COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Institute for Therapy through the Arts is inviting Evanston-based arts and culture

organizations to help us bring our street to life with the vibrant, diverse, and powerful

creative energy that defines our community.

Join us for ITA’s first-ever Block Party for the Arts! A free, family-friendly celebration

that brings neighbors, artists, and creatives together in the heart of Evanston.

Every first Saturday of the month, Sketchbook teams up with @evanston_made for our monthly Sketch at Sketchbook event from 1-2:30 p.m. This family-friendly session offers up sketching tips from professional artists and free materials.

Running August 2 - September 28

• Lee Hanten, mixed media
• Renee Witherwax, watercolor
• Bo Williams, photography

Sip & Stroll Southeast Evanston!

Enjoy wine tastings in dozens of locally, independently-owned shops on Main Street and Dempster St in Evanston. There will be small bites at many stops and live music along the way. Plus, it's for a good cause!

DID WE MENTION THE WINE WALK IS FOR A GOOD CAUSE?

This year's event benefits Books & Breakfast, an Evanston-based non-profit.Since 2013, Books & Breakfast (B&B) has partnered with Evanston School District 65 (D65) to advance educational equity, disrupting the impact of systemic racism on Black and Latinx students and filling the gaps in resources for students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch.

Meter parking is free city-wide the first Saturday of each month from 6pm-9pm.

Click the link above for more information.

First Saturday Evanston Art Events invite the community to explore Evanston’s Creative Community, at openings and events across Evanston. Build your art-filled day using the event listing below (all have different times and locations) and the Google Map

Join your favorite people and drink your favorite beers! If that's not enough ...

Sat 8/2 - Live Music

Sat 8/9 - Karaoke

Sat 8/16 - TAP ROOM CLOSING AT 4pm

Sat 8/23 - Music Bingo

Sat 8/30 - True Colors Drag Show

Join the Clairvoyant Center for an introduction to energy crystals.

Kokedama is a Bonsai adjacent method of caring for and displaying ornamental plants that involves wrapping the roots of a plant in a ball of preserved moss rather than growing in a traditional planter. It is a beautiful way to hang, display, and enjoy your plants in a new way!

In this 60-minute workshop, we'll give you a brief history of the practice and walk you through making your own Kokedama! We provide the plants, soil, moss, and instruction. Join us for this hands on class!

To kick off the party, we'll have bookish mocktails and cocktails from bookseller/mixologist/romance book enthusiast Scarlett! Plus tasty treats and a special welcome gift from Booked.

Then, Sunday Smut Book Club's leader Alicia Ross and debut romance author Adrienne Gunn will talk about all things romance.

For the rest of the evening, we'll swap dating horror stories (or bad sex stories, if you prefer!) for our Romance Wall of Shame, share our romance book recommendations, and craft the night away with bookish collage projects, junk journaling, and writing love letters. (All craft supplies provided except for journals -- bring your own or pick one our from our store!)

Learn bookbinding skills, techniques, and vocabulary in this beginning bookbinding workshop.

We'll talk about paper and bookbinding tools and make a few simple book structures, which will allow participants to get a decent start on their bookbinding journey.

$40 workshop fee includes all materials.

Bring your family to play together, learn about resources for families and get ready for school, meet other families, celebrate the strength of the thriving Evanston community, and honor Dr. Majorie Fujara and her legacy in child abuse prevention!

Brought to you by Booked! It’s the new book in the bestselling Peapod Farm graphic novel series, a favorite of kids and adults alike. Will this be the coziest one yet??

Event happenings:

• Q&A and book signing with Lucy
• Free exclusive Peapod Farm minicomic
• Games and prizes--you could win a portrait of YOU drawn by Lucy!
• Sugar Shack themed mocktails and cocktails

We're so lucky that SPACE is hosting this party! This is a free event, but space is limited and RSVPs are required. Get your ticket at this link: https://www.ticketweb.com/.../sugar-shack.../13863454...

And preorder the book if to guarantee she can sign your copy at the party: https://www.bookedevanston.com/.../sugar-shack-graphic-novel

TICKET INCLUDES 1 FREE DRINK

Create a dazzling, eco-friendly mosaic night light using colorful plastic scraps for a whimsical touch to any corner. Your instructor, Jessica, will provide all the necessary tools and guidance including hand-made clear plastic pieces made from discarded unrecyclable #6 containers colored with alcohol ink. See details at the link!

There is literally always something amazing to do in the neighborhood once you understand that we're the home of one of the most amazing concert venues in Chicagoland. Enjoy browsing the packed schedule at the link.

Tuesday Night Trivia

at Pour!

Every Tuesday

6pm-8pm

Evanston Pour

528 Dempster St

1st, 2nd and 3rd Prizes, plus Happy Hour Specials

DETAILS

Wednesday Night Trivia at Firehouse Grill!

Firehouse Grill

750 Chicago Ave

DETAILS

Sunday Trivia at Sketchbook!

Every Sunday

3pm

Sketchbook Brewing

821 Chicago Ave

Free to participate!

DETAILS

Booked Club for

Grown-Ups!

Third Wednesday, 7pm

Booked, 506 Main St

DETAILS

POUR Book Club

Last Wednesday, 7pm

Evanston Pour,

528 Dempster

DETAILS

Sunday Smut Book Club

Last Sunday, 3pm

Booked, 506 Main St

DETAILS

Cooked Book Club

First Wednesday, 7pm

Booked, 506 Main St

DETAILS

Evanston Folk Festival returns for its second year on the spectacular lakefront at Dawes Park on Chicago’s North Shore. Join us September 6 + 7, 2025, as more than 30 world-class artists take the stage with Lake Michigan as a beautiful backdrop. Listen and learn at in-person interviews and panels with authors and luminaries presented by Chicago Public Media.

And keep the music going after the sun sets with intimate evening performances at Cahn Auditorium. Folk Festival wouldn’t exist without our folks…so grab your weekend or single-day passes and we’ll see you in September for another magical weekend celebrating the rich history of folk music in Evanston.

Sip & Stroll Southeast Evanston!

Enjoy wine tastings in dozens of locally, independently-owned shops on Main Street and Dempster St in Evanston. There will be small bites at many stops and live music along the way. Plus, it's for a good cause!

DID WE MENTION THE WINE WALK IS FOR A GOOD CAUSE?

This year's event benefits Books & Breakfast, an Evanston-based non-profit.Since 2013, Books & Breakfast (B&B) has partnered with Evanston School District 65 (D65) to advance educational equity, disrupting the impact of systemic racism on Black and Latinx students and filling the gaps in resources for students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch.