Right around the corner, are in fact the holidays! Thanksgiving break for schools, holiday prep, turkey trots, time with friends and family, slower winter days, they are all near! Spark the holiday magic by venturing to the city for exciting and returning kickoffs to the holiday season!
Millennium Park Christmas Tree Lighting
This year, Millennium Park’s Christmas Tree will light the park on November 21st at 6pm, with a pre-show beginning at 5pm. Chicago chose a 68-foot Norway spruce from Glenview as the star of the show this year!
Do plan to arrive early, this yearly event is one that a lot of people like to see, making it a busy night at Millennium Park. There are plenty of different viewing areas to capture the moment. Come in time for the festive evening to get the best view of the lighting! The Norway Spruce will remain lit until early January.
The Chriskindlmarket
The German-style market, a Chicago favorite, is currently being assembled back in its home, the Daley Plaza and will open on Friday, November 21st of this year. An outdoor holiday market, the Chriskindlmarket is filled with souvenirs, perfect holiday stocking stuffers, their famous mugs, and more! Bring your appetite for the roasted nuts, pretzels, the well-known raclette cheese sandwich, bratwurst and more. Admission to the Chriskindl market is free, plan accordingly for busy hours.
Mag Mile Lights Festival
There is almost no better way to welcome in the holiday season with no other than the annual Wintrust Lights Festival! Saturday, November 22nd, come see the dazzling parade head down Michigan Avenue presented by Enjoy Illinois. For 33 years, Chicago has hosted this holiday celebration with fun character cameos from the Walt Disney franchise and others. The Mag Mile Lights Festival holds their reputation as the largest nighttime parade, see for yourself! Come check out all the fun with your kids to get them excited for the holidays and finish off the night with Wintrust’s Firework show! Find out more details about the all day activity here.
Ice Skating in the City
Maggie Daley Ice Skating Ribbon will be welcoming guests and their ice skates to the ribbon this Friday, November 14th. Please refer to their website for more details on operating hours, reservations, and skate rental information. It’s a perfect way to glide around the city with a beautiful backdrop twinkling over you as a fun Chicago winter activity.
Just around the corner of the Maggie Daley Skating Ribbon is the McCormick Tribune Skating Rink. The famous rink draws more than 100,000 skaters each year that come to skate alongside Chicago’s wintery views and the Millennium Park Christmas Tree. Reservations are required in advanced for the Millennium Park Ice Skating.
Shoreline Sightseeing Winter Update
As the weather in Chicago slowly but surely gets chillier, to accommodate our friends visiting Chicago and riding with us, we have shortened our 75-minute Architecture Tour to a 60-minute Architecture River Tour and our 45-minute Lake Cruise to a 30-minute Skyline Lake Cruise to ensure comfortability onboard. We implement this change of tour duration every year in the middle of November! This change will be effective for both the Michigan Avenue and Navy Pier location.
Plan a few days in the city with your friends and family to see Chicago during the holidays and by boat! While the weather might be chilly, the city will always remain pretty! We will have more holiday season updates posted soon with even more activities to do, stay tuned.
