Don’t-miss picks for August 3 through August 8, 2017

1 Floating Museum

Art:Hyde Park visual artist Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford and South Shore multimedia artist Faheem Majeed launch their gallery on a barge, which stops in four locations along the Chicago River and Lake Michigan with the goal of carrying art and culture across neighborhood lines. See “Floating Museum Carries Arts and Culture Across Neighborhood Boundaries.”
FREE 8/1–29. Various venues. thefloatingmuseum.com

2 Windy City Rubber Duck Derby

Recreation:Each year, a flock of more than 50,000 rubber waterfowl makes its way down the Chicago River—and this year, the lucky duck that’s first across the finish line nets its owner one of many prizes, including a shiny new Chevy Equinox. The race raises funds for Special Olympics Illinois; “adopt” a single duck for five bucks or two dozen for $100. Gawking, of course, is free.
8/3 at 10 a.m. Columbus Bridge. duckrace.com

3 Lollapalooza

Festival:It looks like there’s no turning back: After adding a fourth day in 2016 in celebration of its 25th anniversary, Lollapalooza seems primed to run that length for the foreseeable future—or, at least, until organizers figure out how to make it five. This year’s lineup sports a bevy of crowd-pleasing headliners, including Chance the Rapper, Run the Jewels, the Killers, Muse, Lorde, and Blink-182. Check out our full list of afterparties and aftershows.
8/3–6. Sold out; see resellers. Grant Park.

4 Hans Zimmer

Music:The prolific composer behind more than 120 movie scores, including this summer’s Dunkirk, makes a Chicago stop on his first concert tour in the U.S. While the first half of the night will showcase some of Zimmer’s most iconic scores as they were originally written, the second half will incorporate revamped takes featuring a series of special guests.
8/4. $65–$125. Allstate Arena. allstatearena.com

5 Baudelaire in a Box

Theater:It’s taken nearly eight years for Theater Oobleck to complete this 12-part song cycle, which incorporates theatrical representations of poet Charles Baudelaire’s 19th-century volume Les Fleurs du Mal. The August 5 performance takes over Links Hall in a 12-hour marathon, with refreshments. Dabblers and dilettantes can attend excerpts on Friday and Sunday.
8/4–6. $15–$50. Links Hall. theateroobleck.com

6 Jeff Fest Arts & Music Festival

Festival:Beat the Lollapalooza crowds at this annual neighborhood fest, which will feature performances by The Buckinghams and 16 Candles and a series of kid-friendly acts on small community stages.
8/4–6. $5. Jefferson Memorial Park. jeffersonpark.net

7 Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Theater:Pulse Theatre takes on Edward Albee’s eviscerating classic, breaking with decades of tradition by casting the starring couple as African Americans. Over the course of a long, boozy night, George and Martha strike fear in the hearts of their young guests with a scorched-earth agenda of mind games that nobody can hope to win.
8/4–20. $20. Pulse Theatre Company at City Lit Theater. pulsetheatrechicago.com

8 Evanston + Vicinity Biennial

Art:It may call Evanston home, but this affair is among the best showcases of emerging Chicago artists. A highlight this year: portraitist Riva Lehrer’s full-body rendering of disability activist and kink enthusiast Carrie Sandahl.
FREE 8/5–31. Evanston Art Center. evanstonartcenter.org

9 Slow & Low: Community Lowrider Festival

Festival:If you haven’t seen a lowrider car bounce to life in person, this annual Pilsen gathering is your chance. Now in its sixth year, the daylong show brings together hundreds of the highly customized hydraulic autos, which at their most active evoke animated sculptures.
8/6 at 11 a.m. $5. Loomis and Cermak. chicagolowriderfestival.com

10 The Pearl Fishers

Opera:For the after-work series Rush Hour, Lyric Opera’s training center lets loose its new recruits to preview one of next season’s main-stage operas, Georges Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers. Because even a shortish opera needs a lot more shortening to squeeze into 30 minutes, the singers perform only highlights.
FREE 8/8 at 5:45 p.m. St. James Cathedral. rushhour.org