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Tribune’s fall 2026 arts, entertainment and food guides

By | ksamoy@chicagotribune.com | Chicago Tribune
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Hometown hero Liz Phair is coming to the Salt Shed (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune). A composition by Ernest Dawkins will be featured in the Englewood Jazz Festival he founded (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune). And playwright and author Zayd Ayers Dohrn’s “The Humanities” debuts at the Victory Gardens Theater (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune).
Hometown hero Liz Phair is coming to the Salt Shed (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune). A composition by Ernest Dawkins will be featured in the Englewood Jazz Festival he founded (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune). And playwright and author Zayd Ayers Dohrn’s “The Humanities” debuts at the Victory Gardens Theater (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune).
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The days may still be warm, but pumpkin spice everything is beginning to creep back into our lives as fall descends.

So as we bid farewell to summer, the Tribune’s writers and critics offer their guides for fall arts, entertainment and food in Chicago, with everything you need to know about the best in TV, movies, music, theater, museums, dance and more for the autumn season.

10 movies for fall 2026: Sorkin’s Facebook follow-up, Tom Cruise in a non-action role and a biopic about ‘Rocky’

Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Reckoning," Aaron Sorkin's follow-up to his script for 2010's "The Social Network." (Columbia Pictures)
Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Reckoning," Aaron Sorkin's follow-up to his script for 2010's "The Social Network." (Columbia Pictures)

While the fall movie season may not have a film on the calendar to rival summer’s “The Odyssey,” two big franchises are returning. Read more from Nina Metz here.

15 TV shows for fall 2026: A new Amy Poehler comedy, a legal drama from the creators of ‘The Good Wife’ and the return of ‘Slow Horses’

Amy Poehler stars in "Dig," a new comedy about archeologists working in Greece. (Colleen Hayes/Peacock)
Amy Poehler stars in "Dig," a new comedy about archeologists working in Greece. (Colleen Hayes/Peacock)

The fall TV season brings the return of network shows, back after the summer hiatus. Read more from Nina Metz here.

Theater top 10 for fall 2026: Culture wars, campus controversies and epic change

Janet Ulrich Brooks, María Victoria Martínez and Mary Beth Fisher will star in the world premiere of "The Birth of the Pill" at TimeLine Theatre's new home in the Uptown neighborhood. (Joe Mazza)
Janet Ulrich Brooks, María Victoria Martínez and Mary Beth Fisher will star in the world premiere of "The Birth of the Pill" at TimeLine Theatre’s new home in the Uptown neighborhood. (Joe Mazza)

Much Chicago theater this fall is focusing on the concerns of the moment: battles over school reading lists and old friends being ripped apart due to their standing on the opposite sides of the all-American political divide. Read more from Chris Jones here.

Museums for fall 2026: Science at the MSI, women all-stars at Art Institute and the annual architecture Open House

The Auditorium Theatre in the Loop, here in 2014, is one of the buildings open to the public as part of this year's Open House Chicago. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
The Auditorium Theatre in the Loop, here in 2014, is one of the buildings open to the public as part of this year's Open House Chicago. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)

Whether you like architecture, history, science or maybe bugs, museums around the Chicago area have your thing this fall. Read more from Hannah Edgar here.

Dance for fall 2026: Joffrey’s dark new ‘Liliom,’ the annual Tap Summit and two guys named Bob

Joffrey Ballet dancers Victoria Jaiani and José Pablo Castro Cuevas in a promotional photo for "Liliom," taken at the carousel on Navy Pier. (Kyle Flubacker)
Joffrey Ballet dancers Victoria Jaiani and José Pablo Castro Cuevas in a promotional photo for "Liliom," taken at the carousel on Navy Pier. (Kyle Flubacker)

This fall, along with the Joffrey’s local debut, a Giordano sizzler and some VIP out-of-towners at the Auditorium, including the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Read more from Lauren Warnecke here.

Art for fall 2026: 10 essential shows at MCA, Hyde Park Art Center and MoCP

The first solo museum show for Kenzi Shiokavi, who died in 2021 at the age of 82, is on view through January at the MCA Chicago. (Robert Chase Heishman)
The first solo museum show for Kenzi Shiokavi, who died in 2021 at the age of 82, is on view through January at the MCA Chicago. (Robert Chase Heishman)

Chicago fields a plethora of possibilities this fall, so get thee to a museum or gallery full of stuff that reinvigorates the senses. Read more from Lauren Warnecke here.

Comedy for fall 2026: Melissa Villaseñor, Brett Goldstein and local fests bring the funny this fall

Melissa Villaseñor, here at the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles, performs this fall at the Den Theatre in Wicker Park. (Emma McIntyre/Getty)
Melissa Villaseñor, here at the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles, is coming to the Den Theatre in Wicker Park. (Emma McIntyre/Getty)

Along with touring and local stand-up acts, our list includes alt-comedy at Zanies, Funny is Female and the big 312 Comedy Festival. Read more from Ryan P. C. Trimble here.

Classical and jazz for fall 2026: From CSO to Jazz Showcase, music is back in business

Trumpet player Marquis Hill in 2021 at the Jazz Showcase in Chicagowhere he returns for a residency this winter. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Trumpet player Marquis Hill in 2021 at the Jazz Showcase in Chicagowhere he returns for a residency this winter. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Along with the heavy hitters at Symphony Center and Hyde Park Jazz Fest, our fall picks include Bella Voce, jazz on the Red Line and an invisible concert at Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Read more from Hannah Edgar here.

Books for fall 2026: Award-hungry novels, celeb memoirs and romantasy

Fall book preview includes "Exit Party" by Emily St. John Mandel, "Peculiar Stars" by Rebecca Yarros, "The Neverfear" by Katherine Rundell, and "The Brightness" by Chad Harbach. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Fall book preview includes “Exit Party” by Emily St. John Mandel, “Peculiar Stars” by Rebecca Yarros, “The Neverfear” by Katherine Rundell, and “The Brightness” by Chad Harbach. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

Welcome to the Super Bowl of Reading, a.k.a. fall, autumn, spooky season, curl-up-with-a-pumpkin-spice-anything-and-read-a-book season. Read more from Christopher Borrelli here.

Live music for fall 2026: Garth Brooks, Noname and women running the show

Garth Brooks performs at the Allstate Arena on Sept. 4, 2014, in Rosemont. The performance marked the end of Brooks' 13-year tour hiatus. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Garth Brooks performs at the Allstate Arena on Sept. 4, 2014, in Rosemont. The performance marked the end of Brooks' 13-year tour hiatus. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Fall means live music. Whether due to hotter summers, festival non-compete clauses, routing coincidences or other factors, the stretch from September through November has come to compete with the summer months for standalone concerts. Read more from Bob Gendron here.

A stadium unveiled, a neon sign lit, Día de Muertos: Our walking tour through the fall season

A traditional altar is displayed as part of the "Día de Muertos: A Celebration of Remembrance" exhibit on Sept. 23, 2025, at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
A traditional altar is displayed as part of the “Día de Muertos: A Celebration of Remembrance” exhibit on Sept. 23, 2025, at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

From architectural highlights to cultural happenings to Chicago’s spooky season, a look ahead at the next few months. Read more from Christopher Borrelli here.

Last call for outdoor concerts: Our 50 between now and October

Nikki Sixx, from left, Vince Neil, and Mick Mars of Mötley Crüe perform at Wrigley Field on July 8, 2022, in Chicago. The band plays Credit 1 Union Amphitheatre in Tinley Park on Aug. 22. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Nikki Sixx, from left, Vince Neil, and Mick Mars of Mötley Crüe perform at Wrigley Field on July 8, 2022, in Chicago. The band plays Credit 1 Union Amphitheatre in Tinley Park on Aug. 22. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

In defiance of the calendar, here are 50 outdoor concerts in the weeks ahead to hang on to that last part of summer. Read more from Doug George here.

10 pop-up events to eat and drink at in Chicago this September, from a Scandinavian festival to Martini Expo

Chef Stephanie Izard will host an end-of-summer bash at Cabra. (Boka Restaurant Group)
Chef Stephanie Izard will host an end-of-summer bash at Cabra. (Boka Restaurant Group)

September marks the end of summer, but there are still plenty of opportunities for outdoor dining and drinking. Read more from Samantha Nelson here.

Oktoberfest 2026 guide: 28 Chicagoland celebrations

Oktoberfest brat from Mac's Wood Grilled. (Terri Mooney/Mac's Wood Grilled)
Oktoberfest brat from Mac's Wood Grilled. (Terri Mooney/Mac's Wood Grilled)

Bring an appetite and prepare to shout “Prost!” — the German word for cheers — a lot when you head to one of these Oktoberfest celebrations. Read more from Samantha Nelson here.

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