What’s new and happening in Chicago – Fall/Winter 2024

Choose Chicago Media Relations Contacts:
Michelle Gonzalez, mgonzalez@choosechicago.com
Stephanie D’Adamo, stephanie@letssipp.com

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (October 16, 2024) – Following a banner summer for Chicago’s tourism, hospitality, and events community, the city was honored to be voted the “Best Big City in the U.S.” by Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers Choice Award 2024 for a historic eighth consecutive year!

Anchored by the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and other major conventions, as well as events like Lollapalooza and the NASCAR street race, visitors to Chicago filled up a total of 3.4 million hotel room nights over the summer months (June, July, and August 2024) and drove all-time records in summer hotel revenue ($942 million USD). Summer season also welcomed over 671,000 international visitors to Chicago.

Looking ahead, Chicago is gearing up for a busy end of 2024, with major events like the launch of Theatre Season, Christkindlmarket, the Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, and more set to attract visitors from near and far. Visit ChooseChicago.com for more information and travel inspiration and don’t forget to register for access to our Image and Video Library.

Recent Accolades:

  • Chicago was honored to be voted the “Best Big City in the U.S.” by Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers Choice Award 2024 for a historic eighth consecutive year. (Over 575,000 discerning and well-traveled readers participated in this prestigious survey!)
  • Chicago’s Logan Square was just designated one of the “Coolest Neighborhoods in the World” by TimeOut.
  • The New York Times named Asador Bastian, the only Illinois restaurant, one of the 50 Best Restaurants in the country this year.
  • Three restaurants were added to the MICHELIN Guide Chicago in September 2024, showcasing diverse and exciting culinary experiences across the city.
    • Anelya – Eastern European cuisine, featuring dishes like green borsch, stuffed cabbage, and a zakusky cart of small bites.
    • Beity – Lebanese cuisine, offering mezze like parsley hummus and falafel, along with creative takes on traditional dishes.
    • Bayan Ko – Filipino/Cuban fusion, with highlights like calamansi-buttered lobster and grilled wagyu beef with black bean purée.
  • USA Today named Regis Chicago #9 as Best New Hotel
  • Global Traveler Magazine named O’Hare International Airport Best Airport in North America for the 20th consecutive year.
  • OAG ranked Chicago O’Hare International Airport at #13 in categories for Best Airport

Dining, Best Airport Shopping, and Best Large Airport overall.

To read more about Chicago in the news, click here.

Winter/Holiday Hotel Offerings:

Beginning November 23, 2024, the Twelve Ways of Festive returns to Four Seasons Hotel Chicago with themed activations and delightful surprises to capture the whimsy of the holiday season. Over six weeks, guests can expect merry moments from tasty chef-created treats and a speakeasy to family-oriented crafts and cookie decorating in the vibrant social spaces.

NoMI at Park Hyatt Chicago will host multiple events throughout the holiday season.

  • Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Viewing Party (November 23, 2024) – Experience the 33rd Annual Magnificent Mile Lights Festival like never before at NoMI. Enjoy lavish food stations, festive activities for the kids, and unlimited trips to the hot chocolate buffet. As the parade begins, enjoy front-row, standing room views of the Lights Festival parade from our prime vantage point.
  • NoMI Lounge’s Hot Chocolate Experience (November 23, 2024 – January 1, 2025) – Launching just in time for the Lights Festival, pour yourself a cup of rich Valrhona hot chocolate, then indulge in a buffet of housemade toppings from NoMI’s pastry team. For a grown-up twist, choose from a selection of spirits to “spike” your creation.
  • Thanksgiving Feast (November 28, 2024) – Join us for a memorable Thanksgiving with a modern twist on traditional flavors. Executive Chef Terence Zubieta will present a 4-course prix-fixe menu featuring truffle-sage brined turkey with herb and brown butter cornbread stuffing, citrus-spiced cranberry sauce, and pommes purée. Indulge in NoMI’s decadent dessert buffet, including our signature salted caramel apple tarts, while enjoying stunning views of the Magnificent Mile from our floor-to-ceiling windows.
  • Cookies & Wishes: A Santa Workshop (December 7, 2024) – Join us for a magical, one-day-only holiday celebration at NoMI Lounge, where festive fun comes to life for the whole family. Take photos with Santa, decorate cookies, craft letters to Santa, and enjoy endless hot chocolate. To our adult guests, feel free to create letters to take home to your friends and family instead!
  • Christmas Eve Dinner and Christmas Day Brunch (December 24-25, 2024) – Celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day overlooking the twinkling lights of Lake Michigan and the Magnificent Mile. Enjoy a 4-course prix fixe menu curated by Executive Chef Terence Zubieta, starting with hearty appetizers like pomme dauphines with truffle crème, followed by entrées like Chilean sea bass with littleneck clams, king oyster mushroom, and a creamy white wine and passionfruit broth. Conclude your festive evening with a luxe dessert buffet featuring holiday favorites like bûche de noël.
  • New Year’s Eve Soirée (December 31, 2024) – Slip into your finest cocktail attire and join us for Park Hyatt Chicago’s Annual New Year’s Eve Soirée – a night of pure opulence at NoMI Kitchen! Start your evening with an exquisite dinner and raw bar, before dancing the night away to live music and a champagne toast at midnight.

Staypineapple Chicago has new offerings for the fall and winter seasons:

  • Thanksgiving Parade View Room Package: Staypineapple Chicago is offering guests the chance to experience the magic of the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade like never before with its exclusive room package that includes a spectacular view of the parade right from their windows as it winds through the city. Guests who stay at this historic gem housed in a National Historic Landmark building from 1895 and book this package will receive complimentary gourmet popcorn and delicious hot chocolate to enjoy while watching the parade overhead from the comfort of their room. This unique experience combining history, charm, and holiday joy will create a Thanksgiving to remember for guests who choose Staypineapple Chicago for their festive winter getaway.
  • Theater Season Prix Fixe Menu: Atwood, a premier dining establishment located in Staypineapple Chicago, is offering a special prix fixe menu to celebrate the vibrant theater season inspired by the rich artistic heritage of the city. Just steps away from renowned venues like the Chicago Theatre, Goodman Theatre, and Cadillac Palace Theatre, Atwood invites patrons to indulge in a curated selection of dishes that pay homage to the flavors of Chicago. This exclusive menu features seasonal ingredients to create unique course options such as roasted bone marrow with apple butter mostarda, shrimp in brown butter caper sauce, and pumpkin risotto with pepitas, providing the perfect pre-theater dining experience that sets the stage for an unforgettable evening in the city.

Enjoy the holiday magic of Chicago’s Gold Coast with the Winter Wonderland Suite package at One MICHELIN Key hotel Viceroy Chicago. The festive offer includes accommodations in a one bedroom lakeview suite decorated for the holidays, curated amenities, a hot chocolate kit, cookie plate, holiday ornaments and mugs, plus a holiday coloring book and cookie decorating kit for children. This offer is valid on stays from December 1-25, 2024.

Food and Libations:

James Beard award-winning Chef Johnny Clark opened Anelya in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood last year and this fall it had the prestige of being awarded recognition in the MICHELIN Guide Chicago. The restaurant is the most personal project Clark has launched, with the name and background of the restaurant derived from his grandmother, Anelya, and it serves as her 100th birthday gift. A major focus on the culinary program from Clark is fermentation and seasonal preservations, with a main menu featuring creative takes on staple dishes like Varenyky, which are similar to pierogis or ravioli, with fillings like pumpkin and farmers cheese, or even seasonal fruits like cherries as a sweet and savory application. Anelya also offers modern takes on dishes like Holubtsi, or stuffed cabbage with sturgeon and buckwheat with caviar and sherry cream sauce. (Neighborhood: Avondale)

The Chicago City Council has approved a lease agreement to bring the flavors of a popular South Side eatery to O’Hare’s expanded and renovated Terminal 5. Bronzeville Bites will feature a signature bar with small plates modeled after Bronzeville Winery in the namesake neighborhood.

Cantina Rosa, a Mexican bar concept from Chef Erick Williams and Jesus Garcia, will open this fall. The menu will feature an expansive Mezcal and tequila program, Mexican-inspired bar bites, and a chic atmosphere with installations from local artists, spacious tables, and cozy seating. (Neighborhood: Hyde Park)

Cebu Chicago is a modern Filipino restaurant that aims to not only highlight Filipino cuisine in Chicago, but also represents Filipino culture in the USA. As a family-owned business, its mission is to showcase the richness of Filipino culinary traditions and create a welcoming environment for people to enjoy the experience. Part cafe and diner, guests will find ube waffles topped with fried chicken and a breakfast sandwich with a purple bun, hash brown medallion, and a chorizo patty. (Neighborhood: Lakeview)

The Dip Inn is an American cocktail bar coming to River North’s vibrant culinary scene in late 2024. The eatery’s drink menu will feature beverage mainstays helmed by Kevin Beary, partner and award-winning beverage director of Lettuce Entertain You’s Three Dots and a Dash and The Bamboo Room. (Neighborhood: River North)

Ēma, the Mediterranean restaurant from Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, opened its second location in the Glenview neighborhood. Ēma Glenview’s menu, created by chef-partner CJ Jacobson, menu features a selection of mezze, Mediterranean small plates, with an emphasis on Hummus & Spreads, Raw, Vegetable and Kebabs. Signature dishes include Moroccan Onion Dip, Tahini Caesar Salad, Octopus Carpaccio, and Spicy Brisket Kefta Kebab. (Neighborhood: Glenview)

il Carciofo, the newest restaurant from celebrity chef Joe Flamm, will open in late fall 2024. Guests can enjoy a seasonal menu of elevated Italian favorites, including prosciutto di parma, crispy carciofo and suppli con ragu antipasti, Roman-style pizzas from a custom wood stone oven, traditional hand-rolled pasta, market-driven main courses and house-spun gelatis and sorbettis, maritozzi and zabaglione for dessert. (Neighborhood: Fulton Market)

KOVAL Distillery will debut its new luxury line, Thresh & Winnow, with a limited edition Gold Medal-winning 10-Year-Old Rye Whiskey and a Best in Class and Double Gold medal-winning Single Malt Whiskey. The distillery’s tasting room will introduce new cocktails in the fall, and its tasting room calendar includes exciting cocktail classes, tours, magic, and more.

La Grande Boucherie is thrilled to announce the appointment of Chef Michael Taus as the new Executive Chef. With over three decades of culinary excellence, Chef Taus brings a wealth of experience and a passion for classic and innovative cuisine. His arrival marks an exciting new chapter for La Grande Boucherie as the team continues to elevate the dining experience with his creative vision and mastery of French-inspired cuisine in a classic steakhouse setting at an excellent value for the price point. La Grande Boucherie and Chef Taus are excited to bring a fresh take on the classic steakhouse experience, blending Midwestern charm with French traditions. Known for its expertly crafted cuts of prime steaks and an offering that balances accessibility with quality, La Grande Boucherie offers something for every steak lover and will expand their steakhouse offerings under Chef Taus’ leadership. Whether guests are savoring a perfectly cooked ribeye or indulging in one of the signature French-inspired dishes, Chef Taus promises an unforgettable dining experience that’s refined yet approachable. With a focus on quality and hospitality, La Grande Boucherie is redefining what it means to dine at a steakhouse in the heart of Chicago.

Nora Restaurant & Bar, a culinary gem that opened this year in Chicago, is excited to announce the arrival of its new Executive Chef, Daniele Sotgiu. With his extensive experience and passion for Mediterranean cuisine, Chef Sotgiu is set to elevate the dining experience at Nora with a unique blend of flavors inspired by his Sardinian roots. Under Chef Sotgiu’s direction, Nora plans to launch new menu items that promise to be a delectable feast for the senses. Guests can look forward to signature dishes such as the boneless branzino served with persillade sauce and vegetable caponatina, the bone-in saffron lamb shank that’s marinated overnight, as well as a rotating selection of homemade pastas. The menu will continue to highlight healthy, vibrant dishes, staying true to Mediterranean culinary culture. Chef Sotgiu emphasizes the importance of seasonal ingredients, planning to update the menu seasonally to incorporate the freshest ingredients available. The new menu aims to offer something new and unique that diners won’t find anywhere else.

Petit Pomeroy is now open in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. The sister restaurant to Winnetka’s Pomeroy serves a curated selection of bistro favorites alongside kind, impeccable service. It is a special place where everything looks beautiful and everyone feels comfortable. To dine with friends or drink with colleagues is to enjoy a taste of what makes Paris neighborhoods so special: the charming bistros. And those views—both inside and out—ils sont magnifiques! (Neighborhood: River North)

Pitaki, a quick-service dining spot specializing in Greek street food, is coming to Fulton Market this fall. Avli’s new sister restaurant Pitaki is bringing the rich flavors and vibrant traditions of Greek street food with pita wraps, bowls, savory Greek pies, salads, and desserts. Open for both lunch and dinner, the restaurant concept will feature a convenient counter for walk-up service, along with limited in-house seating and a catering program. (Neighborhood: Fulton Market)

New York pizzeria Prince Street Pizza will arrive in Chicago this fall on Randolph Street’s “Restaurant Row.” Offering square, Sicilian-style slices and original Neapolitan pizzas prepared daily from scratch, diners will get their pick of popular combos like “The Spicy Vodka” with fresh mozzarella, spicy vodka sauce, and pecorino romano and the “Green Machine” with nut-free pesto, shredded mozzarella, ricotta, and black olives, alongside Chicago-exclusive offerings.

Executive Chef Pablo Mexqutitla welcomes fall with a Tortoise Supper Club tradition – The Pheasant Pie – available beginning October 1, 2024. Settle into the authentic Chicago Supper Club experience at Tortoise Supper Club with fresh, from scratch menu including prime rib, prime steaks, and fresh seafood in a swanky jazz-era atmosphere with live jazz on Fridays and Saturdays in the heart of Downtown Chicago showcasing the Pheasant Pie during the month of October. (Neighborhood: River North)

Exhibitions (Immersive Art & Museums):

The Art Institute of Chicago has announced its fall/winter programming. (Neighborhood: The Loop)

  • Jitish Kallat: Public Notice 3 (Until September 10, 2025) – Jitish Kallat’s site-specific installation, Public Notice 3, returns to the Art Institute of Chicago’s Grand Staircase this fall after a 14-year hiatus. Initially unveiled on September 11, 2010, the work connects two significant historical events separated by 108 years: the First World’s Parliament of Religions which began on September 11, 1893, and the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. At the earlier event, the World Parliament of Religions, held in an auditorium that encompassed the area that today includes both the museum’s Fullerton Hall and Woman’s Board Grand Staircase, a young Hindu monk, Swami Vivekananda electrified audiences with a powerful speech calling for an end to religious fundamentalism, intolerance, and bigotry.
  • Germane Barnes: Columnar Disorder (Through January 27, 2025) – Chicago-born architect Germane Barnes explores the connections between identity and the built environment—using research, design, and activism to mine the social and political agency of architecture and uncover the spatial histories and futures of Black self-determination. For his first solo museum exhibition, Barnes recasts the canonical foundations of Western architecture through the lens of the African diaspora. Critically reflecting on the enduring legacy of the Classical orders—the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian—whose distinctive columns continue to proliferate in our built environment today, Barnes upends these long-standing and ubiquitous conventions by reimagining architectural orders that are instead rooted in the Black experience, history, and values.
  • The Otolith Group: A Massive Concentration of Black Interscalar Energy (Through March 30, 2025) – If Pan-Africanism opens the political horizon of Africa’s modernity, then its borderless imagination is best envisioned in cinema’s Africanas. In a new work commissioned for the major exhibitions on Pan-Africanism at the Art Institute, the British duo Kodwo Eshun and Anjalika Sagar of the Otolith Group have conceived a mural that studies the films directed by Senegalese filmmakers Ousmane Sembène and Djibril Diop Mambéty between 1963 and 2003. Picture a mural that montages the spaces, bodies, faces, forms, gestures, expressions, geometries, and geographies of the cinematic Sahel imagined and invented by Mambéty and Sembène.
  • Nancy Holt: Seeing in the Round (Through April 20, 2025) – In the early 1970s, Nancy Holt (American, 1938–2014) created her first sculpture, a viewing device that she called a Locator. Made from two pieces of welded steel pipe, with a viewing aperture set at the height of her own eyes, the Locator became a powerful means for Holt to ground her viewer in the conscious process of perception. The first Locators were installed in Holt’s New York studio in 1971. In this installation, conceived in collaboration with the Holt/Smithson Foundation, two historical works—Dual Locators (1972) and Locator (PS1) (1980)—are presented for the first time out-of-doors on a sculpture terrace, where the interior and exterior architecture of the museum are in constant dialogue with each other and the surrounding city. Drawing awareness to the act of looking, these devices ask us to attend to our individual experience of vision, while challenging the presumption that how we see is in any way self-evident.
  • Paula Modersohn-Becker: I Am Me (Through January 12, 2025) – During her short life, Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876–1907) radically charted her own path, exploring the singular aspects of the feminine experience in a bold style that foreshadowed Expressionism. Her most striking works—among the more than 700 paintings, roughly 1,400 drawings, and eleven prints made across only 10 years—are frank portrayals of childhood and images of the lived bodily experience of motherhood, pregnancy, and old age. Modersohn-Becker is especially acclaimed for her many self-portraits, including the first nude self-portraits known to have been made by a woman. Beyond subject matter, her innovative style, which emphasized expression over representation, placed her at the forefront of experimental art in Europe at the turn of the century.
  • French Neoclassical Paintings from The Horvitz Collection (October 19, 2024-January 6, 2025) – This exhibition showcases 25 paintings from the preeminent private collection of French 18th-century art in the United States: The Horvitz Collection. The selection of works focuses on Neoclassicism, an artistic style that emerged in the later 1700s and flourished through the 1820s, a period of tremendous political and social upheaval in France. This time was also the heyday of “history painting,” a genre of painting characterized by large-scale compositions portraying scenes from history, mythology, and religion. Neoclassical painters looked to the art, architecture, and literature of ancient Greece and Rome for inspiration, often as a lens through which to depict and comment upon contemporary events, and several works included in the exhibition were displayed to a broad public at the annual Paris Salons.
  • Jeremy Frey: Woven (October 26, 2024–February 10, 2025) – Delicate, intricate, and sinuous—the vessels that Jeremy Frey weaves from the heavy lumber of ash trees are astonishing to behold. Born in 1978 and raised in the Passamaquoddy Indian Township Reservation in Maine, Frey descends from a long line of esteemed basket weavers and draws on his heritage for the vocabulary of his works. At the same time, he radically innovates within these long-standing forms and techniques to masterfully sculpt objects with unprecedented complexity and elegance.
  • Revolution to Restoration: French Drawings from The Horvitz Collection (October 26, 2024–January 6, 2025) – Revolution to Restoration: French Drawings from The Horvitz Collection features approximately 90 drawings made from the 1770s through the 1850s, one of the most turbulent periods in French history. During this time, France abolished the monarchy, established a republic, terrorized perceived political enemies, waged war across the continent, imposed an empire, and eventually reinstated the monarchy—and these are only a handful of the tumultuous episodes that occurred across this 80-year period. Despite this profound instability, the country’s cultural environment flourished, spurring a significant stylistic shift in artistic production. Influenced by the rationalist ideas and moral seriousness of such Enlightenment thinkers as Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and inspired by important archaeological discoveries that radically altered contemporary ideas about the ancient Greco-Roman past, artists turned away from the playful, decadent Rococo style of the mid-18th century. In its place they adopted a more restrained and disciplined style, now known as Neoclassicism, a term invented only in the 19th century.

ART on THE MART, an innovative digital art project that transforms a Chicago architectural landmark into a larger-than-life canvas, will welcome new headliners this fall and winter.

  • The fall season (now through November 20, 2024) will debut a new work by Chicago-based artist Brendan Fernandes that will explore the idea of decolonizing architecture across the Western world through the projection of “new” doorways and windows onto the façade of the building. This will be accompanied by a house music soundscape, turning the Riverwalk into a space to gather and dance. ART on THE MART will also initiate a unique partnership with the Poetry Foundation to present collaborations between poets and visual artists.
  • The winter season (November 21—December 30, 2024) will see a return of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago which celebrates the emerging and established talent coming from the beloved Chicago institution, internationally regarded as one of the top art and design schools in the world. Under the leadership of former ART on THE MART artist Jan Tichy, working together with Judd Morrissey and Austen Brown, faculty members in the Art & Technology / Sound Practices department, undergraduate and graduate students from the fall 2024 Digital Light Projections and Analog Synthesis courses will create new projections.

Chicago’s not-for-profit Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture proudly welcomes legendary Academy Award®-winning cinematographer Sir Roger Deakins and his longtime collaborator/wife James Deakins (aka ‘TeamDeakins’) to open the Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition, showcasing a ‘cinematographer’s travelogue’ of still images shot by Deakins throughout his decades-long career. Encompassing the same construct of light and dark that is a signature of Deakins’ visual storytelling (exemplified by film classics such as Shawshank Redemption, No Country for Old Men, Fargo,and The Man Who Wasn’t There), the Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition is an expansive, curated selection of 41 portraits and landscapes from Deakins’ personal collection. Spanning five decades, 1971 to present, the works are both from Deakins’ first-ever photography monograph–the critically acclaimed BYWAYS (Damiani Books, 2021)–in addition to many images previously unpublished. ‘Team Deakins’ will take part in a series of film screenings, conversations and BYWAYS book signings October 17-20, 2024, to officially open the exhibition at the Athenaeum Center’s Paradiso Gallery, where it will remain on view through April 30, 2025. (Neighborhood: Lakeview)

Chicago Architecture Center presents The New Magnificent: Visions to Renew and Reconnect the Mag Mile (through November 16, 2024). North Michigan Avenue, known colloquially as The Magnificent Mile, is an indelible part of Chicago’s global image. Since the 1920 completion of Michigan Avenue (now DuSable) Bridge set this formerly dirt road on a course toward becoming a grand boulevard, prominent retailers have flocked to the district and skyscrapers have sprouted along the corridor. Encompassing 13 blocks of Michigan Avenue from River North to Oak Street Beach, the Magnificent Mile and its side streets are packed with hundreds of shops and restaurants. A wide variety of hotels, entertainment venues and cultural offerings reinforce the area’s draw. In this pop-up exhibition, two design proposals are presented for improving the economic vitality and overall experience of the Magnificent Mile: MM2050 by Lamar Johnson Collaborative, commissioned by the Magnificent Mile Association; and Reimagining North Michigan Avenue by Gensler, commissioned by Parkside Realty. The themes presented in these proposals can be further explored in our Loop as Lab: Reshaping Downtowns exhibition on view in the upstairs Skyscraper Gallery. (Neighborhood: The Loop)

Chicago History Museum’s newest exhibit Dressed in History: A Costume Collection Retrospective will open October 19, 2024. What do a red sequin burlesque costume, a pair of original Air Jordan 1s, a baby’s wool bathing suit, and an enormous white tulle Christian Dior gown have in common? All these wearable artifacts are preserved in the Chicago History Museum’s vast costume collection, which strives to represent the many different people and stories that make up our city. Featuring 70 rarely seen objects, from glamorous gowns and sharp suits to house dresses and sneakers, Dressed in History: A Costume Collection Retrospective explores how clothing captures the material, social, and changing cultural values throughout history. The exhibition celebrates 100 years of an incredible collection and the donors, curators, and staff who have shaped it. (Neighborhood: Lincoln Park)

Cleve Carney Art Museum will present Insert Coin (October 26, 2024-February 16, 2025). This exhibition chronicles the stories behind games such as Defender, Joust, Robotron, Ms. Pac-Man, Tron, Rampage, NARC, Smash TV, Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam., Terminator 2, and Cruis’N USA and features behind-the-scenes video, art, and ephemera from the making of these games, interviews with former Midway game designers, and the playable games themselves. Notable Williams, Bally Midway, and Midway artists and developers whose work is featured in the exhibition includes Bill Adams, Ed Boon, Brian Colin, Warren Davis, Larry DeMar, Sal Divita, George Gomez, Eugene Jarvis, Jack Haeger, George Petro, Jeff Nauman, John Newcomer, John Tobias, and Mark Turmell. Insert Coin is named after the acclaimed eponymous 2020 documentary by filmmaker and Director of Innovation at DePaul University Joshua Tsui. (Glen Ellyn, Illinois)

Elmhurst Art Museum will present three new exhibitions. (Elmhurst, Illinois)

  • A VISUAL MEMOIR (Through October 18, 2024) – A solo retrospective of Cassandra Swierenga’s art practice, this exhibition will feature selections from various collections Swierenga has created over the years. The showcased pieces will include works from the watercolor Black Bird Farm series, the Rock and Water series in oils and watercolor, and her abstract watercolor series. Additionally, her latest graphite series, Looking in the Mirror, will complete the show with over 40 plus small portraits of people. These portraits demonstrate a wide range of facial expressions that can be conveyed through simple lines and shading.
  • Rafael Blanco: Reflecting on a Decade of Public Art (Through January 5, 2025) – This exhibition will introduce the viewer to Blanco’s artistic journey through visual works in progress, video of Blanco’s process, and large-scale new work transforming the Museum’s galleries into its own urban landscape, filled with color, texture, and the serendipity of discovering public art in the wild. Rafael Blanco’s work is deeply influenced by his own immigrant experience, and the beauty of embracing a new country while maintaining your own identity. Blanco extends that idea in a collaboration with nearly 100 area students, encouraging them to embrace who they are, be inspired by their own identity and culture, and let it all come out in their own work.
  • Magic & Imaginary Realms: Selections From the Elmhurst Art Museum Collection (Through January 5, 2025) – Magic & Imaginary Realms presents selections from the Elmhurst Art Museum’s Collection with works by artists who share uniquely inventive perceptions of the world around us – or who invent worlds we are invited to inhabit. This peek into the collection draws inspiration from the whimsical worlds of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe and Someplace Else, created by Fred Rogers and continued into today’s PBS KIDS show Donkey Hodie, showcased in the Museum’s main galleries. Here, we present visions of the strange and magical by artists working in a variety of media and representing a broad range of dates and approaches. Included are the completely made-up beings in works by Peter Max and Sonia Delaunay, mystical interior spaces created by Phillip Hansen, oddly revealing juxtapositions framed by photographer Caroline Allison, or the bizarre collision of worlds experienced by Rebecca Keller whilst standing at a photocopy machine, presented to us on a shoe.

Hyde Park Art Center will present three new exhibitions this fall and winter. (Neighborhood: Hyde Park)

  • Cecilia Beaven: Flickering Cocoon (Through April 6, 2025) – Interdisciplinary artist Cecilia Beaven creates mystical environments and narratives through her large graphic wall paintings. Her paintings and sculptures first appeared at the Art Center in Ground Floor (2020) and continued to develop on site during a Radicle Residency (2021). This exhibition will feature a new temporary mural, drawings, and small clay and papier mache sculptures by Beaven featuring the women-centered worlds she has been illustrating over the past five years.
  • Positions: New Landscapes (October 26, 2024-February 23, 2025) – This group exhibition features works by six Chicago-based artists who explore the potential of landscape in contemporary art to contribute to timely conversations about relationships between sites and history, place and belonging, and environmental justice and land stewardship. Working in a diverse range of media including photography, sculpture, sound, installation, and painting, the artists in the exhibition reinvent the traditional genre of landscape to explore its capacity to intervene in civic dialogs rooted in place. Positions highlights both the artist’s unique approach to engaging the landscape and how their individual identities have shaped their perspective on the histories and practices their works address.
  • Ground Floor 2024 (December 7, 2024-March 9, 2025) – Ground Floor, an ongoing biennial exhibition since 2010, brings together work by Chicago’s most promising emerging talent whose work demands to be seen and supported. The exhibition offers a single destination to discover 20 artists who have recently graduated (in 2023 and 2024) from one of Chicago’s five outstanding MFA programs, Columbia College, Northwestern University, The University of Chicago, The University of Illinois at Chicago, and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Ground Floor presents art made in the past couple of years in hopes of investigating and articulating conceptual and stylistic trends coming out of Chicago art schools right now.

Illinois Holocaust Museum will open Resilience—A Sansei Sense of Legacy on December 15, 2024. Told from the point of view of Sansei (third generation) Japanese Americans, this is an exhibition of eight artists whose work reflects on the effect of EO9066 as it resonated from generation to generation. While several of the artists employ traditional Japanese methods in the construction of their work, others use iconography relating to Japanese culture as a jumping-off point for personal explorations on the subject of the incarceration camps. Each in their own way, the artists in this exhibition express moments of deeply felt pain and reluctant acceptance, emotions which were often withheld by their elders. Exhibition artists include Kristine Aono, Reiko Fujii, Wendy Maruyama, Lydia Nakashima Degarrod, Tom Nakashima, Roger Shimomura, Judy Shintani, and Jerry Takigawa. (Skokie, Illinois)

Jane Addams Hull-House Museum’s newest exhibition, Radical Craft: Arts Education at Hull-House, 1889-1935, will explore the history and legacy of arts education at the country’s most influential social settlement. By the turn of the century, Hull-House had become a vibrant site of progressive thought and unconventional living, where educators envisioned the arts as a tool for social reform in the immigrant communities on the Near West Side. Radical Craft will foreground the vision of Hull-House co-founder Ellen Gates Starr and the many immigrant artisans whose practice flourished at the settlement. Radical Craft will offer visitors the opportunity to discover items rarely exhibited, including the museum’s stunning textiles collection, and multiple new museum acquisitions. The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalog with newly commissioned work by scholars and artists, and a year-long series of public programs and craft workshops. (Neighborhood: Pilsen) 

The Fall 2024 season at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago includes a plethora of exciting events, including the opening of the major fourth-floor exhibition The Living End: Painting and Other Technologies, 1970–2020, as well as notable upcoming programs such as the third annual Chicago Performs series, a new season of Family Day, a performance by Edgar Arceneaux, and roundtable talks on current exhibitions Arthur Jafa: Works from the MCA Collection and Chicago Works | Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons. Visitors will also get to see Descending the Staircase and Trade Windings: De-Lineating the American Tropics.

The National Public Housing Museum will open in Chicago this fall. Located in the last remaining building of the historic Jane Addams Homes, the museum is committed to preserving the profound legacy of public housing and fostering a nuanced understanding of its impact on communities.

The Poetry Foundation will host an exciting season of poetry programming. Its fall season of events listens for the murmuring voices of the Americas against the backbeat of the US election cycle. The season theme, “Murmuring Americas,” riffs on the title of Chicago poet Daniel Borzutzky’s new book. Highlights include a reading on poetry and grief with Borzutzy, Rae Armantrout, and Forrest Gander; a staged reading of Zip!, a new play written and directed by Timothy Rey; and a reading reflecting on exile with Philip Metres and Faisal Mohyuddin. Additionally, its latest exhibition, More Light! Luftwerk x Aram Saroyan, will open on October 17, 2024. Chicago-based artist duo Luftwerk have designed an immersive interpretation of “lighght,” a one-word poem by Aram Saroyan. The exhibition brings viewers inside an ever shifting prism of colored light, transforming the Poetry Foundation gallery into a dynamic lightbox. (Neighborhood: River North)

The Richard H. Driehaus Museum will present Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright (October 24, 2024-January 5, 2025). Frank Lloyd Wright had a lifelong fascination with photography, viewing it as a hobby as well as a way for his architecture to reach a broad public. PhotographingFrank Lloyd Wright  includes Wright’s own photography along with images by the leading photographers who documented his career. The exhibition presents a concise survey of Wright’s architecture and aesthetic and offers insights into how photography influenced public perception of his work. In addition to the architectural photos, the exhibition also includes examples of Wright’s decorative designs, demonstrating his concept of design unity. (Neighborhood: River North)

The Smart Museum of Art will reopen after a temporary closure for reinstallation and celebrate its 50th anniversary with “The 50th: An Anniversary Celebration,” an exhibition that will run September 24, 2024 through March 2, 2025. This exhibition traces the layered, sometimes hidden, histories that have made up the Smart Museum of Art. These histories range from fraught beginnings of building a teaching collection and important relationships with local artists, critics, and community leaders, to opportunities presented by unexpected gifts and partnerships. It reconsiders the impact of the Museum’s past exhibitions that have told different narratives, programs that have pushed boundaries, and acquisitions that have altered the course of the collection. It explores Smart’s dedication to broadening academic engagement on and off campus. Drawn from the collection, the exhibition presents over a hundred works from across the breadth and depth of the Museum’s holdings, including paintings, works on paper, sculpture, and archival materials.

Wrightwood 659 hosts two installations by distinguished artist and filmmaker John Akomfrah, known for his works which investigate memory, post-colonialism, temporality, and the experiences of migrant diasporas globally.

  • Four Nocturnes is a 52-minute, three-channel video installation which explores the complex relationship between humanity’s destruction of the natural world and its self-destruction. Using Africa’s declining elephant populations as its narrative spine, Four Nocturnes is staged as a set of impressionist meditations. The film questions mortality, loss, fragmented identity, mythology, and memory through poetic visuals that survey the landscape of African cultural heritage. Four Nocturnes is the third part of a trilogy of films which include Vertigo Sea and Purple and was commissioned for the inaugural Ghana Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019. A second Akomfrah work will be on view at Wrightwood 659, Toxic Cloud, an installation comprising hundreds of plastic jugs suspended overhead, capturing the vast scale of our polluted atmosphere. These works are presented by Alphawood Exhibitions at Wrightwood 659.
  • Organized by the Rubin Museum of Art in New York on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now presents 28 contemporary artists from the Himalayas, Asia, and diaspora whose work is presented in dialogue with objects from the Rubin Museum’s permanent collection, inviting new ways of encountering traditional Himalayan art. The exhibition features 18 commissions as well as recent work across mediums—including painting, sculpture, sound, video, and installation—which reimagine the forms, symbols, and narratives found within the living cultural heritage of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and other Himalayan regions.The artists explore the continuum of the cultures that shape their identity, merging past with present into one space, and posing questions about the potential for transformation today. Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now is presented at Wrightwood 659 by Halsted A&A Foundation.

Festivals & Events:

Arts in the Dark (October 19, 2024) – Now in its 10th year, Arts in the Dark is a magical evening parade celebrating Halloween as the “artist’s holiday” and drawing together world-renowned institutions, celebrated Chicago cultural organizations, important youth programs, and aspiring artists in every field. It is a dazzling production that delights an audience of 50,000 with unique floats, spectacle puppets, and creative performances – all set against the backdrop of historic State Street. More than just a parade, Arts in the Dark is a mission-driven and curated event that brings performance and creativity to the street. It draws together cultural organizations and artists from every Ward in Chicago to celebrate our values as artists and cultural organizations – and provide a platform for Chicago’s creative youth to explore a path in the arts.

Chicago Fashion Week (Until October 20, 2024) – Chicago is set to make its mark as a major fashion capital with the launch of its inaugural Chicago Fashion Week® (CHIFW) in October 2024. Spanning 12 days from October 9-20, CHIFW will showcase the city’s diverse and innovative fashion community through fashion shows, award programs, retail markets, and educational events. The event is endorsed by the City of Chicago and supported by key figures from the local fashion industry. With nearly 95% of events open to the public, CHIFW aims to provide an accessible platform for both emerging and established designers, while highlighting Chicago’s status as a hub for creative talent and world-class shopping.

Chicago Thanksgiving Parade (November 28, 2024) , a local tradition for almost 90 years, kicks off the holiday season with a fun-filled morning in the heart of downtown Chicago. The parade takes over Chicago’s iconic State Street in the Loop from 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning. Watch the colorful procession make its way up State Street from Ida B. Wells Drive north to Randolph Street at this free, all-ages event. This year’s live entertainment will include the country’s top marching bands, live music, festive floats, acrobats, equestrians, cultural performances, celebrity hosts, and larger-than-life helium balloons. Special performers will include the Kankakee Marching Kays, Bishop Noll Marching Warriors, The Back of the Yards Marching Band, Woodland Wildcat Marching Band, and more.

International Cabaret Festival (October 31 – November 9, 2024) – The 6th international exchange of Chicago Paris Cabaret Connexion presents a concert festival featuring cabaret headliners from Paris, London, and Brazil…not to mention Las Vegas, New York, and Chicago! More than two dozen cabaret performers are coming to Chicago to share master classes, workshops, and round table discussions during the day and live performances at night. The public is invited to see what all the fuss is about– that cabaret is alive, multicultural, and thriving in Chicago with live performances from Rogers Park to the South Loop. (Multiple Neighborhoods)

Open House Chicago (October 19-20, 2024) – Chicago Architecture Center’s free festival that instills civic pride by providing behind-the-scenes access to places of architectural, historical, and cultural significance and highlights businesses, organizations, and creative leaders making a positive impact in Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods will highlight 170+ locations across 20+ Chicago neighborhoods, including 25 new sites. OHC, now in its 14th year, allows attendees to visit significant sites across the city, many of which are normally closed to the public. This year, new sites include the Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport, the historic Chess Studio at Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation, Bronzeville’s Al-Sadiq mosque, and The Driehaus Museum’s Murphy Auditorium. Also new this year is the OHC photo competition, which allows festival attendees to showcase their photography skills by submitting photos taken at OHC sites in one of four categories: interior, exterior, black & white, and detail. (Multiple Neighborhoods)

The Winter holidays kick off with the annual Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival® (on November 23, 2024), a day-through-night, mile long holiday extravaganza, culminating in the largest nighttime parade in the United States led by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse of Walt Disney World® Resort. This spectacular parade down North Michigan Avenue features fabulous floats, giant helium balloons, marching bands from across the country, popular celebrities, musical performances, Santa Claus on Wintrust’s grand finale float, The Wintrust Fireworks Spectacular, and one million lights illuminating The Magnificent Mile’s 200+ trees.

Attractions:

AIRE Ancient Baths is pleased to introduce a new holistic beauty ritual: Orange Garden Experience. A transformative full-body and facial massage treatment that’s available at all locations, the Orange Garden experience transports guests to the patios of Seville, where the AIRE brand first started in 1994. The new 135-minute Orange Garden experience begins with a 35-minute full-body massage, followed by a 25-minute face massage. The face massage is designed to relax the facial muscles, using gua sha tools to reduce puffiness and improve circulation, resulting in glowing, rejuvenated skin. Following the massage, a cooling face mask is applied, with peptides to stimulate collagen, and bakuchiol, which promotes cell regeneration and smooths fine lines. Guests will simultaneously enjoy a rejuvenating scalp massage for a deeply relaxing full-body experience. As part of the Orange Garden Experience, guests can expect a fully immersive experience that draws on the brand’s European heritage, with time to savor the many baths while surrounded by the warm glow of hundreds of flickering candles.

Chicago Botanic Garden will present two exciting attractions this fall and winter:

  • Night of 1,000 Jack-o-Lanterns (October 16-20 and October 23-27, 2024) – More than 1,000 hand-carved, real pumpkins – some as large as 150 pounds – lit with LED lights will light up the night and line the family-friendly outdoor path in a beautiful fall setting.
  • Lightscape (Select dates, November 15, 2024 – January 5, 2025) – The holiday event that sells out each year returns with a reimagined experience for its sixth year. This year’s illuminated trail for enchanting winter nights will set the Garden aglow with light, art, and music. The all-new path will be filled with transformed vistas and dazzling installations from around the world debuting for the first time, like Neon Singing Trees and Star Show, along with show stopping favorites like the Winter Cathedral.

Christkindlmarket (November 24 – December 24, 2024) is a holiday tradition in Chicago, this year celebrating its 28th year at Daley Plaza.  Modeled after the 16th-century holiday markets in Germany,  the market offers a delightful experience with pretzels, beer, downtown sightseeing, and German holiday traditions. With over 50 vendors in the signature red and white striped booths, you’ll find an extensive selection of food and gifts from Chicago, Germany, and beyond! As always, the hot ticket item remains the Christkindlmarket’s annual souvenir mug, a must-have for keeping your hands warm and sipping the market’s many hot drink options including glühwein (traditional hot spiced wine), hot chocolate, apple cider, and tea. A satellite of the market will also return to RiverEdge Park in downtown Aurora, Illinois, for the third year.

Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light (November 16, 2024 – January 6, 2025) return to the Museum of Science & Industry for its beloved annual celebration featuring a four-story, floor-to-dome Grand Tree, surrounded by a forest of more than 50 trees and displays decorated by volunteers to represent the holiday traditions from cultures around the globe. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience that brings a whole world of holiday joy under one roof.

City Cruises Chicago will offer a diverse range of cruising experiences throughout the remainder of the year and during the upcoming holiday season including Halloween, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. Set sail and see for yourself why cruising is not just a summertime activity, but a year-round adventure. In addition to City Cruises’ year-round dining cruises, below are the specialty holiday offerings available for the upcoming fall and winter months:

  • Seadog Haunted River Tour (Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in October) – Set sail on a moonlit, mystical adventure that delves into Chicago’s haunted history while navigating through some of the city’s most renowned architecture, each with their own stories to tell. Patrons will discover the hidden secrets, spirits, scandals, and sins of the Windy City through chilling stories of unexplained supernatural events and notorious personalities. All Seadog cruises are BYOB, so cruisers are invited to bring their boos and booze along. Plus, all furry friends ride free.
  • Halloween Drag Show Cruise (October 18, 2024) – For a hauntingly spectacular night, patrons are invited to the Divas After Dark Halloween Drag Cruise on Lake Michigan aboard the Spirit of Chicago. This unforgettable midnight cruise promises an evening of spectacular performances and dancing, featuring a renowned drag queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race as the host, along with performances by three of Chicago’s top local drag queens. Guests can enjoy a buffet of late-night bites, a fully stocked cash bar, and stunning skyline views. Additionally, 10% of the proceeds will be donated to the Center on Halsted, a local charity supporting the LGBTQIA+ community.
  • 2024 Sherman & Tingle Halloween Cruise with 97.1 The Drive (October 25, 2024) – A spooktacular evening awaits patrons as they board the 2024 Sherman & Tingle Halloween Cruise on October 25th. This cruise is presented by local radio station, The Drive 97.1 with hosts Steve Tingle and Brian Sherman. The cruise will feature Halloween fun including DJ entertainment, a costume contest and more. This is a Signature dinner cruise aboard Odyssey Lake Michigan.
  • Thanksgiving Day Lunch & Dinner Cruises (November 28, 2024) – Those looking to skip the holiday meal prepping to spend more quality time with loved ones are invited to cruise a selection of Thanksgiving brunch and dinner cruises available along the serenity of the lake and river. Offering a unique way to celebrate the upcoming festivities, guests aboard will relish a delightful Thanksgiving spread led by Executive Chef Francesco Simone while enjoying live entertainment in the comfort of a climate-controlled interior. Patrons are invited to commemorate the picture-perfect day by stepping outside on the spacious outdoor deck for the ultimate photo op.
  • Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Brunch & Dinner Cruises (December 24-25, 2024) – It’s the most magical time of the year, and City Cruises invites all loved ones to cruise the ultimate holiday experience on Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. City Cruises’ DJ will create the perfect ambiance of merriment while the breathtaking city lights will light up the night and offer unprecedented vantage points of the Chicago skyline. This magical cruise will be paired with delicious chef-prepared menus and perfectly crafted seasonal cocktails.
  • New Year’s Eve Dinner Cruises (December 31, 2024) – Celebrate the beginning of the New Year with an unforgettable experience on a dinner cruise designed for all types of groups. Indulge in all-inclusive packages featuring chef-prepared menus and the option of an open bar. Throughout the evening, guests will be entertained as they enjoy the stunning views from the water. As the clock strikes midnight, guests will have the best vantage point to witness the Navy Pier fireworks. To note, NYE dinner cruises are 21+.
  • New Year’s Eve and New Years Day Brunch Cruise (December 31, 2024 and January 1, 2025) – Patrons are invited to have smooth sailing the morning of both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day with on City Cruises’ New Year’s Brunch cruises, where patrons will enjoy bottomless mimosas and chef-crafted menus start or keep the party going. Discover the beauty of the city’s iconic landmarks such as the Merchandise Mart and the Willis Tower while reveling in the fresh start to the new year.

Original X Productions, a leader in live events and location-based entertainment, has teamed up with The Hershey Company to unveil the first-ever touring attraction celebrating the iconic candy brand. Hershey Super Sweet Adventure made its initial debut at Chicago’s Water Tower Place on Friday, October 4, 2024. The one-of-a-kind play experience transports guests into a whimsical wonderland, with captivating narratives for The Hershey Company’s most popular confections including Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolates, Twizzlers Twists and Jolly Rancher Candies. Through an immersive story-based experience filled with hands-on activities, patrons will forge a deeper connection to their favorite Hershey chocolate and sweets. Hershey Super Sweet Adventure begins when guests are invited to apprentice with the Sweet Seekers, a special team dedicated to infusing Hershey candy with extraordinary qualities. Inside this fantastical facility, guests will explore various candy-inspired zones to discover what makes Hershey treats so special.

Illumination: Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum (November 16, 2024-January 4, 2025) returns with exciting features and immersive installations in this festive exhibition that features  17 displays of lights and music highlighting the beauty of trees in winter. The 2024 exhibition features a secluded glade strung with fairy lights, kinetic LED tall grasses honoring a Midwest native species, and trees lit up with a hug. New this year, Celebration Circle is an interactive light display in The Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden featuring four sets of illuminated tree-shaped installations, each synced to the music of a different instrument. Stop in one of the concession tents for snacks and beverages along the Illumination trail, or sit down to a delicious meal at the Ginkgo Restaurant to view a laser light finale on Meadow Lake. A temperature-activated, color-changing ceramic mug will be available for purchase on all Illumination dates.

Jack’s Pumpkin Pop-Up (Through November 4, 2024), the greatest fall interactive pop-experience, returns to Chicago for its seventh anniversary. The space features endless entertainment and Instagram moments with larger-than-life installations to create the perfect pose with friends and family. There is no shortage of fun for all ages throughout the outdoor venue, featuring music and activities. Hit the bullseye at axe throwing, delve into mining for gems, search the corn maze for the one-of-a-kind hidden “BOO”-zy bar, or simply spend time sorting through the 10,000+ pumpkins to take home for the spooky season! New this year, challenge your friends on our dueling mechanical bulls where you can compete side by side to see who can stay on the longest. Or, experience the excitement of our pig racing, where you’ll race your friends while riding human-powered mechanical pigs.

Lightscape (November 15, 2024 – January 5, 2025), the popular holiday event from the Chicago Botanic Garden that sells out every year, returns with a reimagined experience for its sixth season. The illuminated trail for enchanting winter nights will set the Garden aglow with light, art, and music produced in partnership with Sony Music. Attendees will discover an all-new path filled with transformed vistas and dazzling installations from around the world debuting for the first time, like Neon Singing Trees and Star Show, along with showstopping favorites like the Winter Cathedral.

Lincoln Park Zoo – which is excited to announce that it is now an accredited botanical garden by the Botanic Garden Conservation International (BGCI), recognizing the the zoo as a botanic garden that excels in conservation and sustainability – has a full lineup of events this season, including:

  • Spooky Zoo (October 19, 2024) – This event offers trick-or-treating at Chicago’s zoo starting at 10 a.m. and continuing while supplies last. Family-friendly entertainment will include interactive storytelling and music at the stage on Main Mall, a craft zone, and free carousel rides.
  • Can’t make it to Spooky Zoo? Family-friendly Fall Fest will run through October 27, 2024, filled with free musical entertainment, professional pumpkin carvers, a pumpkin patch, and fall-themed enrichment for the animals. (Neighborhood: Lincoln Park)
  • And later this year, don’t miss ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo (November 15, 2024–January 5, 2025), which is celebrating its 30th anniversary! This beloved staple of Chicago’s holiday season will delight guests of all ages with festive attractions and more than 3 million lights across zoo grounds and hundreds of LED light displays. Guests will be immersed in ethereal and interactive elements and holiday experiences throughout the zoo, encountering professional ice carvers and roaming Victorian carolers on select nights.New this year is the Light Lounge at Foreman Pavilion, offering family-friendly interactive light toys and activities, plus a lounge area with special food and drink offerings for a more adult vibe. Ticket sales from ZooLights ($7-10 per person) directly support the zoo’s world-class animal care, global conservation efforts, and innovative learning programs.ZooLights Presented by ComEd and Invesco QQQ is once again powered by green, renewable power. All the lights are energy-saving LEDs and are powered by wind energy. ZooLights will also offer FREE admission on a series of Mondays.

Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) announced several public art projects to be completed this fall, including neighborhood murals initiatives, as well as unique artwork by Chicago artists on the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Blue, Green, and Orange lines. The artist-designed CTA train wraps are currently on display, as well as many of the neighborhood murals being created by mainly Chicago-based artists in collaboration with community organizations to be installed at public sites in Humboldt Park, the West Loop, and Woodlawn/Washington Park. Additional murals will debut this fall in the Bronzeville, Edgewater, Mayfair, South Chicago, and Uptown communities. These new neighborhood murals will interpret the themes of democracy, civic duty, diversity, equity, and inclusion and will also celebrate Chicago’s Blue and House music legacies.

The nonprofit Rogers Park Business Alliance (RPBA) announces the return of its annual Live Love Shop Rogers Park holiday rebate program, kicking off on Small Business Saturday, November 30, 2024. Dozens of unique independent businesses in the neighborhood will offer special discounts and promotions on this day, to launch the rebate program for holiday shoppers from November 30 – December 31, 2024. A Welcome Station will be open for visitors to ask questions, grab complimentary treats, and listen to holiday tunes sung by carolers. This year, a new Mercadito market craft fair will be introduced, showcasing local vendors and businesses, followed by a festive Christmas tree lighting at the Glenwood Alfresco to cap off the day. The sales incentivized by the rebate program help create a strong small business community in Rogers Park, one of the most culturally diverse communities in Chicago.

Shedd Aquarium has two exciting attractions planned for the fall. (Neighborhood: South Loop)

  • Wonder of Water – Experience the beauty and diversity of aquatic life through two towering saltwater and freshwater habitats. Guests will walk between the habitats, observing vibrant and colorful corals living on one side and a lushly planted freshwater fish habitat on the other. Surrounded by aquatic life, guests can revel in the vastness of the blue planet’s biodiversity and deepen their affinity for nature amidst an urbanizing world. At the beating heart of Shedd’s historic home, this gallery will set the tone for the awe-inspiring nature found throughout the aquarium. Over the near-century history of the aquarium, this rotunda space has served as the first exhibit guests see. First, in 1930, it opened as a 40-foot-diameter rock garden and sunken tropical pool filled with native fishes, turtles and frogs, and then in 1971, it was reimagined and transformed into a 90,000-gallon reef with tropical fish, stingrays and sharks. This year, guests uncover both the freshwater and saltwater biodiversity in one space and discover the unique colors, shapes, forms and biological adaptations of aquatic life that rely on the most vital resource on our blue planet – water. 
  • Amazon Rising – Three 6-foot-long arapaima, one of the world’s largest freshwater fish, and Beatrix an 11-foot-long green anaconda, a species considered one of the largest snakes in the world, will both get new expanded homes. Further, guests will discover how these animals have adapted to live amidst one of the world’s most dramatic seasonal changes. New interactive elements seeing animal care experts feed the arapaima will give guests a front row seat to hear the distinct clapping sound when this ancient fish eats, creating a vacuum and trapping food with a strong, bony tongue. Additionally, guests can uncover how electric eels use both low and high voltage electric discharges to explore their environment, communicate and hunt through a realtime LED output that tracks the eels’ discharge.

The Club MDW, the first premium lounge in the 96-year history of Midway International Airport, is now open. The Club MDW offers travelers a relaxing, comfortable environment with enhanced amenities, including complimentary refreshments, a variety of seating options, and workspaces equipped with charging stations. The lounge is available to all travelers, regardless of airline or class of service, by purchasing a day pass for $50 or with membership in various lounge networks, including Priority Pass, the world’s largest independent airport lounge program, and LoungeKey. The design of the 3,300-square-foot club draws inspiration from Chicago’s rich architectural history, featuring high-contrast, monochromatic tones and photography by local artists Mark Hersch and Angie McMonigal. The multi-functional space is designed to meet the needs of the modern traveler, providing areas for work, relaxation, and socializing, and at its heart is a lively bar, serving as a central hub where guests can unwind and connect. Expansive floor-to-ceiling windows provide sweeping views of the airfield, transporting travelers away from the hustle and bustle.

Meetings, Conventions, & Venues:

Chicago has been selected as the host city for U.S. Travel Association’s IPW in 2025. The last time Chicago hosted the leading inbound travel trade show was 2014. The conference will be held June 14 – 18, 2025, at McCormick Place. (Neighborhood: South Side)

McCormick Place has had some recent updates including:

  • Welcoming Executive Chef Gregg Nuguid to enhance the dining experience with his innovative cuisine.
  • OVG360 introduced Senior Sustainability Manager Jackie Tauber and celebrated WEFTEC 2023’s Sustainable Event Standards Gold Certification.
  • Beginning summer 2024, McCormick Place introduced new trash sorting support technology to help guests properly sort waste, furthering the commitment to eco-friendly initiatives for events.
  • Fight2Feed Partnership: McCormick Place partnered with Fight2Feed to rescue over 3,200 pounds of food during the Chicago Auto Show First Look for Charity Gala.

The Obama Presidential Center – Covering 19 acres, the campus will include a fruit and vegetable garden, an athletic facility for programs and events, a premier museum, an auditorium, a branch of the Chicago Public Library, and additional amenities. The programming will encourage visitors, whether local or international, to carry the impact of their experience with them. The multi-purpose athletics and event facility at the Obama Presidential Center is set to open in 2025, while the campus is set to open early 2026.

Theatre & Performing Arts:

The iconic Tony Award-winning musical ANNIE is returning to Chicago this holiday season with a limited three-week engagement at The Chicago Theatre from November 12 – December 1, 2024. ANNIE is a heartwarming musical that for generations has reminded audiences that “the sun will come out tomorrow,” and now the best-loved musical of all time is set to return in a new production that celebrates family, optimism, and the American spirit as the ultimate cure for the hard knocks life throws your way. The original production of ANNIE opened on Broadway on April 21, 1977, and went on to win seven Tony Awards including Best Musical (Charles Strouse), Best Book (Thomas Meehan) and Best Score (Martin Charnin).

Broadway In Chicago is proud to produce the following shows as part of its Fall lineup (Neighborhood: The Loop):

  • Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert (playing October 19, 2024 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre) – Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert presents a live orchestral rendition of the series’ iconic soundtrack, paired with a two-hour special recap of the animated series’ three seasons displayed on a full-size cinema screen. The projection will feature the original dialogue and sound effects without any pre-recorded music, allowing the live orchestra to perform the legendary score live and in perfect sync with the show’s favorite scenes. The result? A truly immersive and grandiose concert experience that breathes new life into Avatar: The Last Airbender.
  • The Rocky Horror Picture Show (playing October 20, 2024 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre) – Join the original ‘Brad Majors’ – Barry Bostwick – for a screening of the original unedited movie with a live shadow cast by Rocky Horror In Abundance and audience participation! Plus a memorabilia display with artifacts and an actual costume from the movie, a costume contest, and more!
  • Some Like It Hot (playing October 22 – November 3, 2024 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre) – Winner of 4 Tony Awards®, including Best Choreography and Best Costumes and the Grammy Award® for Best Musical Theater Album, Some Like it Hot is “A Super-Sized, All-Out Song-And-Dance Spectacular!” – The New York Times. Set in Chicago when Prohibition has everyone thirsty for a little excitement, Some Like it Hot is the “glorious, big, high-kicking” (Associated Press) story of two musicians forced to flee the Windy City after witnessing a mob hit. With gangsters hot on their heels, they catch a cross-country train for the life-chasing, life-changing trip of a lifetime. And what a trip it is! With its irresistible combination of heart and laughs, song and dance, Some Like it Hot won more theater awards than any show this season, and was named Best Musical by the Drama Desk, The Drama League, and the Outer Critics Circle. No wonder Deadline calls it “a tap-dancing, razzle-dazzling embrace of everything you love about musical theater.”
  • A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical (playing November 12-24, 2024 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre) – Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, A Beautiful Noise is the uplifting true story of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chart-busting, show-stopping American rock icon. With 120 million albums sold, a catalogue of classics like “America,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” and “Sweet Caroline,” an induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, a Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award, and sold-out concerts around the world that made him bigger than Elvis, Neil Diamond’s story was made to shine on Broadway-and head out on the road across America. Like Jersey Boys and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical before it, A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical is an inspiring, exhilarating, energy-filled musical memoir that tells the untold true story of how America’s greatest hitmaker became a star, set to the songs that defined his career.

Chicago Opera Theater, Chicago’s foremost producer of new and reimagined opera, proudly announces its Bohème and Beyond – The Legacy of Puccini (December 7, 2024), a concert celebrating the centennial of Giacomo Puccini’s death featuring works by the composer and those he inspired.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater will present the following performances this fall and winter (Neighborhood: Streeterville):

  • Royal Shakespeare Company’s Pericles (October 20 – December 7, 2024) – Royal Shakespeare Company returns to Chicago for the first time in 30 years as part of a new, ongoing partnership with Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Direct from a run in the Swan Theatre at the company’s home in Stratford-upon-Avon! In her and Daniel Evans’ first season as the RSC’s co-artistic directors, Tamara Harvey stages a major new production of Shakespeare’s moving tale of love, hope, and miracles. When Prince Pericles flees for safety, he finds himself on an epic voyage through storms, shipwrecks, abduction, and loss. This exclusive limited engagement marks CST’s 100th international production of bringing the world’s great artists to Chicago.
  • From Brazil: Sarau Cultura Brasileira’s Azira’i: Um Musical de Memórias (October 24-27, 2024) – A cultural high point of our city’s Latino Heritage Month, the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival Destinos showcases Latino theater artists and companies from around the world. The North American premiere of Azira’i is presented in partnership by the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance and Chicago Shakespeare Theater, a partner since the festival’s inception. This biographical play looks at Zahy Tentehar’s relationship with her mother, Azira’i, the first female Shaman from the Cana Brava reserve (MA), who held the rank of Supreme Shaman of the Tentehar peoples, which is only for people with extremely developed medicinal and spiritual knowledge.
  • From Chile: Astillero Teatro’s La Memoria de los Sésiles (October 31 – November 3, 2024) – The play takes place in a not-too-distant future where all the trees have been cut down by an uncontrolled real estate expansion. Sacha, an old hermit, will embark on a journey deep underground in the face of the inevitable destruction of his home. Accompanied by Tujo, a rebellious young environmentalist, they will go in search of the last living roots to, through their memories, the path that will allow them to make the forest emerge again. Created in the key of family theater, it seeks, through songs, light games, and an attractive staging, to reflect on the persistence of the memory of territories at times when the destruction of ecosystems has expanded and naturalized. The North American premiere of La Memoria de los Sésiles is presented in partnership by the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance and Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Guaranteed Rate Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox, is bringing back its Light of Christmas (November 21, 2024 – January 5, 2025), Chicago’s only drive-thru Christmas light show, hosted at home of the Chicago White Sox! Come and experience the magic of over 1 million synchronized lights—all from the comfort of your own vehicle.

The Joffrey Ballet opens its 2024-25 season with the highly anticipated North American premiere of Cathy Marston’s poignant interpretation of Ian McEwan’s 2001 novel-turned-Academy Award®-winning film Atonement. The first-ever stage adaptation of McEwan’s best-selling book will be presented at the historic Lyric Opera House in ten performances only, from October 17–27, 2024. The full-length narrative ballet follows Briony Tallis, revealed in the book as its author and now portrayed as a celebrated choreographer, as she grapples with the haunting echoes of her past through a breathtaking dance of redemption.

The Joffrey Ballet will also present Christopher Wheeldon’s The Nutcracker from December 6–28, 2024 at the Lyric Opera House.

Lifeline Theatre has announced its 2024-25 season of Big Stories, Up Close. The MainStage season features a one-man show starring Lifeline ensemble member Phil Timberlake of Tom Mula’s holiday tale, Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol (November 29  – December 22, 2024), followed by a new hip-hop adaptation of the novel The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain and first-time collaboration with Salvadoran-American artists Brian and Marvin Quijada in Kid Prince and Pablo (January 3 – February 16, 2025), and Lifeline ensemble members John Hildreth (adaptor) and Heather Currie (director)’s contemporary Chicago version of the sci-fi thriller The War of the Worlds (May 23 – July 13, 2025) based on the novel by H.G. Wells. The KidSeries season will feature the world premiere of ensemble member Amanda Link’s adaptation of Sandra Dieckmann’s Leaf (March 16 – April 20, 2025), a story that navigates our relationships with each other and our planet. Additionally, Lifeline Theatre will produce the 29th annual Fillet of Solo Festival in November 2024, a two-week, multi-venue solo performance and storytelling festival, as well as the 4th annual Adaptation Development Workshop in July 2025 featuring new playwrights and their world premiere works. (Neighborhood: Rogers Park) 

Sports:

Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony – On Wednesday, October 23, the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame will acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of 12 individuals whose contributions to the Chicago sports scene made and continue to make a lasting and positive impact.  Award recipients and inductees include Toni Kukoč, Chicago Bulls; Cliff Floyd, Chicago Cubs; Lisa Bluder, University of Iowa Head Women’s Basketball coach; Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks; and Mike Singletary, Chicago Bears along with seven other deserving and notable sports figures.

Chicago Sports Spectacular – Don’t miss the Chicago Sports Spectacular, November 22-24, 2024!  Leading sports memorabilia vendors will be on hand along with special guest appearances.

NASCAR Street Race will return next year. The third edition of this exhilarating event will take place July 5-6, 2025. Mark your calendars now, and keep your eyes peeled for more updates, lineup details, and more

United Soccer Coaches Convention –  Thousands of soccer coaches will come together at McCormick Place from January 8-12, 2025. All are welcome to hear the coaches and administrators speak on coaching techniques, gear, and technology. Click the link to learn more!

2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic – The Discover NHL Winter Classic is an eagerly anticipated, annual tradition that celebrates hockey’s outdoor heritage while embracing innovation and fan engagement. Chicago is thrilled to have been selected to host the next iteration of the event at our iconic Wrigley Field on December 31, 2024. The first Winter Classic was held on New Year’s Day, 2008 with the Buffalo Sabres playing the Pittsburgh Penguins at the home of the NFL Buffalo Bills. The combination of nostalgia and an outdoor setting captivated fans and players alike. Chicago hosted the second NHL Winter Classic in 2009 with an epic match-up between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings also at Wrigley Field where nearly 41,000 fans braved the cold on New Year’s Day.  Hockey enthusiasts will also love the collegiate matchups happening after the Classic!

2025 USA Volleyballs Windy City Qualifier – April 18-20, 2025, volleyball teams from across the country will travel to Chicago and play against each other for the title. Spectators are welcome!

2025 HYROX World Championships –  Taking place at Chicago’s Navy Pier from June 12–15, 2025, the event will feature both the Elite 15 World Championships and Age Group World Championships. The HYROX World Championships is a four-day event that combines eight 1-kilometer runs with functional workouts.

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