looking for something cool to do on Thursday night?

If you want to stay in the 'hood, you could go to Blue Moon for Foreign Language Roundtable or ride with the Beverly Bike Club.

If you want to go downtown, but not to the Taste, Orchestre Septentrional d'Haiti and its big band of thirteen musicians bring the sounds of merengue, konpa and bolero to the stage when they make their Chicago debut. 7:30PM at Millennium Park.

caroling at Cloud Gate

This Friday evening at 6 pm will be the last night of the season for this Millennium Park holiday tradition. Caroling at Cloud Gate returns featuring Chicago's favorite choral groups:

The Wooten Choral Ensemble, December 18

Chicagoans and visitors alike are invited to sing along and enjoy complimentary coffee and hot cider courtesy of Caribou Coffee. Caroling at Cloud Gate is supported by the Comer Foundation.

caroling at Cloud Gate

On Friday evenings at 6 pm thru December 19, enjoy a Millennium Park holiday tradition. Caroling at Cloud Gate returns featuring Chicago's favorite choral groups:

Old Town School of Folk Music, December 11

The Wooten Choral Ensemble, December 18

Chicagoans and visitors alike are invited to sing along and enjoy complimentary coffee and hot cider courtesy of Caribou Coffee. Caroling at Cloud Gate is supported by the Comer Foundation.

...but don't we all call it the Bean?

caroling at Cloud Gate

On Friday evenings at 6 pm thru December 19, enjoy a Millennium Park holiday tradition. Caroling at Cloud Gate returns featuring Chicago's favorite choral groups:

Chicago Children's Choir, December 4

Old Town School of Folk Music, December 11

The Wooten Choral Ensemble, December 18

Chicagoans and visitors alike are invited to sing along and enjoy complimentary coffee and hot cider courtesy of Caribou Coffee. Caroling at Cloud Gate is supported by the Comer Foundation.

...but don't we all call it the Bean?

caroling at Cloud Gate

On Friday evenings at 6pm from this Friday thru December 19, enjoy a Millennium Park holiday tradition. Caroling at Cloud Gate returns featuring Chicago's favorite choral groups:

Apollo Chorus of Chicago, November 27

Chicago Children's Choir, December 4

Old Town School of Folk Music, December 11

The Wooten Choral Ensemble, December 18

Chicagoans and visitors alike are invited to sing along and enjoy complimentary coffee and hot cider courtesy of Caribou Coffee. Caroling at Cloud Gate is supported by the Comer Foundation.

...but don't we all call the the Bean?

music at Millennium Park on 8/25

Made in Chicago jazz series: 6:30 p.m. Aug. 25: Mike Reed's People, Places and Things Octet. Drummer Reed partners with Chicago jazz masters of the 1950s and '60s: Art Hoyle, Ira Sullivan and Julian Priester. Free

music at Millennium Park on 8/21

Made in Chicago jazz series: 6:30 p.m. Aug. 21: "Celebrating Nat 'King' Cole." Freddy Cole will sing a tribute to his brother, joined by Chicago singer-pianist Audrey Morris and the Jeff Lindberg's Chicago Jazz Orchestra. Free

music at Millennium Park on 8/7

Made in Chicago jazz series: Amir ElSaffar's Two Rivers Large Ensemble. Chicagoan ElSaffar, an Iraqi-American trumpeter, combines elements of Middle Eastern music with modern-day jazz improvisation, and with Jeff Parker, Rudresh Mahanthappa and Zafer Tawil. 6:30 p.m. Aug. 7 - Free

music at Millennium Park on 7/31

Made in Chicago jazz series: Trumpeter Victor Garcia and pianist Darwin Alejandro Noguera lead the Chicago Afro-Latin Ensemble, which also will feature Steve Turre, Paoli Mejias, Howard Levy and Brian Lynch. 6:30 p.m. July 31 - Free

music at Millennium Park on 7/10

Music without borders series: Sudanese Music and Dance Festival 2008 will feature more than 50 artists, with soloists Abdel Gadir Salim and others joining the Nile Music Orchestra of Sudan. 6:30 p.m. Free

music at Millennium Park on 6/28

Music without borders series: : Check out Orchestra Baobab. This Senegalese band previously attracted throngs to the old HotHouse. 8:30 p.m. on Saturday night. Free.

music at Millennium Park on 6/26

Music without borders series - "The Bachata Roja Concert: Unsung Heroes, Rediscovered Icons." Venerable musicians from the Dominican Republic evoke ancient folkloric traditions. Cape Verdean vocalist Mayra Andrade will open. Free, 6:30 p.m. June 26.

music at Millennium Park on 6/19

Music without borders series: 6:30 p.m. June 19: Maria del Mar Bonet/Miquel Gil and the Arab Orchestra of Barcelona. An evening of Spanish regional music featuring Bonet, who champions the songs of Mallorca, and singer-guitarist Gil. Free.