Goth Nights, Día de Muertos and a Haunted Ballroom

Your daily guide to what's popping in Chicago

By Raj Singh · Published October 26, 2026.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 26

She Wants Revenge @ House of Blues

The San Fernando Valley duo that soundtracked a certain mid-2000s goth-club revival — all brooding synths and deadpan vocals in the lineage of Joy Division, New Order and the Cure — brings its darkwave back to Chicago tonight. Their 2006 debut spun off three singles, including 'Tear You Apart,' whose video was famously directed by Joaquin Phoenix. Rosegarden Funeral Party opens.

Doors are at 7, the band starts at 8, and this is a 17-and-older show — bring a valid photo ID. House of Blues sits on Dearborn in River North.

Tangible Sound: Arrival to a Higher Ground @ Chicago Cultural Center

Imagine stepping inside the thunder of a taiko drum, or being wrapped in the sinuous line of a saxophone — this free immersive exhibition translates sound into color, texture and movement, a celebration of the city's creative improvised-music community. It's dedicated to two Chicago figures: historian and activist Timuel D. Black, and the late musician and mentor Fred Anderson.

It's free and open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the Cultural Center on East Washington in the Loop, and it runs through November 8 if you can't make it now.

Pilsen Día de Los Muertos Window Walk @ 18th Street

The Pilsen Chamber of Commerce has turned 18th Street into an open-air gallery for Día de Muertos: 16 local businesses are showing storefront altars and installations created by student artists from the Pilarte youth art program. It's a friendly neighborhood contest — stroll the corridor and vote for your three favorite designs.

The walk runs along 18th Street between Damen and Halsted and is up daily through November 2, so you can wander it on your own schedule. Pilsen rewards wandering — Carnitas Uruapan is a neighborhood institution if you get hungry.

BYOG Night @ Emporium Arcade Bar

BYOG is Bring Your Own Game, and that's the whole charming premise: haul your favorite board or card game to Emporium's Wicker Park arcade bar, grab a table, and stay a while. All games are welcome, and seating is first come, first served.

It runs 6 to 11 p.m. tonight on Milwaukee Avenue. RSVP and you'll get free tokens for the arcade floor.

Matt and Ben @ Bughouse Theater

Before J-Lo, before Gwyneth, before the Oscars — Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers' cult 2003 comedy imagines Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as struggling nobodies when the finished screenplay for Good Will Hunting literally drops from the heavens. At Bughouse Theater in Irving Park, Taylor McWilliams-Woods and Maddy Hudson play the two golden boys.

It plays tonight, and Tuesday is the closing night. Curtain is 7:30 to 9 p.m., and tickets start at $15, with the venue's cheekily named tiers climbing to $50. (The top tier is called 'Robin Williams: Wow You're a Moneybags Donor.')

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27

Train or Treat Pumpkin Fitness @ Park No. 571

The Park District's Halloween programming includes this gem: a 'pumpkin-based wellness class' where, in the event's own words, you 'sweat for your sweets.' All fitness levels are welcome, and everyone who takes part goes home with a free pumpkin.

It's a free adult class, Tuesday from 9:15 to 10 a.m. at Park No. 571 on South Eleanor Street, part of the Night Out in the Parks series.

ON THE HORIZON

Haunted Halloween Ball @ Congress Plaza Hotel

For Halloween night itself, the Congress Plaza Hotel — a Michigan Avenue landmark long rumored to be one of the city's most haunted buildings — throws its annual Haunted Halloween Ball. Expect costumed revelers dancing across the hotel's ballrooms, spooky décor, skyline views, and, per the listing, 'zombie cocktail servers, go-go dancers and vampire bellmen.'

It's a 21-and-over night running 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturday, October 31, with tickets starting at $30. The hotel is on South Michigan in the Loop; the Red Line stops nearby at Harrison.