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Chicago Pulls

Free & public · Chicago

Free Participatory Chicago

Everybody plays. That’s the whole idea.

Chicago Pulls puts on free, public events where the show gets passed around the room. No stage, no lineup, no tickets — just a circle of strangers taking turns. You can perform, or you can just come sit with us. Either way, you’re part of it.

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Two hands passing a guitar

The Pulls

One idea, passed hand to hand.

Guitar Pull

One guitar. The whole room.

One guitar, passed lap to lap. When it lands on you, say what the song means to you, then play — a cover, an original, half a song you never finished. Five minutes, then pass it on.

Comedy Pull

Read a stranger cold.

You write a page of comedy. A stranger pulls it from the bucket and reads it cold. Then you stand up and take your bow. Nobody performs their own stuff — that’s the fun part.