Explore Chicago Ideas Week Onstage Programs

These events will help you reinterpret the limits of possibility and inspire you to be the change you've been waiting to see. Tickets available now.

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Conversation

$15.00, October 18, 12:00pm
The Court of Popular Opinion: How the Supreme Court Rules

Kate Shaw Professor & Co-Director, Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy, Cardozo School of Law

Conversation

$15.00, October 18, 9:45am
Trump, Trade and Tariffs: A Look into America’s Trade Policies

Tom Wilson Chairman, U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO, The Allstate Corporation & Allstate Insurance Company

Conversation

$15.00, October 17, 4:00pm
National Security, Facts and the Concept of Proof

Jennifer Kavanagh Senior Political Scientist & Associate Director, Arroyo Center, RAND Corporation

Ideas Day

$45.00, October 19, 9:00am
Ideas Day (Morning Session Only)

Jimmy Chin Director, Producer, & Cinematographer

Conversation

$15.00, October 16, 12:00pm
A New Day for Criminal Justice in Chicago

Adam Foss Co-Founder, Prosecutor Impact

Ideas Day

$45.00, October 19, 11:00am
Ideas Day (Afternoon Session Only - Community Projects)

Talk

$15.00, October 17, 7:00pm
Radical Creators: The Cultural Leaders Defining the Zeitgeist

Boots Riley Writer & Director, “Sorry to Bother You”

Talk

$15.00, October 16, 4:00pm
Melodic Milestones: How Music Creates Culture

Alain Macklovitch (A-Trak) DJ, Producer, & Founder, Fool’s Gold

Conversation

$15.00, October 18, 4:00pm
Losing My Religion: How Millennials are Transforming The Way We Gather

Radha Agrawal Co-Founder & CEO, Daybreaker

Conversation

$15.00, October 17, 6:00pm
The Party is Over: How America Will Get Past its Polarized Politics

Jon Meacham Pulitzer Prize-winning Author, Presidential Historian, & Executive Vice President, Random House

Ideas Day

$45.00, October 19, 9:00am
Ideas Day (Morning Session Only)

Jimmy Chin Director, Producer, & Cinematographer

Talk

$15.00, October 18, 7:00pm
Doing Well to Do Good in Business: The Economic Case for Altruism

Anand Giridharadas Journalist and Author

October 18, 6:00pm

An Acoustic Tour of DePaul’s New Holtschneider Performance Center

Whether you're a music expert or a novice, you’ll walk away from this unique Lab with a new appreciation for the work, design, and science that goes into creating the perfect sound in a music performance space.

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Labs You Can't Miss

Grab tickets to these labs before they're gone

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Lab

$15.00, October 16, 10:00am
Pizza + Advocacy with Dimo's and Roc United

Lab

$15.00, October 18, 2:00pm
Tools for Turnout

Lab

$15.00, October 17, 10:00am
A Road Map for Violence Prevention in Chicago: Past, Present and Future

Lab

$15.00, October 21, 10:00am
Family Lab: Honoring Veterans Through Art with The Honeycomb Project

Lab

$15.00, October 18, 2:00pm
The Body Speaks: Behind-the-Scenes Dance Rehearsal with The Seldoms

Lab

$15.00, October 18, 6:00pm
An Acoustic Tour of DePaul’s New Holtschneider Performance Center

Lab

$15.00, October 20, 12:00pm
Healing from Trauma with Pride ROC’s Urban Prisoners of War, presented by Alvin H. Baum Family Fund

Lab

$15.00, October 19, 11:00am
Pilsen’s Small Business Community: A Neighborhood Tour with Accion

Lab

$15.00, October 16, 4:00pm
How to Pick a Community-Focused Bank with Mighty Deposits

Exciting New Experiences

Connect with your fellow Chicago Ideas community members at one of these special engagements.

Explore the full event schedule.

Party

$0.00, October 16, 9:00pm
Official Chicago Ideas Week After Party

Special Engagement

$15.00, October 18, 5:30pm
Screening + Cocktail Event: Blueprint for Better: Architects as filmmakers on the front lines of civic change

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

$125.00, October 17, 7:00pm
Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner? Dating in the Digital World

See Who's Joining Us This October

We're proud to bring a host of diverse, world-class speakers to the city of Chicago.

Explore the full speaker lineup

Yvonne Orji

Comedian & Actress

Norma Kamali

Fashion Designer

Luvvie Ajayi

Author and Digital Strategist

Jose Antonio Vargas

Founder & CEO, Define American

Molly Crabapple

Artist & Writer

Mitch Landrieu

Former Mayor, New Orleans; Author, "In the Shadow of Statues"

Julián Castro

Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Robin Steinberg

CEO, The Bail Project

Michael Dyson

Writer, Editor, & Author, "Tears We Cannot Stop"

Amber Tamblyn

Writer, Actress, & Director

Masih Alinejad

Journalist, Author, & Founder, My Stealthy Freedom

Cameron Esposito

Standup Comic, Actor and Writer

Joan Morgan

Journalist & Author

Ayanna James Kimani

Stylist & Costume Designer

Ingrid Fetell Lee

Founder, The Aesthetics of Joy

Introducing Our New Premier Event: Ideas Day

What if you could take action in a Chicago community at the moment of inspiration? At Ideas Day, our reimagined premier event, you'll attend a morning session of inspiring talks and performances followed by an afternoon of action in a Chicago neighborhood in partnership with Chicago Cares.

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