Explore accessible events!

How to use the calendar

Filter events by typing keywords into the search field below, or click on a keyword in an event to filter all events by that category.

Select "Submit an Event" to have your cultural organization's accessible event added to the Access Calendar.  

submit an event

Sensory-Friendly Night at Lincoln Park Zoo ZooLights Presented by ComEd and Invesco QQQ

Lincoln Park Zoo’s Sensory-Friendly ZooLights will be on Tuesday, November, 29 from 4:30-10pm. During Sensory-Friendly ZooLights music will be muted or played at low volume, lights will be static, and crowd size is very limited. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets via Eventbrite. Tickets are $5 each. The Eventbrite page does contain more information about the […]

  • In Person
  • Quiet Spaces
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Patti Smith

Patti Smith is one of America’s most acclaimed singer-songwriters, and she is also a beloved photographer and poet. In A Book of Days, Smith shares over 365 photographs – inspired by her wildly popular Instagram – to take readers through a year in the legendary life of this visionary poet, writer, and performer. Join Patti […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Captioning
  • In Person
  • Large Print Programs
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Don Carlos

Don Carlos masterfully reveals the private turmoil of very public personalities. In 16th-century Spain, King Philip II is torn apart by his own jealous suspicions that his son, crown prince Carlos, and Queen Elisabeth — Philip’s young wife and Carlos’s stepmother — are in love. The drama unfolds and washes over you with unforgettable intensity […]

  • Audio Description
  • Touch Tour

The Locusts at Theatre Wit

The Gift Theatre presents the world premiere of The Locusts at Theater Wit. When a serial killer frightens Ella’s small hometown of Vero Beach, Florida, she’s called down from FBI headquarters in Washington D.C. to come help. At home, she’s confronted by the life she left behind: her struggling family and the dark events of […]

  • Audio Description
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Touch Tour

Talk | On Thinking and Being Caribbean: A Roundtable Discussion at MCA

What is the Caribbean? What does Caribbeanness mean to artists of the Caribbean diaspora? On opening day of the MCA exhibition Forecast Form: Art in the Caribbean Diaspora 1990s-Today, join Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator Carla Acevedo-Yates and artists Christopher Cozier, Teresita Fernández, and María Magdalena Campos-Pons for a roundtable discussion. Building upon an in-depth […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Captioning
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Dooby Dooby Moo at Lifeline Theatre

The County Fair is coming, and the grand prize in the talent competition is a trampoline! Duck wants that prize, but with Farmer Brown watching around every corner, how will he hold singing and dancing rehearsals for Cow, Pig and Ewe? Hop aboard Farmer Brown’s truck and travel to the fair with this hit musical […]

  • Captioning

Dooby Dooby Moo at Lifeline Theatre

The County Fair is coming, and the grand prize in the talent competition is a trampoline! Duck wants that prize, but with Farmer Brown watching around every corner, how will he hold singing and dancing rehearsals for Cow, Pig and Ewe? Hop aboard Farmer Brown’s truck and travel to the fair with this hit musical […]

  • Captioning

RECONNECT

After a nearly 3-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the A.B.L.E. ensemble is producing their first ever full-day festival in partnership with Chicago Shakespeare Theater. RECONNECT will feature the work of 58 members of the A.B.L.E. community - 33 performers with disabilities, 17 volunteer facilitators, and 8 Teaching Artists. Over the course of a 10 week […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Captioning

“Plaid as Hell” by Cat McKay

PLAID AS HELL is an honest, slightly raunchy, queer comedy which introduces us to Cass, who is hoping her annual camping trip will go well this year. But with her best friend Emilie sniping at Cass’s new girlfriend Jessica, not to mention the serial killer on the loose, the weekend is off to a rocky […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • Captioning
  • In Person
  • Masks Required

“Plaid as Hell” by Cat McKay

PLAID AS HELL is an honest, slightly raunchy, queer comedy which introduces us to Cass, who is hoping her annual camping trip will go well this year. But with her best friend Emilie sniping at Cass’s new girlfriend Jessica, not to mention the serial killer on the loose, the weekend is off to a rocky […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • Captioning
  • In Person
  • Masks Required

Le Comte Ory

High jinx ensue when Countess Adèle sequesters herself in her castle while her valiant brother is away on a crusade. In his absence, the amorous Count Ory stops at nothing (including disguising himself as a nun!) to gain entry to the castle and woo the virtuous Countess. https://www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2022-23/le-comte-ory/

  • Audio Description
  • Touch Tour

Elizabeth Alexander on The Trayvon Generation at MCA

This event is a collaboration between the MCA Chicago and the Chicago Humanities Festival. Join us for a conversation with one of the great literary voices of our time, Elizabeth Alexander. In her latest book The Trayvon Generation, Alexander tenderly writes about the young people whose worldview has been indelibly shaped by persistent and visible […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Captioning
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Lincoln Center Moments Presents Exploring Mozart’s The Magic Flute

Presented in collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera Guild Mozart’s The Magic Flute demonstrates the incredible effect of contrast, whether good vs. evil, order vs. chaos, or indulgence vs. sacrifice. The composer’s final opera is heavily inspired by folk traditions and his involvement in freemasonry. Join the Met Opera Guild to watch clips and learn more […]

  • Captioning
  • Free Event

Lincoln Center Moments Presents Exploring Mozart’s The Magic Flute

Presented in collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera Guild Mozart’s The Magic Flute demonstrates the incredible effect of contrast, whether good vs. evil, order vs. chaos, or indulgence vs. sacrifice. The composer’s final opera is heavily inspired by folk traditions and his involvement in freemasonry. Join the Met Opera Guild to watch clips and learn more […]

  • Captioning
  • Free Event

Lincoln Center Moments Presents Exploring Mozart’s The Magic Flute

Presented in collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera Guild Mozart’s The Magic Flute demonstrates the incredible effect of contrast, whether good vs. evil, order vs. chaos, or indulgence vs. sacrifice. The composer’s final opera is heavily inspired by folk traditions and his involvement in freemasonry. Join the Met Opera Guild to watch clips and learn more […]

  • Captioning
  • Free Event

Resilience Series (monthly)

Join us on the 2nd Monday of each month in G.A.R. Hall to build resilience through artist-led sessions of various creative modalities. Resilience helps deal with difficult challenges with flexibility and creativity. The Resilience Series is open to anyone interested in exploring art as a healing practice. All programs are free and open to the […]

  • Captioning

“Plaid as Hell” by Cat McKay

PLAID AS HELL is an honest, slightly raunchy, queer comedy which introduces us to Cass, who is hoping her annual camping trip will go well this year. But with her best friend Emilie sniping at Cass’s new girlfriend Jessica, not to mention the serial killer on the loose, the weekend is off to a rocky […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • Captioning
  • In Person
  • Masks Required

The Locusts at Theater Wit

The Gift Theatre presents the world premiere of The Locusts at Theater Wit. When a serial killer frightens Ella’s small hometown of Vero Beach, Florida, she’s called down from FBI headquarters in Washington D.C. to come help. At home, she’s confronted by the life she left behind: her struggling family and the dark events of […]

  • Captioning

“Plaid as Hell” by Cat McKay

PLAID AS HELL is an honest, slightly raunchy, queer comedy which introduces us to Cass, who is hoping her annual camping trip will go well this year. But with her best friend Emilie sniping at Cass’s new girlfriend Jessica, not to mention the serial killer on the loose, the weekend is off to a rocky […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • Captioning
  • In Person
  • Masks Required

The Locusts at Theatre Wit

The Gift Theatre presents the world premiere of The Locusts at Theater Wit. When a serial killer frightens Ella’s small hometown of Vero Beach, Florida, she’s called down from FBI headquarters in Washington D.C. to come help. At home, she’s confronted by the life she left behind: her struggling family and the dark events of […]

  • Captioning

Social Media and Young Mental Health (The Verge Program 3)

It’s often said that social media is bad for our mental health, and while that can be true, the full story isn’t so cut and dry. At CHF, Nicole Wetsman, Health Tech Reporter for The Verge moderates a panel between Dr. Megan Moreno, a leading researcher on adolescent social media, and Margot Lee, a high-profile […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Audio Description
  • Captioning
  • In Person
  • Large Print Programs
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Wheelchair Accessible

The Future of the Feed (The Verge Program 2)

You probably know that algorithms play a huge role in what we see online, but what happens to society when this type of curated content begins to influence our real lives? Join The Verge Deputy Editor Alex Heath and a special guest for a conversation about how personalized and relatable content on social media is […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Audio Description
  • Captioning
  • In Person
  • Large Print Programs
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Wheelchair Accessible

How Social Media Rewired Our Minds & Our World with Max Fisher (The Verge Program 1)

We’ve all been told too much social media is bad for us, but why is that? At CHF, New York Times investigative reporter and author of The Chaos Machine Max Fisher explains how, through the pursuit of unfettered profits and maximum engagement, Big Tech has rewired our minds, and instigated a cultural shift toward polarization […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Audio Description
  • Captioning
  • In Person
  • Large Print Programs
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Reza Aslan on an American Martyr in Persia

Join Reza Aslan (No god but God and Zealot) for the spellbinding tale of a martyr for democracy. Howard Baskerville was a 22-year-old missionary who went to Iran in 1907 and died fighting in the Persian Constitutional Revolution. Was he the “American Lafayette of Iran” or a naive “white savior”? In this talk, Aslan explores […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Audio Description
  • Captioning
  • In Person
  • Large Print Programs
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Family Day | Express Yourself Through Movement

Designed and led by Chicago artists, Family Days are monthly programs at the MCA for all families and youth. Enjoy FREE admission while taking part in workshops, open studio sessions, gallery tours, and performances. On November 12, engage in programs and activities focused on movement and self-expression. Family Days are organized by Christiana Castillo, Manager […]

  • All Gender Restrooms
  • ASL Interpreted

Marianne Williamson on Love & Politics

In the wake of the midterm elections, join former presidential candidate, political activist, and spiritual thought leader Marianne Williamson for an intimate conversation with Sen. Nina Turner about the state of American politics. In an era of divisiveness, Williamson comes to CHF with a new vision for American politics built on social responsibility, democracy, and […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Audio Description
  • Captioning
  • In Person
  • Large Print Programs
  • Sensory Friendly
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Open Door: Arnold Kemp, AJ McClenon, Ayanah Moor & isra rene

Join us for a live in-person reading with Arnold Kemp, AJ McClenon, Ayanah Moor, and isra rene. The Open Door series highlights creative relationships in Chicago, including mentorship and collaboration. Arnold J. Kemp is an artist and writer. Kemp has mounted solo shows at The Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society at the University of […]

  • ASL Interpreted
  • Captioning

Rubin Museum: Mindful Connections

Mindful Connections is a free monthly program that offers engagement between adults living with dementia and works of art. Join Rubin Museum staff and docents for an hour of close looking, discussion, and interpretation of traditional and contemporary Himalayan art.

  • Free Event

Artmaking & Incarceration: Nicole R. Fleetwood with Maria Gaspar

Despite the isolation, degradation, and cruelties of the criminal justice system, American prisons are filled with the art of the people incarcerated in them. At CHF, Nicole R. Fleetwood (Marking Time) is joined by interdisciplinary artist Maria Gaspar for a conversation about how these artists use limited supplies in harsh conditions to create elaborate works […]

  • Assistive Listening Devices
  • Captioning
  • In Person
  • Large Print Programs
  • Wheelchair Accessible