This Week in Lincoln Park & Old Town: Wells Street Art Festival Weekend

Your week-ahead guide to Lincoln Park & Old Town — 6 picks worth planning around

By Raj Singh · Published June 10, 2026.

The week builds toward a blockbuster weekend: the 51st annual Wells Street Art Festival shuts down N. Wells Street in Old Town on Saturday and Sunday. Getting there is half the fun — the stretch of days leading up to it includes Steppenwolf's new production running nightly, a literary evening at Old Town School, and Second City's freshly opened 114th Mainstage Revue. Thunderstorms are forecast for Wednesday through Thursday, so the dry Saturday-Sunday window for the street festival could not be better timed.

WEDNESDAY 6/10

Dave Eggers: Contrapposto @ Old Town School of Folk Music

The Chicagoland-raised author reads from Contrapposto, his new darkly comic novel set in San Francisco's art world — a book about the long war between artistic integrity and capitalism. Old Town School's Gary and Laura Maurer Concert Hall is a genuinely intimate room for an author this celebrated. Starts 7 PM, $61 general / $59 members.

WEDNESDAY 6/10 — SATURDAY 6/13

Catch As Catch Can @ Steppenwolf Downstairs Theater

Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater runs this new production every night this week at 7:30 PM, with a matinee Saturday. The Downstairs room is the most electric in the building — it wraps the stage on three sides. Tickets at steppenwolf.org. Afterward, The Vig (1527 N Wells) in Old Town pours late.

WEDNESDAY 6/10 — THURSDAY 6/11

Pandemonium, Please Hold @ The Second City

The Second City's 114th Mainstage Revue just opened. Six-person cast, $80, 8 PM both nights. This is the kind of show that runs for a year and spawns the next cast of SNL writers — see it early while the energy is still raw. The bar opens an hour before showtime and the front-row seats go fast.

FRIDAY 6/12

Family Fun Fur-iday @ Lincoln Park Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo's Friday evening event is free admission (as always) with special family programming from 6 PM. One of the best free dates in the city: lakeshore breezes, the Kovler Sea Lion Pool at golden hour. Get a hot dog from the park stand and walk the south loop past the Flamingo exhibit afterward.

SATURDAY 6/13 — SUNDAY 6/14

51st Annual Wells Street Art Festival

Old Town's marquee street festival closes out N. Wells Street between 1200 and 1600 for two full days. Over 200 artists, live music on multiple stages, and the kind of crowd that still actually looks at the art. Starts 10 AM both days. North Pond Restaurant (2610 N Cannon Dr) is a short drive north for a proper meal before or after — book ahead.

Plan the full week → more Lincoln Park & Old Town events