The best March 2026 events in Chicago

This weekly “live magazine” is a cavalcade of culture, politics and wit featuring journalists, actors, comedians and musicians offering idiosyncratic reports on the news of the day. Head to Uptown’s iconic Green Mill for drinks, hot takes and laughs; the longstanding Saturday afternoon edition tends to run about two and a half hours.

Situated in the heart of downtown Chicago with the city's sweeping skyline as a backdrop, the Skating Ribbon at Maggie Daley Park is a winter attraction unlike any other. Skaters can lace up and wind around a winding ice-covered path that's twice the length of a lap around a traditional rink. Reservations for the popular ice rink should be made in advance, as they tend to fill up quickly. Admission to the Skating Ribbon is free Monday through Thursday and for 11am sessions Friday through Sunday (and $5 for other time slots Friday through Sunday, as well as holidays) if you bring your own skates. No skates? Entry is $17–23 if you need to rent a pair. The Ribbon stays open through March (weather permitting) and even offers hours on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

With soundstage-sized pieces like horned sculptures emitting soap bubbles, inflated spheres bedecked in abstract squiggles and surreal faceless figures hovering in space, “EmotionAir” reimagines the humble balloon as any other artistic medium—a conduit for creativity and emotion. 

Head to 360 Chicago on Saturdays for yoga with a killer view. Instructor Britta Eumann will lead an hour-long class on the 94th floor of 875 North Michigan Avenue (formerly the John Hancock Center) that’s suitable for all ages and skill levels—you just need to bring your own mat and arrived properly dressed. Registration is $55 and includes a cocktail or coffee, plus admission to the observation deck so you can stick around and snap some photos after you're done striking poses on the mat.

You’ve probably seen a Shakespeare play before, but never like this. Five professional actors come together for each performance of Drunk Shakespeare. The twist? One of them has had five shots before the show and is trying to stay on track while the other four actors do their best to hold the performance together.

Just when you thought the state's largest mall couldn't surprise you anymore, Woodfield Mall announces WONDRA, a sprawling new immersive experience. Inside, you’ll wander through enchanted meadows that respond to the sound of your voice, stumble across bioluminescent landscapes and drift into crystal caves and celestial gardens that blur the line between digital spectacle and raw wonder. Every corner is crafted to ignite curiosity and inspire a sense of awe we, whether you’re a kid seeing it all for the first time or an adult who forgot what it feels like to play.

Visiting “The Land of Oz: Beyond the Page” at the Gold Coast’s Driehaus Museum feels a bit like opening a very elegant jewelry box: beautifully crafted, lovingly arranged and also...surprisingly compact. Tucked away into two rooms on the museum’s top floor, the film-inspired exhibit offers a curated peek behind the yellow brick road—costumes, concept art, early editions of L. Frank Baum’s original book and just enough memorabilia to spark a pleasant jolt of nostalgia. The exhibit's highlights include a replica of Dorothy’s slippers—one of only 20 editions worldwide—and a collection of “movie edition” Wizard of Oz books adjusted to better match the silver-screen adaptation. In the end, the Driehaus Museum’s Wizard of Oz exhibit doesn’t attempt to sweep you away in a tornado of spectacle so much as hand you a small, neatly labeled basket of curiosities. Its strength lies in details—like early drafts of the film’s script and a replica of the Cowardly Lion’s courage medal, which was a departure from the book’s bottle of courage the character drank. It’s these little factoids that make the exhibit worth a visit. While the exhibition may leave devoted Oz scholars wanting more, it offers casual visitors a gentle, concentrated dose of nostalgia within the museum’s ornate surroundings. You may not walk out feeling as though you’ve traveled all the way to the Emerald City, but you will have enjoyed a tidy, thoughtfully assembled layover somewhere between fantasy and reality.

Talking Heads frontman, Broadway innovator and all-around creative polymath David Byrne is once again blurring the line between art and science, this time in the middle of downtown Chicago. “Theater of the Mind” is Byrne’s latest experiment in perception, identity and theatrical immersion—and it’s happening inside a real office space. Created with writer and philanthropist Mala Gaonkar, the 15,000-square-foot experience invites audiences of just 16 at a time to explore a series of rooms designed to mess with your senses and make you question, well, yourself.

Find your flow with the whole family in the cozy confines of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum at a Brain to Belly Kids Yoga session! This creative class flows through several fun poses, each one complementing the month's children's story. Children (ages two to eight) and their grown-ups will enjoy moving, breathing and connecting together while bringing the story's plot to life. Bonus: Your ticket includes full access to all museum exhibits, so stick around after class!

A treat for the pretty and petty among us: chart-topping Grammy winner Cardi B is bringing the Little Miss Drama Tour—her first in six years—to Chicago. In support of her second studio album, Am I The Drama?, the Little Miss Drama Tour marks the rapper's first full headline arena run. Released in September 2025, Am I The Drama?—featuring singles “Outside,” “Up,” “WAP” and “Imaginary Playerz”—was met with critical praise.