Last call: Go ahead, give summer fun one last chance. Naperville’s Last Fling promises four days of live music, a carnival and plenty of kids’ activities at Family Fun Land. Nationally known bands will perform, including the BoDeans, Sugar Ray and Toad the Wet Sprocket. The festivities will culminate in Naperville’s Labor Day Parade on Monday morning. Details: 5-11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.–11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday; 440 W. Aurora Ave., Naperville; Admission is free on Friday, $35 on Saturday and Sunday, and $30 on Monday; children 11 and under are free with paying adult; www.lastfling.org
Epic laughs in Tinley Park: The Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival returns to Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre on Friday, promising a full evening of hilarity to kick off your holiday weekend. The annual fest presented by Funny or Die is hosted by Roastmaster General Jeff Ross, AKA the “one-man verbal assault unit,” with co-headliners Brian Regan, John Mulaney and Sebastian Maniscalco. Details: 5 p.m. Friday, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, 19100 Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park; $25-$99.75; www.tinleyparkamphitheater.com
African Festival of the Arts: Every Labor Day weekend, Washington Park welcomes the African Festival of the Arts, a celebration of the music, art, food and fashion of many African countries and cultures. Visitors can explore replica African villages representing the cultures of Nubia (fine art), Kush (wearable arts), Songhay (arts & crafts, natural products), Timbuktu (fabric & fashion) and the banks of the Nile (food). visitors are also invited to bang away on their drum of choice at the Drum Village and learn techniques from master drummers. Details: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday – Monday, Washington Park, 5100 S. Cottage Grove Ave.; $5-$15; www.aihusa.org/african-fesitval-of-the-arts/
The Hecks, Matchess, ONO: The Hecks, recently signed to Chicago label Trouble In Mind, will release their self-titled debut album this Friday. The trio worked to create an album that exists independently from their identity as a performing group, so expect a break from minimalist post-punk. Matchess is the electronic alter-ego of local musician Whitney Johnson. Her third, darker album “The Rafter” was inspired in part by the novel “World Light” by Icelandic author Halldor Laxness. Details: 9 p.m. Thursday, The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia Ave.; $10; www.hideoutchicago.com
Tales from the Fringe: Get ready for the seventh annual Chicago Fringe Festival, a celebration of the unusual, the extreme and the just plain weird, that will invade a variety of venues in Jefferson Park, presenting 50 groups in about 200 performances. While it’s largely theater-oriented, the festival is also open to comedy, dance, musicals, performance art and the unclassifiable. Finding a performance that resonates with you may involve a certain amount of trial and error, but the low ticket price encourages experimentation.Details: Through Sept. 11, various locations in Jefferson Park including Fringe Central, 4801 N. Milwaukee Ave.; Admission is $5, single show tickets are $10; discount multi-packs are available, see website for pricing; www.chicagofringe.org
Calling all pinball wizards: Pinball machine enthusiasts the world over may regard the garish object of their affections as a bona fide art form, and now an academic museum is backing them up. “Skillshot, The Collaborative Art of Pinball,” opening Tuesday at Columbia College Chicago, presents pinball machines as interactive works of art, delving into the history and manufacture of these flashy machines right here in Chicago. Details: Tuesday through Nov. 5, Glass Curtain Gallery of Columbia College, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., first floor; 312-369-6643 or www.colum.edu/glasscurtain
