Friday, April 27th
August: Osage County, Station Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $15/ticket
Catch the last play in the Station’s 46th season, August: Osage County. This Pulitzer Prize winning play looks at the lives of the Weston family as they react to the death of their father and husband. Check out our interview with director Mathew Green and some members of the cast to learn why they think it’s worth seeing. (KF)
Smile Politely’s 10 Year Anniversary Party, Maize (Downtown location), 8 p.m., $10
We’ve hit double digits, and we’re going to celebrate tonight in Downtown Champaign at Maize with tacos, Timbalú, Triptych, and more. Come join us for this all-ages fiesta of sorts — read up on Timbalú, one of the best new things to happen to the scene, and dance to the salsa music they will be delivering. (PS)
San E, Mad Clown, Sobe, DJ Juice, The City Center, 9 p.m., $40-$110
A couple of pretty huge Korean musicians are in town this Friday at City Center — Mad Clown and San E. They are on their WE WANT YOU tour, and this show is brought to you by Miga and Sakanaya, plus some others. (PS) Photo from the event flyer
Saturday, April 28th
Cheer on those marathoners (or avoid the area at all costs), 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.-ish, free
In case you weren’t aware, there’s a rather large event happening this weekend where a lot of people run a lot of miles. Maybe make some fun posters and station yourself along the route (some of you may live on the route, in which case you might as well embrace it) to cheer on these folks as they do this super hard thing. You could offer a few seconds of joy and motivation for someone. Or, you may choose to hunker down and eat some donuts and be glad you are not running 26 miles. Either way, check out the route and the street closures so you know how to navigate C-U during the race. (JM) Photo by Sam Logan
Attend the Triwizard Tournament, South Quad, 2 to 5 p.m., free
The Harry Potter Alliance at UIUC is hosting their annual Triwizard Tournament, which will feature games, booths, treats, prizes, and other Harry Potter-themed festivities. If you’ve read the books, you’ll know all about this; if not, it’s an interesting way to see how some folks interpret the fictional magical world in our very real, muggle one. More info is on Facebook. (JH)
John Prine, Milk Carton Kids, The Virginia Theatre, 7 p.m., $68-$108
It appears that John Prine’s performance at the Virginia Theatre is sold out, which is no surprise to me. Prine is a legendary singer-songwriter who just released a new album, Tree of Forgiveness, a couple of weeks ago. Read up on John Prine here if you are unfamiliar with the legend. (PS) Photo from John Prine’s website
She Loves Me, Krannert Center, 7:30 p.m., $10-35/ticket
This Tony award winning musical tells the story of “feuding clerks who work together at Mr. Maraczek’s perfume shop, [and] have disliked each other since they met.” But out of their feud comes romance. The musical is based on a play by Miklós László which also inspired the movie You’ve Got Mail. (KF)
Sunday, April 29th
AsiaFEST 2018, Asian-American Cutural Center, 1 to 4 p.m., free to attend, food tickets available for purchase
Learn about the various Asian cultures that are represented on campus. There will be performances, cultural booths, hands-on crafts and activities, and most importantly, all sorts of Asian cuisine to sample. This celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month is family friendly, and seems like a great way to spend your Sunday afternoon. (JM)
Forest-to-Mansion Dinner, Allerton Park, 3:30 to 7 p.m., $95/person
The annual Forest-to-Mansion Dinner at Allerton Park features five courses made by five local chefs. Each dish incorporates some ingredient(s) foraged from the Allerton forest. Last year’s dinner was delicious, and this year’s dinner is looking to be just as good, if not better. You can read up on last year’s event here; and you can view the menu for this weekend’s dinner here. Get your tickets now — they’re almost sold out. (JH)
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All event information is accurate to the best of our abilities, but sometimes we make mistakes and sometimes event information, times, prices, etc., change after we look them up. Whenever possible, we’ve provided a link to the original event page; you should always double-check the source before you make any firm plans. Thanks for your understanding.