[category]
[title]
If you’re walking down the lakeshore this weekend and see hundreds of shiny heads gathering, don’t be alarmed; it’s just the Chicago Bald-Off.
The viral Chicago Bald-Off is back for a second year, and it’s going to be bigger and balder than ever before. The *very* serious competition (I’ll let you decipher what that means) will take place at 5pm on Sunday, August 30 in Lincoln Park. Just like last year, Chicagoans will crown the city’s “Baldest Baddie” and “Baddest Baldie.”
In true brainrot fashion, the official announcement (some paper signs taped up around Chicago) gives only the location’s coordinates, 41.93908, -87.63416. For those who don’t know off the top of their (bald) head where that is, it’s the Self-Portrait sculpture at the AIDS Garden.
RECOMMENDED: A controversial statue could make a return as part of a new museum opening this fall
Chicago Bald-Off organizers have asked competitors to “come correct” (AKA bald or donning a bald cap), though people of all hair levels are welcome to attend. The poster also reads, “This is NOT a drill. This is a COMPETITION.” All Pitbull, Cynthia Erivo and Poot Lovato doppelgangers are encouraged to compete.
@chicago.bald.off 2026 CHICAGO BALD OFF IN LAKEVIEW ON 8/30. you know the drill but this is NOT a drill !!! #chicago #lakeview #contest #whimsy #bald original sound - The Washed Athlete
After last year’s Bald-Off, which garnered national attention, and the headline-making Jeremy Allen White look-alike contest of 2024, it’s clear that Chicago loves a costume contest. And it seems like this year’s event will draw an even larger crowd than the first—the announcement video on TikTok racked up hundreds of thousands of views just one day after it was posted.
Last year, a lineup of more than 60 fierce competitors, including Avatar, Steve Harvey and Charlie Brown lookalikes, faced off for the crown. A man dressed as Mr. Clean took home the title of “Baldest Baddie,” saying “[It was] pretty easy for me because I’m always bald.” Who will claim the crown this year? Only time will tell.
Are you bald? Do you think you have what it takes? Then get your bald butt to the AIDS Garden this weekend to show Chicago what you got (or, really, what you don’t got).