Billboard,” a book-turned-play, follows a fictional health clinic in Englewood at the center of a political race and fight for reproductive rights. It was written by WBEZ reporter Natalie Moore.

AAA predicts that nearly 48 million people will travel at least 50 miles or more from home over the weekend, slightly fewer than in 2019. AAA says car travel will set a record even with the national average price for gasoline hovering near $5.

Local stages are heating up this summer. While there may be plenty of worthwhile options, Hedy Weiss joins “Chicago Tonight” to give a rundown of some of her must-see productions.

Whether it be catching the wind on the Centennial Wheel at Navy Pier or dancing to the hums of waters splashing at Buckingham Fountain, contemporary artist Paul Brourman is eager to pay tribute to a city he’s called home for the last 30 years, and some of his favorite landmarks with his new series “Chicago Looks Good On You.”

An audience of 12,000 people poured into Millennium Park Monday evening to hear maestro Riccardo Muti lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a thrilling performance of works by Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky on the Pritzker Pavilion stage.

A pop-up street art festival, summer workouts, circus acts and the sounds of nature usher in the holiday weekend. Here are a dozen things to do in and around Chicago.

The show curated by rapper Vic Mensa is called “Skin and Masks.” It was inspired by Frantz Fanon, the influential 20th century thinker and author of “Black Skin, White Masks.”

The overarching themes of the three-day event revolved around the role of storytelling and art in criminal justice organizing. The summit included training sessions and workshops led by local activists, defense attorneys and media professionals with the aim of educating the invited participants on topics such as campaign strategies, effective storytelling, and enhancing alignment across communities.

The Historic DuSable Museum has a new name. It’s now the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center.

Not many muralists can say their work is seen by hundreds of thousands of people every day, but Chicago artist Asend can make that claim. His towering work on the side of Carnivale Restaurant in the West Loop is hard to miss at its site overlooking the Kennedy Expressway.

Thursday evening’s bravura production was a major event in Muti’s penultimate season as the CSO’s music director. And it was a grand homage to both the composer whose work he has long cherished, and the orchestra he has embraced and nurtured since becoming its music director in 2010.

The Flint water environmental catastrophe, with its strong racial overtones, is at the core of “cullud watta,” the expertly written play by Erika Dickerson-Despenza. Her powerful story of three generations of Black women, now receiving a fiercely emotional regional premiere at Victory Gardens Theater, is a model for how to fully humanize a social crisis.

Pride celebrations, micheladas, a South Side walking tour and colorful kimonos usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in Chicago.