Looptopia!

What can I say? That I had more fun than you can imagine having in downtown Chicago in the middle of the night? That it was worth not getting to bed until 2:30 a.m. and sleeping until nearly 10:30? That it didn't matter that it was chilly for mid-May? I hope they do this every year!
I took the bus downtown, picked up a schedule and wandered over to watch DePaul University School of Theatre students demonstrate stage combat:

Then to see Jesse Levine, improvisational artist/musician with a curious sign:

And then a circus act:

Redmoon Theatre was doing their usual beautiful installation/performance art in various places all over the Loop:

By now, it was time to go to the Hard Rock Hotel for the Miss Looptopia pageant:

Drag queens (and one drag king) competed for the title, while the crowd cheered and sipped looptinis (a sort of mango/mojito vodka martini - I can vouch for their excellence). The party went from 6:00 until 8:00. I got there around 7:00, and nearly didn't get in, there was such a crowd. But people started leaving before the coronation, so I did get in and so you get to see lovely pictures. And I had the perfect book to release.
As I strolled down Michigan Avenue afterwards, I encountered the Puppet Bike Theatre, which was entertaining young and old alike:

Then on to the Cultural Center, for more art. I skipped the music as I wanted to get to the Art Institute to enjoy some music and a gallery tour. I was not the only one:

But some were unfazed by the crowds and chaos:

At around 10:30, I dashed over to Corner Bakery, grabbed a sandwich, and ate it while I stood in line to see the Opera Idol finals. Definitely worth it, though a couple of the finalists bit off a bit more than they could chew by selecting some fiendishly difficulty arias from Magic Flute. But the judges were, while honest, kind, and the winner was a popular favorite (I do think her entire church was present to cheer her on!).
By this time, it was nearly 1:00 a.m., and I was a bit too tired for more, so I grabbed a cab and went home. But, boy, it was a good tired!