This Week in Lincoln Park & Old Town: Tap Day and Steppenwolf

Your week-ahead guide to Lincoln Park & Old Town — 5 picks worth planning around

By Raj Singh · Published June 21, 2026.

The week opens rainy and cool, ideal for a theater seat or a folk-school bench, before it dries out for the Wednesday markets. Steppenwolf and Second City keep the stages busy from Sunday on.

SUNDAY 6/21

National Tap Day @ Old Town School of Folk Music

A rousing tap celebration at the Old Town School, featuring a National Heritage Fellow with live musical accompaniment — and it doubles as a Father’s Day show. 6 PM, $35.

Cap it with a nightcap at the Old Town Ale House, the neighborhood’s great old dive.

SUNDAY 6/21

Catch As Catch Can @ Steppenwolf Downstairs

A prodigal son returns to blue-collar New England and sets off a quiet family crisis, in Steppenwolf’s intimate Downstairs Theater in Lincoln Park. The run continues through the week if Sunday’s 3 PM matinee fills.

Make it dinner at Glascott’s up Halsted — a burger and a beer at a Lincoln Park institution.

SUNDAY 6/21

Wheel of Improv @ The Second City

Chicago’s top improvisers battle for points in an interactive game show at Second City in Old Town, 7:30 PM — you’re the live studio audience.

Go classic next door at Topo Gigio on Wells — the gnocchi.

WEDNESDAY 6/24

Green City Market @ Lincoln Park

Chicago’s flagship farmers market sets up at the south end of Lincoln Park, 7 AM–1 PM, with chef demos and the best of the region’s growers.

Grab a griddled-cheese or a pastry from the market vendors and eat it on the park lawn.

THROUGH THE WEEK

By A Thread: Nature’s Resilience @ Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

A new biodiversity exhibit at the Notebaert in Lincoln Park, open daily — pair it with the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven, always worth the trip on a gray day.

After, a char dog with extra attitude from The Wiener’s Circle up Clark — the full Lincoln Park experience.

Plan around the rest — see more Lincoln Park & Old Town events.