Things to Do in River North, Chicago Columbus Day Weekend 2026

Oct 9–12 · 10 picks hand‑checked by Stumblday against organizer pages · 1 free in the top 10 · updated Oct 6

The 10 best things to do in River North, Chicago over Columbus Day Weekend (Oct 9–12)

  1. Chicago Art Fair — October 7–10 Wed 5–8 PM; Thu–Fri 11 AM–8 PM · Downtown
  2. F1 Arcade — Open this weekend — recently opened · Downtown
  3. Switchfoot with special guest Anberlin - Forever Now Tour — Sat, Oct 10 7:00pm · Downtown
  4. Emma Stebbins: Carving Out History — October 9 – April 18, 2027 · Adults $23 · Downtown
  5. Spectrum Chicago — October 7–10 Wed 5–8 PM; Thu–Fri 11 AM–8 PM · Downtown
  6. AMBIENCE — Friday, October 9 Doors 6 PM; show 7–10 PM · $35–$190 · Downtown
  7. Scene Queen – Metalicious Tour — Fri, Oct 9 7:00pm · Downtown
  8. ART on THE Mart — Thursdays through Sundays, 7:30–8:00 PM · Free · Downtown
  9. Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings — Open this weekend — recently opened · Downtown
  10. Tarra — Open this weekend — recently opened · Downtown

About this list

Stumblday's hand-checked ranking of the best things to do in River North, Chicago, Downtown, the Loop & West Loop over Columbus Day weekend 2026 (Oct 10–12): 10 picks.

More this weekend across Chicago