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Join us in celebrating the California Golden Bear spirit at events in our region.
2026 EVENTS
CAL VS. MIAMI - MEN’S BASKETBALL WATCH PARTY
We saw them take down the Tar Heels, now let’s cheer the Bears on as they travel to Miami. Join fellow alums for great conversation, good food, and ACC basketball!
When: Saturday, January 31st, 2026, 3 PM CST
Where: The Bad Apple Lincoln Park, 658 W. Belden in Chicago
GET INVOLVED! ACTIVELY SEEKING ALUMS
FOR ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE
We are looking for Cal Alums and Cal parents to assist with one or two events this year. If you are interested in helping the CACC continue to support the University, Cal Alumni and Cal students and their families in the Mid west, please contact CACC VP Events Nelson at nplin@yahoo.com. You can also email us at Calalumniassociationchicago@gmail.com.
CHICAGO GAME WATCH FEATURES 84-78 WIN OVER
#14 NO. CAROLINA 1/16/26
Dai Dai Ames goes up for a shot in a previous 2025-26 game - the Golden Bears are off to a 14-5 start in their first 19 games of the season.
A robust crowd of Golden Bear alumni and fans cheered on a rejuvenated Cal men’s basketball team on January 17 at the Bad Apple in Lincoln Park. Cal was victorious over the #14 Tar Heels and has continued to show improvement over the last two years under coach Mark Madsen.
Check details here for future game watches for Cal sports, and thanks to all those alums who showed up for this first game watch party of 2026!
2026 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED
The athletics department has announced the 2026 Cal Football schedule for fall. The Golden Bears are set for 12 matchups, including 7 games at California Memorial Stadium, as a new era begins under Travers Family Head Coach Tosh Lupoi. Top match-ups include UCLA, Clemson, Stanford, and Virginia Tech.
We’ll have game watch parties in Chicago throughout the season so bookmark this page to keep your calendars updated for 2026 Cal football.
HAPPY HOUR DOWNTOWN RINGS IN 2026
More than 20 Golden Bear alums got together on January 7 to kick off 2026, at Punch Bowl Social in Chicago. Check this site and our newsletter (sign-up at the bottom of this page) for updates on more upcoming events in 2026, including:
Winter: more men’s and women’s basketball watch parties and networking Happy Hours.
Spring: April - Midwest Admitted Cal Student Yield Event hosted by Cal Admissions and CACC. May - CACC Volunteers at Illinois Food Bank.
Summer: Summer Welcome Party for Midwest incoming Cal students and their families at Sunrise Beach, Lake Bluff.
CLUB MEMBERS TAKE IN HAWAII BOWL WITH CAL ALUMNI
CACC members joined forces with alumni from chapters across the country at the Hawaii Bowl to cheer on the Golden Bears on Christmas Eve in Honolulu. The Bears have now appeared in 26 bowl games, including a three-year run currently as the newest members of the ACC. Join us all next fall for game watches in the Chicago area.
Pep rally festivities with fellow alums.
With Chancellor Lyons on the beach pre-game.
THE ODYSSEY SELECTED FOR ALUMNI BOOK CLUB
Before Christopher Nolan brings The Odyssey to the screen in July 2026, alumni are taking place in a UC Berkeley Arts & Humanities book club, as well as a season of events exploring the story that launched a thousand journeys.
This spring for our book club we are reading Daniel Mendelsohn’s acclaimed new 2025 translation in a special virtual alumni book club led by a graduate student from the department of Ancient Greek and Roman Studies and featuring a different faculty expert at each session. The club will run through May.
Alongside the book club, a series of talks campus-wide, dates forthcoming, brings Homer's epic into dialogue with today’s questions and curiosities: how Odysseus might have navigated by the stars, the real science behind mythical potions and forgetfulness, what Bronze Age fashion actually looked like, and whether “Homer” was a person or an idea.
CACC HOSTS JOINT WATCH PARTY WITH
STANFORD ALUMS FOR BIG GAME 2025
Over 100 Cal and Stanford alums came together for a co-hosted Big Game Watch party in Chicago on November 22 in one of our largest gatherings to date. There were sliders, tacos and pizza, and two lucky Cal alums won Cal swag from the raffle drawing, and (except for the outcome of the game), Cal alums enjoyed mixing and mingling with one another and with that other ACC school’s alums South of the Bay.
CAL ALUMNI CLUB OF CHICAGO T-SHIRTS FOR SALE
Show your Cal spirit in Chicago by purchasing a Cal Alumni Club of Chicago t-shirt for $35 plus shipping. Email calalumniassociationchicago@gmail.com for orders.
About
We are an officially chartered chapter of the California Alumni Association bringing together Cal alums form the greater Chicagoland area and surrounding Midwest states.
The Cal Alumni Club of Chicago organizes social activities, game watches and volunteer events for Alumni throughout the year. We also work with the University to coordinate and host a Summer Welcome Party for the new Midwest Cal students.
If you are interested in getting involved, sign-up for our events and please email us at calalumniassociationchicago<at>gmail.com. Sign-up for our monthly newsletter below.
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