“Midsummer Night’s Dream”: The Joffrey Ballet stages Alexander Ekman’s mind-bender, set during a modern-day Scandinavian solstice celebration. April 25 to May 5 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive; tickets $36-$205 at joffrey.org
Mike Birbiglia: The storyteller and comedian rolls into town with ruminations on childhood and parenting in “Please Stop the Ride.” The tour follows his critically acclaimed 2022 show, “The Old Man and the Pool,” a poignant take on death and middle age. April 26-27 at the Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St.; tickets $49-$69 at birbigs.com
Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl: Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day by exploring the area’s vibrant bookstore scene. From the stalwart Lake Forest Bookstore to Tinley Park’s romance-centered Love’s Sweet Arrows, 46 bookstores in Chicago and beyond are participating in this year’s crawl. Look for signed prints by Chicago poet Eve L. Ewing and artist Tony Fitzpatrick as well as discounts and other goodies. April 27 at various locations; more information at chilovebooks.com
25th Annual Poetry Fest: Chicago Public Library offers a full slate of poetry programming, featuring a keynote presentation by former U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón as well as a panel discussion on censorship, readings and more. Teens should consider the session hosted by avery r. young. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 27 at the Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St.; free, more information at chipublib.bibliocommons.com
Dia del Niño: The Museum of Contemporary Art moves beyond its campus to offer art-based activities and bounce-house fun in Little Village. Make kaleidoscopes, ‘zines, flags and more. White Sox mascot Southpaw will appear, and Los Comales will serve free food. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 27 at Saucedo Scholastic Academy, 2850 W. 24th Blvd.; free, register at visit.mcachicago.org
The Trashy Earth Market 2024: No Oscar the Grouch here: Instead, find eco-conscious artisans who transform trash to treasure. Browse their wares and participate in LOOM360, an art installation that encourages people to donate and weave scraps of unwearable clothing into a communal tapestry. Reduce Waste Chicago and Cradles to Crayons will be on hand to collect items for recycling and reuse. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 27 (rain date April 28) at Gallagher Way, 3635 N. Clark St.; free, more information at www.eventbrite.com
Trace Adkins: Head to Gary for country music star Trace Adkins’s Somewhere in America tour. 7 p.m. April 27 at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, 5400 W. 29th Ave., Gary, Indiana; tickets $69.50-$109.50 at casino.hardrock.com
The Swans of Harlem — Reclaiming the History of Black Ballet: Lydia Abarca, Sheila Rohan, Karlya Shelton and Marcia Sells will talk with author Karen Valby and “Chicago Tonight” co-anchor Brandis Friedman about their groundbreaking careers as Black artists during the civil rights movement. Following the talk, Chicago-based dance company Move Me Soul will perform a dance tribute. 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. April 27 at Francis W. Parker School, 330 W. Webster Ave.; tickets $15-$25 at chicagohumanities.org
Frankie Beverly & Maze: Chaka Khan and El DeBarge will join Frankie Beverly & Maze on a farewell tour. 8 p.m. April 27 at the United Center, 1901 W. Madison; tickets $59.50-$409.50 at unitedcenter.com
C2E2: Cosplayers, you’ve been waiting for this. Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo takes over McCormick Place this weekend. Go for the sights: Artist Alley and the homemade costumes are worth the cost of admission alone. And if celebrities and long lines are your thing, snag an autograph: Josh Brolin, Maya Hawke and Christopher Lloyd are on the roster. April 26-28 at McCormick Place, 2301 S. Martin Luther King Drive; c2e2.com
Have something to do around Chicago? Send events to day.chitribevents@gmail.com
