The buzz calendar is a compilation of events happening in the Champaign-Urbana area. Follow our top picks every Monday and Thursday for ideas on what to do on any night of the week, from where to eat to what to watch.

Want to submit an event? Email [email protected]. 

April 5

Cheesin’ For A Cure

    5-8 p.m.

    Wesley United Methodist Church, 1203 W. Green St, Urbana

    $5-$6, all ages

Join Colleges Against Cancer as they kick off Relay Month with unlimited Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup!

Artist Talk: Basel Abbas + Ruanne Abou-Rahme

    5:30-7 p.m.

    Krannert Art Museum and Kinkead Pavilion, 500 E. Peabody Dr, Champaign

    Free, all ages

Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme are artists that work together to make art informed by research. This talk is part of an artist residency that allows the artists to interact with UIUC community. They will be presenting their exhibition “And yet my mask is powerful” in the West Gallery, Light Court, and Gelvin Noel Annex, curated by Amy L. Powell.

Open Mic Night

    6-8 p.m.

    Hammerhead Coffee, 608 E. University Avenue, Champaign

    Free, all ages

Have you always wanted to play music in front of a crowd? Do you love live, local music? Whatever the case may be, this night is for you! All you have to do is show up with your instrument and your favorite songs and your host, Corduroy, will take care of the rest. Sign-ups will be available in the shop on the day of the event. Spots will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

Star Course Presents: STRFKR

    7:30 p.m.

    Foellinger Auditorium, 709 S. Mathews Ave, Urbana

    $12-$16, all ages

STRFKR is an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon. It began in 2007 as a solo project of Joshua Hodges.

April 6

Be Your Own Boss: Pizza & Professionals Panel

    12-1 p.m.

    The Career Center Interview Suite, 616 E. Green St, Champaign

   Free, all ages

Enjoy lunch on us and hear from professionals that own their own businesses.

Ladies Night at Urbana Boulders

    6-10 p.m.

    Urbana Boulders, 1502 N. Cunningham Ave, Urbana

    $8, all ages

Come out and crush with chicks. Ladies climb for $8/day pass plus free shoe rental! All abilities are welcome, and the yoga foundations class from 6-7pm is free with your day pass!

Malaa

    9 p.m.

    The Canopy Club, 708 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana

    $30-$35, 18+

Malaa is a masked electronic house music producer based in Los Angeles. This mysterious artist creates smooth beats that anybody can get down to. They are joined by Allen Blackwell.

Jamnesty

    9 p.m.-2 a.m.

    806 W. Oregon St, Urbana

    $5, all ages

Show up, support a good cause and jam out! $5/wristband, but bring extra cash for raffles and more! Proceeds will be going towards Courage Connection, a local organization dedicated to supporting women/families that have suffered from domestic abuse. Lineup of bands includes The Rhythm Section, Zorilla, The Threads, and more. Raffle prizes from Cafe Kopi, The Art Theater, Black Dog, Creme and Flutter, Salad Meister, and more!

Improv Funk Jam ft. Small Axe Funk Colelctive

    10 p.m.-1 a.m.

    Watson’s Shack & Rail, 211 N Neil St, Champaign

    Free, all ages

The Shack will be bumping with another Improv Funk Jam Night. Musicians Dan Andree, Jared Manker, Alex Rivier, and Sean Baird, aka The Small Axe Funk Collective, will be jamming on the Watson’s stage on April 6th, starting around 10pm! Come for the food, stay for the free funk!

April 7

13th Annual Edible Book Festival

    11:30 a.m.

    Common Ground Food Co-op, Lincoln Square Mall, 300 South Broadway, Urbana

    Free, all ages

The Edible Book Festival is all about making food with a literary flavor! Participants bake, cook or otherwise create dishes inspired by fiction or non-fiction literary works or characters. This friendly competition is open to anyone in the University & Champaign-Urbana communities, from professional pastry chefs to parents & kids who like to have fun in the kitchen. Public viewing is welcome!

2018 Preservation Emporium

    1-4 p.m.

    Spurlock Museum, 600 S Gregory St, Urbana

    Free, all ages

Held every other year, this event gives visitors a chance to speak with members of the Preservation Working group and other campus preservation experts. Visitors may disccus how to ensure that things such as print and paper items, historical artifacts, analog and digital media, and more survive for future generations. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about how to protect your favorite heirloom!

ZXO // Moon Ruin // Metaphysics

    8 p.m.-2 a.m.

    Cowboy Monkey, 6 E. Taylor St, Champaign

    $7, 19+

ZXO comes home for their first headlining show of 2018 with very special guests Moon Ruin of Peoria, IL and METAPHYSICS of NYC, NY/Champaign-Urbana, IL.

OG Temple

    9 p.m.

    The Canopy Club, 708 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana

    $5, 18+

Tekken G (Michael) & Anamoli (Andrew) come together as OG Temple to bring y’all some stylin, tag-team freshness to your ears, straight from Champaign, IL! They will be joined by Nefarious Cloud and Lukane.

April 8

Living Card Games

    11 a.m.-11 p.m.

    Gopher Mafia Games, 114 Lincoln Square, Urbana

    N/A, all ages

All Living Card Games are encouraged to come out and play. They currently have Legend of the Five Rings, and NetRunner playing on a regular basis.

Seed Starting Workshop

    12:30-2 p.m.

    Riggs Beer Company, “party porch,” 1901 S. High Cross Rd, Urbana

    $20, all ages

In this hands-on workshop you will learn the basics for successful flower seed starting. There will be starter supplies provided for you to start your own home cut flower garden. Each participant will take away potted seeds, and more Delight Flower Farm seeds to start at home.

Make & Take a Free Blend

    2 p.m.

    Harvest Market, 2029 South Neil St, Champaign

    Free, all ages

Have you wondered what the fuss about essential oils is? Come find out! You’re all welcome to join us and make a blend of your choice for FREE! Come 5 minutes early for an extra door prize ticket, and bring a friend for two extra tickets! Class part lasts about 35 minutes and Q&A to follow.

Harry Potter Trivia

    3-5 p.m.

  Legends Bar and Grill, 522 E. Green St, Champaign

    $7 to participate, $3 for nonparticipants, all ages

Calling all Wizards, Witches, and Muggles alike! Come join the National Alliance on Mental Illness for another Harry Potter Trivia! This is a team trivia event (limit of 4 persons per team). So grab a friend (or 3), choose a fun name (from the wizarding world, of course), and study-up! RSVP at their Facebook event.

Defy Gravity at Makerspace: T Shirt Decoration Extravaganza!

    5:30-7 p.m.

    IMC Basement Rm #16, 202 S. Broadway Ave, Urbana

    $10, all ages

Come get your craft on as DG takes over Makerspace for a T Shirt Decoration extravaganza! For just $10, grab as many t shirts as you can decorate and go to town with Makerspace’s many options of glitter, bedazzling gems, scissors, sewing machines. There will also be some t shirt tying, cutting, and braiding “how to” cheat sheets.

Open Talent Night/Snatch Game

    7 p.m.-12 a.m.

    51 Main, 51 E. Main St Champaign

    $5, 19+

Only 10 Spots Available for Open Talent! Drink specials: $3 Longs Islands, $2 PBR bottles. The Snatch Game is a parody of the classic TV show, “Match Game”, which aired from 1962 to 1991, where contestants attempted to match celebrities’ answers to “fill-in-the-blank” questions. What makes it unique is that the Drag Queens dress up like Celebrities and must stay in character during the show!

The Social

    8-11 p.m.

    Soma, 320 N. Neil St, Champaign

    Free, 19+

Join Soma each Sunday evening for a night of good music that takes you on a musical journey of the classics of yesterday and gems of today! Get ready for the work week with a soundtrack created by Dj-I.c.Dre’ and DJ Silkee.