Ghosts, Funk and Theater on a Gray Thursday

Your daily guide to what's popping in Chicago

By Raj Singh · Published November 5, 2026.

It's a gray, drizzly Thursday in Chicago — high around 52 and a decent chance of rain — so tonight leans toward rooms with a roof, with one gloriously rain-or-shine ghost walk for the brave. Here's where we'd point you over the next few days.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong @ The Vic Theatre

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong bring their Fall Tour 2026 to The Vic Theatre tonight, with Dizgo opening. The band trades in high-energy funk-jam — long, improvisational grooves built for dancing — and the listing calls this a major stop on the run.

The show starts at 7 p.m. at the Vic on N. Sheffield, with the listing running to 10. Ticket info is at the link.

Haunted by Our Dark Side: Ghosts, Gangsters & True Crime Tour @ Inside Chicago Walking Tours

If the drizzle hasn't scared you off, Haunted by Our Dark Side is a two-hour walking tour through Chicago's shadowy past — mob rivalries, the Iroquois Theater fire and the Eastland disaster, real cases, and a few ghost stories. It steps inside historic interiors along the way, reportedly including what the tour bills as America's most haunted hotel.

It's a 4 p.m. start, mostly outdoors and rain or shine, so dress warmly for a 52-degree, drizzly afternoon. The walk begins at 34 W. Erie St. near Erie and Dearborn and ends at the Congress Plaza Hotel. Tickets are $35 general, $30 for kids 5 and up and seniors 65 and over, and free for under-5s.

Year One @ Greenhouse Theater Center

Over at the Greenhouse Theater Center in Lincoln Park, Ego Death Theatre Collective stages Year One, Erik Gernand's play about a mother watching her adult son drift into a dangerous new ideology. Directed by Enrico Spada, it's described as a story about movements, alliances, and the worst-case scenario of talking politics at the dinner table.

Tonight's performance runs 7:30 to 9 p.m. at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets run $4 to $29 — a cheap night of theater by any measure.

Legler Regional Library Job Fair @ Legler Regional Library

The Legler Regional Library on the West Side hosts a job fair Thursday, with 15 to 18 employers and workforce-training organizations expected — spanning trades, manufacturing, telecommunications and more. Resume review and interview-practice sessions are available first-come, first-served.

It runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 115 S. Pulaski Rd. and is open to adults 18 and up. Registration isn't required, though the library notes it helps with planning.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6

West Town First Fridays @ West Town

First Friday of the month means West Town's galleries and arts-based businesses keep their doors open late. It's a free, self-guided crawl through one of the city's denser art corridors — show up, wander, and see what's on the walls.

Things get going around 6 p.m. Friday, with galleries open until about 8. Free to browse.

Día de los Muertos at Marquette Park @ Marquette Park Cultural Center

The Marquette Park Cultural Center hosts a free Día de los Muertos celebration Friday evening — a community honoring of loved ones who've passed, with local vendors and hands-on workshops led by Maestro William and the Mobile Street Art Cart alongside the Chicago Public Library, plus live performances from the Marquette Park Band Program and Xochitl-Quetzal Aztec Dance.

It runs 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at 6743 S. Kedzie Ave., it's all ages, and admission is free. It's part of the Park District's Night Out in the Parks series.

ON THE HORIZON

Lightscape @ Chicago Botanic Garden

Looking ahead: Lightscape returns to the Chicago Botanic Garden on Friday, Nov. 13, and runs through early January. The after-dark walk threads an illuminated path past installations including a 110-foot tunnel of 100,000 lights and a stand of trees rigged to 'sing' holiday songs.

It's an outdoor evening experience out in Glencoe — the Union Pacific North Metra line to Braeside gets you close — and the listing warns it's quick to sell out every year, so book before the dates you want disappear.