Chicago Humanities Fall Festival 2025 Kicks Off in September

Chicago Humanities has announced the full lineup for its highly-anticipated Fall Festival, featuring a compelling range of thinkers, artists, authors, and performers. This year’s Fall Festival spans September to November, revolving around three dynamic festival days across the city and reflecting Chicago Humanities’ deep commitment to civic and civil dialogue, creative expression, and community-rooted programming.

The season opens September 18 with the Annual Benefit, featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New Yorker staff writer Evan Osnos and continues through mid-November with headlining appearances by Margaret Atwood (in one of only two US events discussing her life as an author and recent memoir), Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi, actor (and woodworker) Nick Offerman, former SNL star Kate McKinnon, Cheech Marin on Chicano Art, celebrated author Salman Rushdie, and many others…

This year’s Fall Festival features three days of immersive programming in Chicago neighborhoods. From a day in Pilsen, co-presented with the National Museum of Mexican Art and celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month through art, food, and community, to an experience at Illinois Tech’s historic Bronzeville campus, where South Side innovation meets world-class design.  

This Fall Festival also features a special collaboration with the University of Chicago’s Arts and Humanities Division, presenting an Arts and Humanities Day with UChicago professors and guest speakers, including Harvard Professor Stephanie Burt on the genius of Taylor Swift, Stephen Dubner on the 20th anniversary of Freakonomics, photographer Sally Mann, public intellectual Steven Pinker, and Princeton University’s Christopher L. Eisgruber (on universities and free speech). “At a moment when the value of the humanities is being questioned, our partnerships with institutions like the University of Chicago, Illinois Tech, and other cultural institutions are more vital than ever,” said Michael Green, Co-Creative Director. “Together, we're creating space for bold ideas and public dialogue—reminding people that the humanities are essential to understanding ourselves, our society, and our possible futures.”

Other festival highlights include a conversation on Indigenous People’s Day with scientist and bestselling author Robin Wall Kimmerer at the Morton Arboretum, a rare double-bill performance by songwriting legends Kurt Vile and Terry Allen, and a much-anticipated appearance by Angela Davis including a performance and conversation with celebrated jazz composer Nicole Mitchell (Black Earth Ensemble).

“Chicago Humanities’ Fall Festival is like no other—we connect artists, authors, journalists, and other deep thinkers with Chicagoans to explore the critical civic and cultural issues of our moment,” said Phillip Bahar, Executive Director. “This year’s lineup reflects our shared desire to engage deeply with the questions, challenges, and joys of our time.”

“This Fall Festival is really about where we come from and how we connect with each other,” said Lauren M. Pacheco, Co-Creative Director. “From Pilsen and Bronzeville to Hyde Park and Lakeview, we’re celebrating and presenting in neighborhoods that shape Chicago as a city. We invite Chicagoans to join us and be part of something real, thoughtful, and close to home.”