Music with a mission: the 5th Annual Food Aid Festival is back, benefiting hunger relief on Chicago's West Side. 🎤 Fri 8/21: Joe Pug 🎤 Sat 8/22: Food Aid Block Party & Shemekia Copeland Tickets & info: https://mrf.lu/2xFbK

THIS FRIDAY: Mike Reed's Common Good Dance Band takes the stage at Navy Pier for a FREE evening of jazz tunes! Grab your blankets and lawn chairs - you won't want to miss it. RSVP recommended but not required: https://mrf.lu/2xXdy

Join us on 10/10 as we host New York Times best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell for an exclusive discussion on his new book, "The American Way of Killing," in conversation with Valerie Jarrett of the Obama Foundation. Tickets: https://mrf.lu/2xhZQ

Join us on October 14 as Michael Lewis discusses his new book at The Rubloff Auditorium! Lewis will discuss his reporting process and what happens when the people who kept the government running are pushed out for refusing to get out of the way. Tickets: https://mrf.lu/2xzDn

Taylor Tomlinson takes the stage with us at the Athenaeum Center on 9/24 for a night of unfiltered opinions from her new book — love, religion, late-night TV, ghosts, and more. Tickets are going fast: https://mrf.lu/2x3yV

We are less than a month away from the 5th annual Food Aid Festival at Robert's Westside, bringing incredible music together for a crucial cause. Joe Pug headlines Day 1 and Shemekia Copeland headlines Day 2. Get Tickets now at foodaidfestival.com

Join us next week at Navy Pier on 8/14 for an incredible night of soul-jazz featuring Mike Reed’s Common Good Dance Band. Exclusive posters (pictured here) by Ryan Duggan are available on-site! RSVP: https://mrf.lu/2Zr_6

Experience a FREE evening of soul-jazz with Mike Reed's Common Good Dance Band and an opening performance by Katie Ernst (Iron & Wine) + a set by DJ Joe Bryl on 8/14 at Navy Pier! Plus, snag limited-edition posters by Chicago illustrator Ryan Duggan. RSVP now: https://mrf.lu/2cmQ5

Join us and How To Academy on Oct 10 for an unmissable conversation with NYT best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell on his new book "The American Way of Killing" Secure your spot: https://mrf.lu/2tvZd

FREE jazz on the lake? Yes, please. Catch Mike Reed's Common Good Dance Band on August 14th at Navy Pier's Lake Stage (Polk Bros Park)! 🌊 Featuring a solo opener by Katie Ernst (Iron & Wine) & a DJ set by Joe Bryl. First-come, first-served—arrive early! RSVP: https://mrf.lu/2GrmF

What do you want chicago.com to be? What conversations aren’t happening today that should be? What tools do you need to help explore the city? What would help you feel more connected to your neighbors? Go to chicago.com to build with us.

Join us for Mike Reed's Common Good Dance Band on August 14th at Navy Pier's Lake Stage in Polk Bros Park! Expect deep jazz cuts, an opening solo by Katie Ernst (Iorn & Wine) & a DJ set by Joe Bryl Entry is first-come, first-served, so arrive early! RSVP here: https://mrf.lu/2NBVy

The Food Aid Festival is back at Robert's Westside Aug 21-22! 🎸 Day 1: Headliner Joe Pug Day 2: Headliner Shemekia Copeland + the Food Aid Block Party (12-6:30 PM)! Enjoy great music, fight food insecurity, and grab a limited-edition Ryan Duggan poster. 🎟️ Tickets: foodaidfestival.com

Introducing chicago.com! We're building a shared space for conversation, connection and community to help you navigate the city alongside your neighbors.

The Tiny Desk Contest on the Road Concert is this Sunday at Thalia Hall! We've teamed up with NPR for a concert featuring the winner, Cure for Paranoia, plus local acts! Tickets are almost gone, grab yours now: https://mrf.lu/KTkH

RSVPs are now open for Vocalo’s FREE Summer Meltdown Concert, featuring Adamn Killa and Taylor Bennett! on 7/11 at Bottom Lounge. We'll have Exclusive merch, surprise guests + pre-show meet & greet for the first 50 in line! RSVP: https://mrf.lu/KGvz

Vocalo’s FREE Summer Meltdown Concert is taking over Bottom Lounge on 7/11! Come catch live sets from Adamn Killa and Taylor Bennett as we celebrate Vocalo Radio. You don’t want to miss this. The first 50 in line will win a free Meet and Greet! RSVP Opens 6/25: https://mrf.lu/WWm4

The Tiny Desk Contest Tour is headed to Chicago on 6/28! Join WBEZ to catch the 2026 winner, Cure for Paranoia, plus Illinois locals Tromblau & Friends and Lamis. Be there to discover your next favorite artist. 🎟️ Tix selling fast: https://mrf.lu/W96R

Don’t miss Senator Chris Murphy live next week on 5/28 at the Studebaker Theater! He’ll discuss his new book, "Crisis of the Common Good", with Zeenat Rahman, and the forces shaping modern American life—connection, community, and civic trust. 🎟️ Get tickets: https://mrf.lu/-MGL

Join us at the Studebaker Theater on May 28 as Senator Chris Murphy sits down with Zeenat Rahman to discuss his new book, Crisis of the Common Good, and how we can move toward civic healing. Tickets & Info: https://mrf.lu/YqY2

Join us TOMORROW May 6, for an evening with award-winning journalist & author Scott Simon! His book Ulysses S. Cat celebrates the pets who shape our lives—with humor, heart & love. 🐱🐕 Grab Tickets: https://mrf.lu/V60Z

On 5/28, we're hosting Senator Chris Murphy to discuss his new book, Crisis of the Common Good. Drawing on history and philosophy, he’ll explore the impacts of globalization and technology while introducing a unifying framework for America's future. 🎟️ Tickets: https://mrf.lu/pWCR

Tiny Desk Contest On The Road is coming to Chicago on June 28. See the 2026 winner + rising Illinois artists live at Thalia Hall, handpicked from thousands of entries. Be the first to catch the next big thing. 🎟️ Get tickets: https://mrf.lu/XZkK

Spend the evening with NPR’s Scott Simon on May 6! His new book Ulysses S. Cat celebrates the pets who bring us joy. Hear stories of love, laughter, and loyalty, with Michele Steele moderating the conversation. 🎟️ Get tickets: https://mrf.lu/XcKY

We're proud to announce the launch of the Prisoncast! podcast feed! 🎧 Prisoncast! is an audio and journalism project organized by WBEZ and Illinois Public Radio stations to serve people inside Illinois prisons and their loved ones outside. Learn more: www.wbez.org/pressroom/20...

WBEZ and NPR are hitting the road for the 2026 Tiny Desk Contest tour—landing right here in Chicago! See the winning artist and some of Illinois’ standout new talent live. Thousands entered, but only a few rose to the top. Don’t miss the future of music! Tickets at: https://mrf.lu/vLq1

Join WBEZ on 5/6 for an evening with NPR’s Scott Simon as he shares stories from his new book Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known—a warm reflection on the pets who’ve shaped his life and deepened his sense of love, humor, and connection. 🐾 Tickets at: https://mrf.lu/vqqY

WBEZ is teaming up with NPR to showcase the winner of the 2026 Tiny Desk Contest alongside some of the best emerging talent Illinois has to offer. Out of thousands of entries, these are the artists that demanded to be heard! Tickets on sale Friday 4/10 at 10 AM: https://mrf.lu/bT7f

Join Patrick Radden Keefe in conversation with best-selling author Gillian Flynn for a night of reporting, revelation, and reckoning. Get your tickets today https://mrf.lu/gP0J

Spend the evening with New Yorker writer & bestselling author Patrick Radden Keefe on 4/16, joined by Gillian Flynn! Hear them unpack the hidden networks of power & corruption at the heart of his latest book. 🎟️ Limited tickets: https://mrf.lu/6t88