Last year’s plunge saw mild temperatures and plenty of sun. (Courtesy of the Lakeview Polar Bear Club)

Restaurant deals, a polar plunge, the White Sox and a hip-hop festival usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Anatomical Theaters of Mixed Reality (Courtesy of Grace Duval)

Donald Trump’s inauguration, experimental art, a massive women’s march and “Monty Python” star John Cleese usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

(Woomiusee / Wikimedia Commons)

A Wicker Park elementary parent called out the Chicago Teachers Union in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, claiming the union stopped parents who volunteered to staff their children’s school library after its librarian was laid off.

Damn, Gina! performs at this year’s Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival. (Courtesy of Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival)

Sketch comedy, Syrian music and a how-to on fact-checking usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Sample sale: 50 varieties of whiskey, scotch and bourbon await your palate in River North.

Comedians, whiskey and a meteor shower usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Artists of the New York-based company Rise of the Jack O’Lanterns can spend up to 15 hours on a single gourd. (Courtesy of Rise of the Jack O’Lanterns)

A plethora of pumpkins, eerie mind games and Dr. Ruth usher in the weekend – and Halloween. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Chicago’s 606 trail is only a little over a year old and already there is an ambitious proposal to extend it. 

Fall color is on display this weekend in Oak Park and other area locations. (Quinn Dombrowski / Flickr)

Events in and around Chicago the weekend of Sept. 15-18

Morrissey comes to Douglas Park, craft beer spills in Oak Park and Elmhurst, a global jam unites musicians from India and Chicago, book fans toast Quimby's, lovers of the grape head to North Kenwood and DIY types search for treasure in Andersonville. Those events and more in this weekend's jam-packed roundup.

More than 400 vendors set up camp along Division Street in Wicker Park this weekend. (Courtesy Renegade Craft Fair)

Salute the season with an authentic Oktoberfest celebration, get crafty in Wicker Park, gear up for the Bears, stay up late for an all-night concert of classical Indian music and more this weekend.

From flowers to brews, this weekend's Sheffield Garden Walk and Craft Beer Fest is are about the bouquets. (Courtesy Special Events Management)

Stroll through gardens, sample craft beer, watch movies under the stars, tour "green" homes and more this weekend.

Plenty of dad-friendly events are on tap this weekend – including a finger-licking barbecue fest in Portage Park – and in the heart of Boystown, Pride Month festivities are under way.

(Courtesy of Do Division Street Fest / Facebook)

There’s a festival for just about everybody this weekend, from Maifest in Lincoln Square to the Gospel Music Festival in Millennium Park and the 57th Street Art Fair in Hyde Park, plus scores more.

Mavis Staples (Jalylah Burrell)

From performances to seasonal treats to a spirited class in Wicker Park, your springtime agenda is in full bloom this weekend.

This weekend's festive Chiditarod shopping cart race will raise thousands of dollars and pounds of food for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, but organizers this year are making special efforts to prevent teams from dressing in offensive costumes.

Soak up Irish films in Logan Square, take a dip in the lake for charity and see a new special exhibition at the Field Museum. Details on these events and more in our weekend roundup.

It’s the Weekend Agenda: Feb. 12-14

Celebrate the Year of the Monkey or surround yourself with colorful flowers (or shiny new cars) this Valentine's Day weekend. We've got something for everyone in our weekend to-do list.