Chicago gets ready to ring in the New Year. Here's how you can celebrate the countdown to 2026.
New Year's Eve is just days away, and there are events for just about everyone. Whether you're looking to dress to the nines, stop by a pub, or just hang with the kids, Chicago has plenty of options.
Christmas is over and now Chicago is looking ahead to big celebrations for New Year's.
At Navy Pier, its Winter WonderFest is still a great choice for families.There's everything from ice skating and rides to games and music for youngsters to celebrate New Year's Eve.
"We're going to have thousands of guests, and early arrival is highly suggested. The parking garages are going to get full pretty early," Navy Pier programming manager Miguel Alfaro said.
Navy Pier is just the perfect place for New Year's Eve parties, too.
"New Year's Eve, we're going to have parties from the front to the back," Alfaro said.
On New Year's Eve, Green Curtain Events will transform Bar Sol at Navy Pier into a celebration.
"It's the fourth year, and we call the event New Year on the Pier, and Bar Sol is a wonderful, high-end kind of swank celebration," Green Curtain Events partner Nick Pobutsky said.
About 300 tickets are still left for this party of 900, with three different VIP rooms. Guests will get to see the 10-minute Navy Pier fireworks show up close.
"Most of the city is just now starting to talk about New Year's Eve, and producers like us are at the ready to help," Pobutsky said.
The city will host its own fireworks display too. Digital screens will pop up along the Chicago River downtown so people can watch New Year's Eve performances.
"Chicago is definitely the place to be this year for New Year's Eve," said Kunal Shah, who operates 1-800-NewYears.com, which puts on more than 20 parties at Chicago hotels, including the Palmer House and Congress Plaza Hotel. "We've also got cruises as well. So for people that are looking to kind of take advantage of that fireworks that are going on in the city on the lake and the river, we have two amazing river and lake cruises as well for our folks."
The party at Congress Plaza Hotel has a huge balloon drop and all-inclusive tickets start at $89.
"That's the largest event in the city, with six party areas, three dance floors, 2,000-plus guests that are going to be coming," Shah said.
All of the party promoters said, if you're thinking of hitting the town, decide sooner than later because the prices can double the closer you get to big night.
CTA is offering free rides to everyone from 10 p.m. on New Year's Eve until 4 a.m. New Year's Day.