Make your May Magical in the Oak Park area! Celebrate Mother’s day making a marvelous candle or grab a gift by shopping at one of the amazing locally-owned businesses. Enjoy the wonderful weather at one of the fabulous farmers markets or get your steps in on a Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture tour. And don’t forget to come hungry because the Western Suburbs are loaded with fantastic eats. Discover the best of May below!
May Day Outdoor Exhibit
May 1, 2023
In celebration and remembrance of May Day, the Historical Society of Forest Park will have biographies about residents of Radical Row at various graves as well as other information about the Haymarket Affair and monument. They will be honoring the Mark Rogovin Award recipient at noon, please join us in celebrating their contribution to labor history.
Location: Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park
Jazz Night at Pleasant Home
May 4, 2023
May the Fourth be With You! Come swing into spring with the Garfield Park Jazz Collective. A program featuring uplifting Spring themed, jazz songs and a special rendition of the famous Star Wars Cantina song! Light snacks and two drink tickets will be included.
Location: Pleasant Home, Oak Park
Event Website
Chocolate and Wine Tasting with Candycopia!
May 5, 2023
To Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander month, Candycopia will be doing a chocolate candy tasting featuring their three favorite AAPI candy makers: Chocs 'N Box, Deux Cranes, and Madhu. You will be lead you through a candy tasting flight of bon bons, malt balls and chocolate bars from these standout candy makers that will make any chocolate lovers taste bud's sing!
Location: Cheney Mansion, Oak Park
Winifred Haun & Dancers
May 5, 2023
Winifred Haun & Dancers return to Unity Temple in LIGHT IN SPRING: Music and Dance. This will be the company’s third appearance at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple, part of a UNESCO world heritage site. Light in Spring will feature a group work for the entire Company, choreographed by Winifred Haun. Dancers will perform the work around the many spaces, in its balconies, stairways, pedestals, dais, and main floor.
Location: Unity Temple, Oak Park
Haymarket Martyrs' Monument & Radical Row Tour
May 6, 2023
Join the Historical Society of Forest Park for an hour-long tour of the Haymarket Martyrs Monument & Radical Row Tour. Learn the story of the Haymarket Affair, the monument, and those who choose to be buried near this monument to the 8 hour day and those who died for it.
Location: Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park
Wright Around Oak Park
May 6-7, 13-14, 20-21, 27-28, 2023
The most comprehensive tour of Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park is an all-inclusive tour limited to eight persons. Begin your Oak Park experience with an expanded tour of Wright’s Home and Studio, the birthplace of Wright’s vision for a new American architecture. Step ahead of the crowd and trace Wright’s early years, from his Studio where the Prairie style was conceived, to Oak Park’s beautifully preserved private Prairie homes.
Location: Home and Studio, Oak Park
Spring Tea
May 7, 2023
Warmer and brighter days are here and we’re so happy Spring has begun! As we celebrate the season, we’re delighted to invite you to a special spring tea at Pleasant Home.
Your reservation includes traditional tea service, savories and sweets, raffles, and a basketful of fun!
Location: Pleasant Home, Oak Park
Tales Our Houses Tell Housewalk
May 7, 2023
The annual "Tales Our Houses Tell," Spring House Walk, returns to Oak Park on Sunday, May 7th! This year's tour features interior tours of six residences in the beautiful Oak Park neighborhood surrounding Oak Park and River Forest High School.
Location: OPRF Museum, Oak Park
Mother's Day Candle-Making
May 11, 2023
Join Einnim and the Park District of Oak Park to make a custom candle just in time for Mother's Day! An Einnim candle specialist will be in attendance to walk guests through the entire candle-making process. Choose from a variety of essential oils to create your perfect scent blend for your new favorite candle. Each 9 oz. candle provides 40-45 hours of burn time using 100% soy wax.
Location: Pleasant Home, Oak Park
Bonfire and Brews
May 11, 2023
Are you interested in supporting local breweries and learning about their businesses and their passions? Come to the patio of Cheney Mansion throughout Spring and Summer to sample what they have brewing! May's Bonfire and Brews will feature Flapjack Brewing. Mix, mingle and chat with the local brewers around the fire pits at Cheney Mansion as you taste what's brewing. Snacks will be available to help with your tastings.
Location: Cheney Mansion, Oak Park
La Grange Farmers Market
May 11, 18, 25, 2023
The La Grange Farmers Market will run rain or shine every Thursday 7 am - 1 pm through October and will feature 30 local and regional small batch vendors. It's located on Harris Avenue between La Grange Road and Sixth Avenue. Convenient free parking is available nearby. The market will provide fruits, vegetables, flowers, breads and other items. The juicy produce is picked the day before you buy it, when it's ripe and ready to eat.
Location: La Grange
Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time
May 12, 2023
Join us at Unity Temple for Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. Olivier Messiaen wrote “Quartet for the End of Time” while imprisoned in a German prisoner-of-war camp. Black Angels, a work for “electric string quartet” by American composer George Crumb, pulls us into a terrifying, nightmarish soundscape. Completed in March, 1970, the piece has been associated with the apocalyptic zeitgeist of the Vietnam era. Both pieces explore concepts of synesthesia.
Location: Unity Temple, Oak Park
Northern Italy v Southern Italy with Anfora Wine Merchants!
May 12, 2023
Italy is one of the largest wine producers in the world. However, wines from northern Italy and wines from southern Italy are very different. Join the team from Anfora Wine Merchants in Oak Park in a tasting of the differences in wines from these two regions. Light appetizers will be provided with your tasting. Weather permitting, we will be on the patio for a lovely start to Spring!
Location: Cheney Mansion, Oak Park
Mother's Day Picnic on the Porch
May 14, 2023
Enjoy the ease of Sunday and celebrating Mom by bringing her to a casual picnic lunch on the front porch of Pleasant Home. A lovely Springtime lunch and of course lemonade is included in your registration. Moms bring along your favorite story to read and we will have checkers on the porch and a game of graces on the lawn! Some old time fun in the grace of Pleasant Home. This Registration includes 1 adult and 1 child and only one person needs to register.
Location: Pleasant Home, Oak Park
A Golden Mother's Day Tea
May 14, 2023
Celebrate the shimmer and shine of your Mom this Mother’s Day at Cheney Mansion. A proper gold themed tea with golden games, activities and a take home photo and gift just for you! A tea service provided by Serenitea of Oak Park will take place on the patio (weather permitting) to celebrate the brightness our Mom’s give! You only need to register 1 person as fee includes two people.
Location: Cheney Mansion, Oak Park
Once Upon a Childhood
May 14, 2023
The La Grange Area Historical Society 2023 Summer Exhibit, Once Upon a Childhood, will open on May 13th! Families will enjoy stepping back in time and seeing the world through the eyes of a child! View the fun games, toys, books, and events that have delighted children of all ages throughout the decades. Kids and adults will enjoy engaging visual displays, hands on activities, and the classic penny candy shop!
Location: La Grange Historical Society, La Grange
Charcuterie Workshops
May 18, 2023
Have you wanted to create a jaw-dropping charcuterie board that will wow your friends and family? This Platters & Boards workshop by Lauren Traub will be perfect to gain new skills to upgrade your charcuterie game. The workshop includes supplies for making a mini charcuterie board to bring home!
Location: Bloom3, La Grange
Event Website
Movies in the Park
May 19, 2023
Join us for a summer full of some of the best flicks out there! Grab a blanket, dinner or snacks and join us under the stars to enjoy action, fun and song! Movies are all free and open to the public – no pre-registrations needed, simply show up and enjoy! May's feature movie is Puss in Boots!
Location: Scoville Park, Oak Park
Murder Mystery Party
May 19, 2023
The rustle of silks and feathers under muted conversations was probably the last thing heard by the tragically and unexpectedly deceased at the Annual Billionaires Club Masquerade Ball. With a mystery under each feathery façade, unmasking the killer may be quite a challenge. Get this soiree back on track by trading clues with other guests gathering information, and solving the crime before the masked menace get away.
Location: Pleasant Home, Oak Park
Friday at Hemingways: The Nick Adams Stories
May 19, 2023
Join us at the Hemingway Birthplace Museum for the world premiere of a new piece based on Hemingway's stories. The Nick Adams Stories are a collection of short works written by Hemingway throughout his life. Many of the stories detail Hemingway's youth in Michigan, which drew percussionist Josh Graham and composer Griffen Candey towards a collaboration as both are native Michiganders.
Location: Hemingway Birthplace Foundation, Oak Park
Spring Ice Show
May 19-21, 2023
If you haven't seen one of the annual Franklin Park Ice Shows, you've been missing out! Each year, the Ice Arena presents a "near professional" production for your enjoyment. The costumes are colorful, the music is energetic and the lighting effects are vibrant. Best of all is watching our Skating School students perform. From tots thru teens, they look forward to performing their newly learned jumps, spins and choreographed routines in front of an audience.
Location: Franklin Park
Wright Plus Housewalk
May 20, 2023
Join us for the spectacular Wright Plus Architectural Housewalk. Tour the interiors of eight private residences designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his contemporaries. For one day only, homeowners invite guests into their private living spaces, which retain the original exterior features with interiors designed to suit their individual tastes. Guides will be on hand to enhance the tours with details about the history and the beautiful architectural elements that give each home its unique character.
Location: Oak Park
Oak Park Farmers' Market
May 20, 27, 2023
The Oak Park Farmers’ Market will be held from 7am to 1pm every Saturday from May 20 through October! The Market is located in the Pilgrim Church parking lot, one block west of Ridgeland Avenue. Come early and don't miss the fan-favorite Donuts (often sell out before noon). Market patrons can sit at a table and enjoy fresh donuts while listening to live bluegrass music provided by local musicians.
Location: Pilgrim Church, Oak Park
What's Blooming on Harrison
May 20, 2023
Oak Park’s favorite spring street festival is returning to the Oak Park Arts District. The festival spans on Harrison Street from Humphrey to Highland. The festival has grown over the years to include an art fair, local business and non-profit booths, food vendors, a children's carnival, an art raffle, a craft beer garden, and an entertainment stage. This year, the beer garden will be pouring craft beers from local favorite Kinslahger Brewing Company.
Location: Oak Park
Ryan Burns + Ari Norris | Introspective Dream Assembly
May 20, 2023
The Riverside Arts Center’s Freeark Gallery is pleased to present Introspective Dream Assembly, an exhibition of paintings and mixed media art by Ryan Burns and Ari Norris, guest curated by Esau McGhee. The exhibition will run from May 18 - June 24 but join us for an opening reception at the Riverside Arts Center on May 20!
Location: Riverside Arts Center, Riverside
Event Website
Side Yard Sounds : Outside In
May 20, 2023
Join us for Side Yard Sounds featuring music project “Outside In.” Featuring: Norman W. Long on electronics, John Sutton playing upright bass, Ben Lamar Gay on cornet, electronics and vocals and Tommaso Moretti playing drums, samples and vocals. This performance aims to be a legitimate tribute to the iconic improvisational scene of Chicago. The artistic goal is to blur the line between improvisation and composition exploring new ways of blending the two sides of the creating process
Location: Compound Yellow, Oak Park
The How & The Why
May 21, 2023
Join us for Forest Park Theatre's presentation of Sarah Treem’s The How & The Why. This play is about two women scientists: the acclaimed evolutionary biologist who gave up her daughter for adoption when she was 6 days old, and her now adult, equally brilliant, daughter who has tracked her down. The play encompasses their first meeting, their passion for science, specifically how it impacts the world's view of women, the competition that erupts between them, their misinterpretation of each other's intentions, and their quests for love.
Location: Exit Strategy Brewing, Forest Park
Sunday Funday Yoga Brunch
May 21, 2023
Start your Sunday relaxing at Cheney Mansion with an all-levels, one-hour yoga practice on the grounds with one of the Park District's expert instructors. As a reward, enjoy and socialize with your fellow classmates during a lovely brunch on the patio. In the event of rain, yoga and brunch will take place inside Cheney Mansion. Delicious, yet healthy savories and just enough sweet not to make your feel guilty. Two drinks are included in your registration.
Location: Cheney Mansion, Oak Park
The Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest
May 21, 2023
Join us at Concordia University's Chapel for the Oak Park and River Forest Symphony's Spring Concert. The program is conducted by Jay Friedman and highlights OPRF Sophomore and 2023 Concerto Competition Winner, Bea Sjostrom on violin.
Location: Concordia University, River Forest
Event Website
Fish 101 with Carnivore
May 25, 2023
Join the team from Carnivore Oak Park on the Cheney Mansion patio for the basics on cleaning and filleting a fish. Also watch sample demos on preparing fish properly for the grill. All products are from Carnivore’s fantastic inventory of products. Carnivore will provide sample tastings so bring along your favorite beverage to sip.
Location: Cheney Mansion, Oak Park
Event Website
Historic Olmsted Walking Tour
May 28, 2023
The Fredrick Law Olmsted Society offers regular monthly tours. Join us for the first of season on May 25! Come see the preservation of Olmsted’s vision for Riverside and catch a glimpse of his concern for humanity, nature, sense of community and the innovative and thoughtful essence of his work.
Location: Riverside Train Station, Riverside
Memorial Day Parade
May 29, 2023
River Forest is proud to present the 96th annual River Forest Memorial Day Parade, Ceremony and Community Picnic! The parade kicks off at 9:30 AM beginning at Augusta and Ashland, traveling south on Ashland to Lake Street, then west to Keystone Park. The parade will end at Keystone Park with a ceremony and FREE hotdog lunch. Over 100 entries participate annually in the Parade, with thousands of residents lining the route, making this day one of the highlights of the year in the Village of River Forest.
Location: River Forest
Event Website