Every Thursday, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry highlights his picks for the week’s must-see cultural events.
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The 2026 elections are finally over. Sure, it means that commercials will get less partisan, but it also marks the end of nervously checking polls and vote tallies. Now that the dust has settled, it’s a good time to put down the phone (unless you’re reading WTTW News) and explore what this city has to offer. There is a wealth of fantastic cultural events happening this weekend, so read on below to see a small smattering of how you can enrich your curiosity and your artistic life.
Film: Black Harvest Film Festival — Gene Siskel Film Center
Starting Friday, Nov. 6, the Loop’s Gene Siskel Film Center will host the weeklong Black Harvest Film Festival. The series boasts 75 films and shorts that “unite filmmakers and audiences to showcase the power and breadth of Black cinema.” The event celebrates its 32nd year with a packed slate of programming that features the buzzworthy 2026 documentary “Once Upon a Time in Harlem,” which captures a 1972 reunion of Harlem Renaissance luminaries at Duke Ellington’s house. Curated by jada-amina, the fest received a record-breaking 600 submissions this year. For tickets and screening times, click here.
Theater: “Vape! The Grease Parody” — Apollo Theatre
Sometimes you read a play description and realize it must be good if they made a concept so goofy into a touring production. If the “Book of Mormon” can be a successful musical, so can “Vape! The Grease Parody,” a Gen Z-flavored send-up of the classic ‘50s-set high school love story. The Chicago premiere of this well-reviewed show is running at the Apollo Theater until January and it promises to poke “loving fun at all of the wonderful moments, sexual innuendos, outrageous characters, rivalries and secret romances from the original.” Sure, why not. Tickets and showtimes can be found here.
Performance: “28th Annual National Cuatro Festival Puertorriqueño” — Harris Theater
Head to Millennium Park’s Harris Theater Saturday to celebrate Puerto Rican culture. The “28th Annual National Cuatro Festival Puertorriqueño” is a production presented by the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance centered on “Nuestro Cuatro, Baile y Tradición” (Our Cuatro, Dance, and Tradition). Expect folkloric dance, jibaro music and storytelling throughout this rich three-hour concert. For tickets, click here.
Performance: “Beethoven 5 & Mao Fujita” — Chicago Symphony Center
Mao Fujita is an acclaimed, 27-year-old classical pianist from Japan who will join the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for three performances this weekend. Conducted by Marek Janowski, expect rousing renditions of Wagner’s “Prelude to Parsifal,” Strauss’ “Burlesque,” and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5.” Concerts run Thursday through Sunday. For tickets, click here.
WTTW is a Media Partner of the Black Harvest Film Festival.
WTTW News arts coverage is supported by the JCS Arts, Health & Education Fund of the DuPage Foundation.
