Heated Rivalry, the Crave TV (by way of HBO Max) sensation, has been a full-blown phenomenon this winter—especially in Chicago’s LGBTQ+ dance clubs and watering holes, some of which have already played host to events themed around the hockey-themed love story. Many other events are planned for the months ahead.
“We decided to show the season finale of Heated Rivalry and what we thought would be in one section of the bar quickly took over two other larger sections of the bar and that’s when we realized that people were very excited to celebrate the show,” said Sidetrack (3349 N. Halsted St.) General Manager Brad Balof. His bar kicked off the themed Heated Rivalry events when the finale screened this past Dec. 26.
Sidetrack followed with a Heated Rivalry-themed trivia night on Jan. 27, which Balof said “was the most crowded trivia we’ve ever had.”
He added, “Heated Rivalry seemed like a sure fit for our weekly Stewpendous Trivia on Tuesdays. We were again blown away with the record attendance for Trivia and the dedication the patrons have to celebrating the show. The night ended with suspenseful tie-breakers.”
On Jan. 23, House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St., held a sold-out Heated RivalRave dance party from nineties-themed promoter Club 90s, while, most recently, Snakes and Lattes, 1965 N. Milwaukee Ave., held a trivia night on Feb. 3.
Future events include two Heated Rivalry Drag Brunches hosted by Ru Paul’s Drag Race’s Denali on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Macy’s Walnut Room, 111 N. State St. General admission tickets are $24.80 and VIP tickets are $45.50.
On Monday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m., Dorothy, 2500 W. Chicago Ave., holds an IRL: Heated Rivalry Singles Mixer. Reservations are required for this free event. Guests will be able to choose between Shane or Ilya when they arrive. The first 100 guests will receive oversized character heads. Guests are also encouraged to wear costumes.
Sidetrack keeps the party going at their location with their Thursday, Feb. 12 All Things Heated Rivalry: Sidetrack Cottage Edition event. From 9-11:30 p.m., there will be a movie version viewing party as well as giveaways, games and $3 frozen cocktails. Then the dance floor will open up with Heated Rivalry videos and show-inspired music videos playing until 2 a.m., hosted by Veronica Pop. Attendees are encouraged to come in Heated Rivalry looks in order to win fun prizes. No reservations are required.
Balof said of Sidetrack’s upcoming event, “While Heated Rivalry parties are happening in various locations and various formats, we wanted to make sure thar our celebration would be done in a way that fits well with Sidetrack. Since we are a video bar, we have created a ‘Heated’ movie-edit, which includes the inspirational love stories and the steamiest scenes. Following the viewing, there will be dancing, drag, costume/apparel contests and games to celebrate this cultural phenomenon.”
An Open Skate Day hosted by Brave Space Alliance and Chicago Pride Hockey will take place Saturday, Feb. 21 from 3-5 p.m. at Blackhawks Ice Center, 1801 W. Jackson Blvd.. Tickets are $20 and will benefit both Brave Space Alliance’s work and Chicago Pride Hockey’s growth. Chicago Pride Hockey will have other skate free skate opportunities in the future.
“When watching the buzz around Heated Rivalry, we saw it as a unique opportunity to use the fanatic interest of the show to bring people together.,” said Brave Space Alliance Development Manager Troy Taylor. “As an LGBTQ+ nonprofit, we are completely unabashed to lean into what is trendy and current in our community, since our staff is a part of the same community we serve. Because of this, we surpassed our original goal in a matter of days and are on track to doubling it by the day of the event.
“This show highlights that queerness can show up in any faction of society, especially in sports. We knew partnering with Chicago Pride Hockey would be the exact match of diversity and hockey that this event needed.”
“Hockey culture is finally having its mainstream queer moment, but as interest surges, we are also facing a coordinated effort to exclude our most vulnerable players,” said Chicago Pride Hockey Community Outreach Director Shelby Domabyl-Deiters. “USA Hockey’s decision to restrict participation based on sex assigned at birth isn’t just a policy change—it’s a harmful rejection of trans athletes at every level. While they focus on rollbacks, we are focused on reach. Our partnership with Brave Space Alliance for this community skate celebrates the diversity that actually makes hockey great. We aren’t just here to play; we’re here to ensure every trans and queer person knows they have a team in Chicago.”
On Saturday, Feb. 28 at 9 p.m. Chop Shop, 2033 W. North Ave., hosts a Heated Rivalry Rave dance party. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed in their best hockey-inspired looks. There is a waitlist for tickets, which are $29.34 including processing fees.
Outset, 1675 N Elston Ave., holds its Heated Rivalry: Jockstar Rave Saturday, April 4 at 9 p.m. featuring a night of party boy anthems and club hits with DJ’s Michael Medrano and Gregory Dillon. General admission tickets are $24.27 or $30.89 which includes processing fees.
Additionally, the fashion, leather and fetish shop Men’s Room, 3343 N. Halsted St. Chicago, IL 60657, has started selling tee-shirts and jerseys of the fictional pro hockey teams depicted on the show. The Men’s Room is also donating jersey’s to raffle off for Brave Space Alliance and Chicago Pride Hockey’s Open Skate Day event.
“When we found out about Heated Rivalry right after the first episode, we decided to order jerseys and shirts with the characters names and team logos on them to provide something tangible for our queer community to show how much they love this amazing show and what it represents,” said Men’s Room Manager Jake Dunskis. “They have become very popular with the jerseys selling out very quickly, with more on the way.”
