If you want to celebrate your New Year’s Eve and welcome 2025 with good food, family-friendly celebrations, and one of the best fireworks in the U.S., Chicago is your destination. This year, Chicago is going above and beyond to kiss goodbye to 2024, and everyone in the city will make sure that this New Year’s Eve will be one to remember forever.
Whether you want to dress up fancy and watch the most breathtaking fireworks, shake your worries away in grand parties, bid farewell to 2024 with a gourmet dining experience, keep things formal with a black-tie event, or take the whole family for a cozy outing, these events in Chicago will make sure there is something for everyone to do during the New Year’s Eve.
Let’s see how Chicago is celebrating New Year’s Eve and ringing in 2025 with unforgettable events and parties.
Chicago New Year’s Eve 2024 Family-Friendly Events
For families looking to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Chicago, there are plenty of events lined up that they can enjoy together. For example, Maggie Daley Park’s Ice Skating Ribbon is a favorite among families with kids of all ages, who would hit the ice, drink in incredible views of the city, and then end the night with a hot chocolate. Navy Pier is also going to light up the lake in a breathtaking spectacle only viewed on New Year’s Eve. So many fantastic choices for a family-friendly New Year’s Eve 2024 in Chicago going into 2025!
Ice Skating at Maggie Daley Park
The ice skating ribbon at Maggie Daley Park is one of the best family-friendly New Year’s Eve activities in Chicago. The ribbon is offering holiday hours on New Year’s Eve from 11 am to 1 pm, 2 pm to 4 pm, and 5 pm to 7 pm. We strongly recommend that you reserve the tickets in advance for New Year’s Eve. It’s $17 on-line with tax if you do not have skates on Monday till Thursday. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, skate rental on-line tickets will cost you $21, with tax.
Light Up The Lake at Navy Pier
Navy Pier is expecting a massive fireworks show on New Year’s Eve to welcome 2025, something that families can look forward to this year. And the iconic fireworks are going to be even more magical this year, as the show is extended to a whole 15 minutes. Make sure to arrive as early as possible to secure the best spot on the Pier. Not with family? There are six other events lined up at the Pier on New Year’s Eve, from soirees to parties and cruises.
Chicago Riverwalk Fireworks
Families wondering where to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Chicago have another exciting event waiting for them at Chicago River. Make your way downtown and settle down near the six bridges where the best views can be seen, from Franklin Street to Columbus Drive. Try to arrive before time as a countdown clock projection onto THE MART’s massive façade will start at 11:55, leading up to the dazzling fireworks.
The Best Fireworks Vantage Points In Chicago On New Year’s Eve 2025
Fireworks displays across Chicago leading up to New Year’s Eve 2025 are already generating buzz. Along with the classic offerings of fireworks at Navy Pier and Chicago River, keep an eye out on these event listings and firework displays at the most popular spots in Chicago.
New Year’s Eve at Raised Rooftop Bar
Raised Rooftop Bar is one of the best places in Chicago to catch the fireworks show on New Year’s Eve. The outdoor patio is typically closed during winter, but it is opening up on New Year’s Eve to give you a front-row view of the stunning fireworks display over the Chicago River. Don’t forget to warm up with unlimited beer and wine, or, after the fireworks display, retreat indoors and enjoy seasonal bites and live entertainment to welcome 2025.
Glitz & Glam New Year’s Eve at Offshore Rooftop
The Glitz & Glam New Year’s Eve event will take place at the largest rooftop bar in Chicago. So, get dressed up in your cocktail attire and be there at Offshore Rooftop on 31st December 2024, at 9 pm. The ticket prices start from $175 (for early birds). It is an all-inclusive New Year’s Eve event in Chicago with 4 hours of entertainment starting from 9 pm till 1 am, including a premium bar, champagne toast, midnight fireworks show, and DJ and midnight ball drop on TV. Plus, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Chicago’s skyline, taking in Nay Pier and Lake Michigan as well. There is indeed no better place to spend your New Year’s Eve than Chicago and enjoy the dazzling fireworks shows.
Exclusive Hotel Parties
Congress Plaza Hotel
You are also invited to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Chicago at the historic Congress Plaza Hotel with other 2,500 guests who will be grooving on beats by DJ Maximo, DJ ChiBassMafia, DJ Commando, and many others. The eight rooms will be set up with different dance floors, music genres, and multiple bars. If you fancy yourself a luxury gala with a hint of nightclub lifestyle on New Year’s Eve in Chicago, this is the place to go. And if you are getting a VIP ticket, you can enjoy additional perks like access to the aesthetic balconies, from where you can behold the balloon drop at midnight.
New Year’s Eve at The Godfrey Hotel Chicago
Ring in 2025 at the indoor/outdoor rooftop lounge at The Godfrey Hotel, Chicago. It is a great and versatile venue to bid farewell to 2024 and celebrate your New Year’s Eve. The fourth-floor rooftop bar will be filled with chef-influenced cocktails, great food, and breathtaking views of Chicago as a dazzling backdrop of the 10,000 sq. ft space. At The Godfrey Hotel, the general admission tickets, including tray passed hors d’oeuvres and midnight Champagne toast, are starting at $45. VIP add-ons like a reservation for indoor lounge tables will make your experience even more special, or even a private big igloo that allows entry for eight guests.
Palmer House Hilton New Year’s Eve Countdown 2024
To celebrate an elegant New Year’s Eve heading into 2025 with Palmer House Hilton, you can either book a general admission ticket (for $155) or a VIP ticket for $195. The tickets are selling out very fast for this impressive New Year’s Eve ballroom celebration in Chicago. Being a part of Palmer House on New Year’s Eve means enjoying world-class live entertainment with top DJs, specialty cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, champagne, and a midnight confetti drop. The general admission tickets lead to a 4-hour all-inclusive celebration, including an appetizer buffer, unlimited cocktails, and exquisite chocolates and desserts. The VIP and Deluxe VIP admission includes all of the GA amenities, plus 1 hour early access to the event and the historic Red Lacquer Ballroom.
Dining Experiences
Topolobampo
Mexican cuisine lovers should definitely be a part of Topolobampo’s New Year’s Eve celebration. The New Year’s Eve Fiesta will ring in 2025 with the most exclusive Mexican feast featuring impossible-to-find wines, bold flavors, and agave distillates. Get extra fancy margaritas or a special champagne bottle with your meal.
New Year’s Eve at Pizzeria Portofino
The sun-drenched Italian restaurant will look bedazzled on New Year’s Eve, and you must be a part of its celebration that will take place on the riverfront terrace, offering breathtaking views of the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Chicago. Be there at 9 pm and toast to the beginning of 2025, dance the night away, or enjoy their past appetizers, signature pizzas, and unlimited signature cocktails. Want a private VIP booth? It starts at $1000, which includes a designated server and special access to the full menu of Pizzeria Portofino, plus bottle service. Otherwise, the general admission tickets cost $145 per person.
Virtue
The South American restaurant in Hyde Park, Chicago, also offers one of the best dining experiences on New Year’s Eve. Ring in the new year with Southern American cuisine and craft cocktails at Virtue on Tuesday, 31st December 2024. The celebration starts at 4 pm and goes until 10, so if you want to welcome 2025 with great food, don’t forget to reserve a table at this restaurant in Chicago.
Heritage Restaurant and Caviar Bar
Heritage Restaurant and Caviar Bar, which is located in the picturesque Ukrainian Village Neighborhood of Chicago, is offering a special five-course tasting menu, which starts from mouthwatering appetizers like Leche de Tigre with Cucumber, offers Crispy Faroe Island Salmon or Sous Vide and Charcoal Roasted Strip Loin, and ends with Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Baked Alaska. Raw Bar, caviar, and oyster menu is also available. And the best part is that the prix-fixe menu only costs $75 per person.
Girl & the Goat
Girl & the Goat, the dramatic New American restaurant, is also offering an impressive New Year’s Eve prix-fixe menu, which features their classic menu items, as well as some delicious new favorites. The New Year dining experience at Girl & the Goat costs $135, which includes the food and Moët & Chandon Imperial Brut’s bubbly toast.
Smyth and The Loyalist
The Loyalist, the sibling to the rustic chic 3 Michelin star restaurant Smyth, is also offering a four-course dining menu for New Year’s Eve, 2024, in Chicago. The fare includes Pickled Deviled Eggs, Caviar, Baked Alaska, and even more delectable bites inspired by French cuisine in the cozy ambiance of the restaurant. The beverage menu is a rotating selection of spirit-free drinks and seasonally inspired cocktails. And the whole menu, plus canapés, is $195 per person, exclusive of the beverage.
Bar Esmé
Bar Esmé is serving an artistic New Year’s Eve dining experience in Chicago with a five-course menu featuring the finest cocktail pairings with exquisite flavors. This unique venue is ideal to celebrate your new year in an intimate yet vibrant atmosphere in Chicago and costs only $125 per person.
New Year at Bar Sol Navy Pier Chicago
Bar Sol is Navy Pier’s newest Latin-inspired restaurant and will be taking part in New Year’s celebrations with an extravagant lakefront dining event featuring dynamic live entertainment, cocktails, delectable food, a premium drink package, and an unparalleled view of the spectacular fireworks display at midnight.
Live Shows and Entertainment
Don’t forget to catch these live shows and entertainment on New Year’s Eve in Chicago.
Blue Man Group New Year’s Eve Celebrations
Details: Champagne toast, meet and greet (post-show) with the Blue men and festive party hats.
Venue: Briar Street Theatre, Chicago, IL
Date and Time: 31st December, 2024, at 7 pm
Discover NHL Winter Classic
Details: The thrilling outdoor match between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks will be held inside the iconic Wrigley Field.
Venue: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Date: 31st December, 2023
Live jazz at Andy’s Jazz Club
Details: Enjoy dinner and a show at Andy’s Jazz Club this New Year’s Eve featuring Mario Abney & The Abney Effect.
Venue: Andy’s Jazz Club
Date and Time: 31st December, 2024 from 11:00 pm to 12:15 am
Kevin de Vries at Radius
Details: Kevin de Vries will be playing his luminary, melodic techno till midnight and beyond. Doors open at 9 pm.
Venue: Radius Chicago
Date and Time: 31st December, 2024, from 10 pm to 2 am
Pretty Lights at Wintrust Arena
Details: The unique electronic beats of the music artist Pretty Lights will reverberate in the indoor stadium, Wintrust Arena, in the South Loop neighborhood.
Venue: Wintrust Arena
Date and Time: 30th December, 2024, 8 pm
31st December 2024, 9 pm
Price: $65
House music at Spybar
Details: San Pacho is bringing his unique take on the electronic music scene to this iconic Spybar nightclub in River North.
Venue: Spybar Chicago
Date and Time: 31st December, 2024, from 9 pm to 4 am
Price: $60
Unique Parties and Events During Chicago’s New Year’s Eve 2024
From rooftop bars to grand ballrooms, there is every kind of party waiting for you on New Year’s Eve in Chicago. Don’t miss them!
New Year’s Eve at LondonHouse Chicago
On the 21st floor, the midnight fireworks display will breathe life into the 4-hour premium open bar experience at the luxurious LondonHouse Chicago. Enjoy a live DJ, passed hors d’oeuvres, and a complimentary glass of champagne. But the tickets are selling out fast, so you better hurry up!
Black Tie Affair at VU Rooftop On New Year’s Eve
Twenty-two stories above ground, welcome 2025 in style in Chicago as VU Rooftop offers a three-hour open bar fare for its guests, which includes a food buffet, Champagne toast, and a photo booth to capture photos that will remind you of this New Year’s Eve in Chicago. But that’s not all; you can also enjoy clear views of the dazzling fireworks from the bar terrace.
Rock ‘Til the Drop at Hard Rock Cafe
The New Year’s Eve party at Hard Rock Cafe is already making headlines as one of the most unique ones in Chicago. And why shouldn’t it? It is an all-inclusive event with premium cocktails, an appetizer buffet, Chicago’s top DJs in one place, and hot and cold Hors d’oeuvres. The table prices are quite appealing as compared to other New Year’s Eve parties in Chicago, even the VIP tables. Don’t forget to check out the post-NYE party at the same venue, which will start at 1:30 am.
Gatsby’s Prohibition at Morgan Manufacturing
The 30,000 sq feet of luxurious space in West Loop Chicago is offering a Roaring Twenties-themed soirée on New Year’s Eve. Gatsby’s Prohibition at Morgan Manufacturing is going to be one of the best New Year’s Eve events in Chicago. The all-inclusive event calls for your finest vintage attire as 1000+ attendees attend the best midnight celebration, champagne, cocktails, and much more in a two floors venue worth snazzy aesthetics and the highest quality furnishing. The general admission ticket includes the premium all-inclusive package, whereas the VIP ticket allows you hour-long access to private bars and bartenders.
Grand Chicago New Year’s Eve Party at Aon Grand Ballroom
Set in the stunning Aon Grand Ballroom, the Grand Chicago New Year’s Eve Party 2025 is going to host 3000 guests who will get it all in this celebration: the largest dance floor in the city, live DJs, and a grand countdown with a 70-foot balloon drop which leads to the midnight fireworks show. General admission, also known as Celebration Package, offers all of this plus champagne and mezze style appetizers, or if you’re looking for even more perks, upgrade to a VIP admission or Premium Package, which comes with a VIP balcony and an ultra-premium bar package.
