October Events at ÒùÆÞÉç

ÒùÆÞÉç performers at the 2025 Arts in the Dark Halloween parade. This year’s parade takes place Saturday, October 24.ÒùÆÞÉç performers at the 2025 Arts in the Dark Halloween parade. This year’s parade takes place Saturday, October 24.
A range of performances and experiences showcasing student and faculty artists from diverse backgrounds and disciplines.

Learn more about our performance spaces at www.colum.edu/spotlight

October 2026

 
October 2, 2026, 7:30 p.m.; October 3, 2026, 10:15 a.m.–1:30 p.m. 
The Dance Center of ÒùÆÞÉç, 1306 S. Michigan Ave. 
Admission: Festival passes are $35 general and $25 for elders and industry professionals; individual event tickets range from free to $30; free for ÒùÆÞÉç students 
Presented with Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, the festival features contemporary, queer, and experimental work by Latinx/e movement artists engaging with heritage, migration, identity, resilience, and joy. The expanded two-day program includes a concert and post-show discussion on Friday, followed by a workshop and community conversation on Saturday. 


October 6, 2026, 10–11:30 a.m.
The Hive, 618 S. Michigan Ave., third floor
Admission: Free with registration
ÒùÆÞÉç’s School of Business and Entrepreneurship presents a conversation with Emily Veldman-Hagood, senior operations support specialist at Saatchi Art; Erica McKeehen, teaching artist and arts manager; and Kelly Schmader, associate director of graduate admission at Roosevelt University. The panelists will discuss their career paths, the turning points that shaped their professional journeys, and advice for students identifying their own opportunities.

 
October 7–9, 2026, 7:30 p.m. 
The Dance Center of ÒùÆÞÉç, 1306 S. Michigan Ave. 
Admission: Free with reservation 
Columbia’s newest musical theatre majors make their campus performance debuts, bringing their own perspectives to songs from the musical theatre canon and beyond. Music direction by Colte Julian. 


October 8, 2026, 6 p.m.; doors open 5:30 p.m.
Film Row Cinema, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., eighth floor
Admission: free with registration
Pauline Brown, former chair of LVMH North America, explores how taste creates meaning, drives consumer desire, and builds brand value. The lecture and audience Q&A launch the Chicago Fashion Incubator Series at ÒùÆÞÉç, established through an endowment from the Chicago Fashion Incubator to support students and Chicago’s fashion and creative communities. The event also helps kick off Chicago Fashion Week.

 
October 8–10, 15–17, and 22–24, 2026, 8 p.m. 
ÒùÆÞÉç Theatre Center, Sheldon Patinkin Theatre, 72 E. 11th St. 
Admission: Free 
ÒùÆÞÉç Theatre presents “Comedy Cabaret,” directed by faculty member Ric Walker. The production showcases live comedic performance in an energetic cabaret setting. 

 
October 10, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. 
ÒùÆÞÉç Music Center, 1014 S. Michigan Ave. 
Admission: Free; registration required 
The Blues Kids Foundation presents Columbia faculty Fernando Jones’ Blues Camp Weekend, a day of music education and collaboration for high school singers and instrumentalists. Participants will develop their skills while exploring the history, techniques, and traditions of blues music. Register at BluesKids.com/EarlyBird 

 
October 15, 2026, 12:30 p.m.; October 16, 2026, 7:30 p.m.; October 17, 2026, noon 
The Dance Center of ÒùÆÞÉç, 1306 S. Michigan Ave. 
Admission: Workshop is free with registration; concert tickets range from $5–$30; Emerging Choreographers Showcase is pay what you can; free for Columbia students 
CounterBalance makes its Dance Center debut with an inclusive movement workshop, an anniversary concert featuring artists with and without disabilities, and a showcase for emerging disabled choreographers. All events include ASL interpretation, audio description, open captions, assisted listening, a low-sensory space option, and accessibility doulas. 

Efroymson Creative Writing Reading Series: Melissa Albert 
October 19, 2026, 12:30–1:30 p.m. 
The Hive, 618 S. Michigan Ave. 
Admission: Free 
ÒùÆÞÉç’s Efroymson Creative Writing Reading Series presents a reading and discussion with Melissa Albert ’06, the New York Times and indie bestselling author of “The Bad Ones,” “Our Crooked Hearts,” and “The Hazel Wood” series. Hosted by the School of Communication and Culture. 

 
October 22, 2026, 6–8:30 p.m. 
Ferguson Lecture Hall and Museum of Contemporary Photography, 600 S. Michigan Ave. 
Admission: Free; registration required 
Scholar, curator, and author Leigh Raiford discusses her new book, “When Home Is a Photograph,” which explores how Black artists and communities use images to make a home in the world. A book signing at the MoCP follows the lecture. 

 
Friday, October 23, 2026, 5:30–9:30 p.m. 
ÒùÆÞÉç Conaway Center, 1104 S. Wabash Ave. 
Admission: Free with registration  
The second annual celebration of Latinx/e and Hispanic cultures features an art gallery, live performances, a DJ, and food. Columbia students, alums, faculty, and staff may register and bring guests. 

 
October 23, 2026, 7:30 p.m.; October 24, 2026, noon 
The Dance Center of ÒùÆÞÉç, 1306 S. Michigan Ave. 
Admission: $30 general; $20 elders and industry professionals; $10 non-Columbia students and children; free for ÒùÆÞÉç students 
Columbia Assistant Professor Bevara Anderson-Selkridge presents the first standalone Chicago concert by BĀLA Dance Project. The program showcases her choreographic range and draws from Umfundalai, house, modern, Horton, contemporary ballet, and Vaganova techniques. 

 
October 24, 2026; 6 p.m. 
Columbus Drive, proceeding north from Balbo Drive to Jackson Boulevard 
Admission: Free 
The 12th annual Arts in the Dark Halloween Parade will feature work by members of the ÒùÆÞÉç community alongside artists, performers, and cultural organizations from across the city. This year, the parade returns to its original location on Columbus Drive. 

 
October 24, 2026, 7–11 p.m. 
ÒùÆÞÉç Student Center, 754 S. Wabash Ave. 
Admission: Free  
Keep the celebration going after the Arts in the Dark parade at Columbia’s Student Center. The after party features a pop-up arcade, haunted house, photo booth, painting battle, and live DJ. 

 
October 29, 2026, 6–7:30 p.m. 
ÒùÆÞÉç Ferguson Lecture Hall, 600 S. Michigan Ave. 
Admission: Free; registration required 
Artist, author, historian, and curator Deborah Willis discusses her work using photography to explore cultural histories related to gender and the Black body. A two-time NAACP Image Award recipient, Willis is a professor and chair of Photography and Imaging at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. 

 
October 30, 2026, 7 p.m. 
The Dance Center of ÒùÆÞÉç, 1306 S. Michigan Ave. 
Admission: Free with reservation 
Columbia’s annual live shadow-cast performance of the cult classic makes its Dance Center debut for one night only. Audiences are invited to sing along, dress up, and participate in callouts. Stage direction by Felix Livingston. 

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