Things to do in Chicago today
Find the best things to do in Chicago today, including parties, concerts, screenings and other can't-miss events.
If you're looking for things to do in Chicago today, you've come to the right place! Whether you're a longtime resident of the city or a first-time visitor, there's always something happening in Chicago that's worth checking out. You'll find events taking place at some of the best Chicago attractions, concerts at Chicago's best music venues and parties that stretch late into the evening at nightlife destinations throughout the city. Our guide to things to do in Chicago today also includes the latest theater shows, museum exhibitions and screenings at Chicago's best movie theaters. Make some plans with our list of the most amazing things to do in Chicago today.
Best things to do in Chicago today
Andrew Bird
After taking a year off to complete his cheekily-titled album, My Finest Work Yet, whistlin' violinist Andrew Bird returns to the altar of the Fourth Presbyterian Church for a series of special performances. The winter "Gezelligheid" (a dutch word that roughly translates to "cozy") are something of a holiday tradition in Chicago, and offer a chance for fans to hear Bird play a solo set filled with new arrangements of classic tunes and collaborations with special guests. In the past, Bird has tested out new songs in front of a receptive audience and dabbled in expansive instrumental compositions that are piped through his array of horn speakers. Tickets for Bird's series of concerts at Fourth Presbyterian Church go on sale Friday, September 6 at 10am.
Christkindlmarket
You haven't experienced the holidays in Chicago until you've stepped into this giant open-air market inspired by a similar seasonal tradition in Nuremberg, Germany. At Christkindlmarket, guests can shop handcrafted items like nutcrackers, cuckoo clocks, beer steins and glass ornaments. When hunger strikes, nibble on potato pancakes, hot pretzels, schnitzel, döner and chocolate-covered treats. And no trip to Christkindlmarket is complete without a steaming mug of Glühwein, a traditional hot spiced wine (there's also hot cocoa for the kids). The holiday market boasts three locations in Daley Plaza, Gallagher Way and Milwaukee, but the outpost in the Loop is its most popular iteration. When the weather is decent, the market is generally packed in the evenings, so stop by in the afternoon for a more plesant (and less-crowded) shopping and/or dining experience.
Ice Skating at Maggie Daley Park
Situated in the heart of downtown Chicago, with the city's sweeping skyline as a backdrop, the Skating Ribbon at Maggie Daley Park is a winter attraction unlike any other. Skaters can lace up and wind around a winding ice-covered path that's twice the length of a lap around a traditional rink. Admission to the Skating Ribbon is always free, and skate rentals are available for $13–$15. The Ribbon stays open through March (weather permitting) and even offers limited hours on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
City of Chicago Christmas Tree
Every year, Chicago's front lawn (er, Millennium Park) is adorned with an epic Christmas tree that remains on display until the beginning of the new year. The larger-than-life attraction is festooned with twinkling lights and crowned with an illuminated star—and it's not too far of a walk from Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza. Spectators can check out the festive tree near Washington Street and Michigan Avenue through Sunday, January 6, 2020. To see the tree's big debut, head to Millennium Park at 6pm on Friday, November 22, when the city hosts a lighting ceremony headined by Grammy award-winning South African singer-songwriter Jonathan Butler. The evening will also include performances from mariachi group Cielito Lindo and the cast of Eleanor’s Very Merry Christmas Wish - The Musical, as well as appearances by Santa and Mrs. Claus (the mayor usually shows up, too).
Ice Skating in Millennium Park
Skate under the Chicago skyline and within eyeshot of the Chicago Christmas Tree at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Millennium Park. Admission to the rink is free, and you can rent skates for $13–$15. The most popular time to hit the rink is in the evening, so show up earlier if you don't feel like waiting in line for your chance to slide around. Take advantage of free skating lessons on Fridays at 11am and Saturdays and Sundays at 9am. If it seems too warm to skate, call ahead—this rink is open through March 8, weather permitting.
Winter WonderFest
Too cold outside? Navy Pier brings all of the winter fun indoors, filling its gigantic 170,000-square-foot Festival Hall with an ice skating rink, carnival rides, a tubing hill, seasonal activities and piles of holiday decorations. Bring the kids and avoid the slush for an afternoon or show up on New Year's Eve (when the attraction is open until 10pm) to slide around the fake ice during the final hours of 2019. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Marriage Story
Review by Joshua Rothkopf Because it would have been unbearable otherwise, Noah Baumbach begins his churning, deeply felt divorce drama Marriage Story—easily the wisest film of his career—on a note of sweetness. Wedded Brooklyn parents Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) introduce themselves via a double diary of sorts, co-narrating as we watch snippets of their urban life: pizza slices scarfed down, bedtime stories told, subway stops missed. Both of them are unfailingly generous. Nicole makes people feel comfortable, Charlie says. He rarely gets defeated, she tells us. Each calls the other deeply competitive. Alas, that’s the trait Marriage Story is about. It’s a movie that slowly leeches itself of tenderness, of endearments small and large, climaxing in a ferocious, Bergmanesque verbal showdown (one that goes from cautious chat to wall-punching) that represents a triple triumph for the actors and their director. Rarely has Johansson, pared down and deglammed, been this aching. Never has Driver, even with his Star Wars rage monster Kylo Ren under his belt, torn into his lines with such ruined viciousness. And Baumbach transcends his own The Squid and the Whale, mounting a complex moment in a small apartment that’s almost abstract in its blankness—there’s nowhere to hide. (Presumably, he lived out some version of this scene himself. Let’s not speculate on what Jennifer Jason Leigh, Baumbach’s ex and an obvious inspiration for Nicole, will think.) Charlie
The Irishman
Martin Scorsese pulls off a killer self-own at the top of his overstuffed, frequently electrifying The Irishman. As the Five Satins’ gorgeous “In the Still of the Night” casts its timeless doo-wop spell, the camera creeps forward—not into the bowels of the Copacabana or anywhere near as glamorous, but down the boring carpeted hallway of a nursing home. Is this where all of Scorsese’s gangsters end up? Only the unlucky ones, the film suggests. Too-generously adapted by Steven Zaillian from the 2004 crime memoir I Heard You Paint Houses, the nearly three-and-a-half-hour The Irishman—spanning the decades like an extra-long Cadillac—isn’t about still nights so much as the dying of the light, the end of one’s years and the belated, unarticulated guilt that’s inherent to mob life. Or at least it gets to that guilt. Eventually. When we first sidle up to the wheelchair-bound Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro, building a performance that becomes more interesting as it quiets down), he’s a white-haired oldster narrating his life. Just for a second, you wonder if he’s rambling to himself. He steers us back to the late 1940s, when, as a married WWII vet and union truck driver, he meets mafioso Russell Bufalino (the much-missed Joe Pesci, these days dropping crafty little smiles) on the side of a Pennsylvania road. It doesn’t matter how many times Pesci calls De Niro “kid” (and it’s several): Nothing will fully sell you on Scorsese’s biggest gamble, digitally de-aging his cast so that they c
Christkindlmarket
You haven't experienced the holidays in Chicago until you've stepped into this giant open-air market inspired by a similar seasonal tradition in Nuremberg, Germany. At Christkindlmarket, guests can shop handcrafted items like nutcrackers, cuckoo clocks, beer steins and glass ornaments. When hunger strikes, nibble on potato pancakes, hot pretzels, schnitzel, döner and chocolate-covered treats. And no trip to Christkindlmarket is complete without a steaming mug of Glühwein, a traditional hot spiced wine (there's also hot cocoa for the kids). The holiday market boasts three locations in Daley Plaza, Gallagher Way and Milwaukee, but the outpost in the Loop is its most popular iteration. When the weather is decent, the market is generally packed in the evenings, so stop by in the afternoon for a more plesant (and less-crowded) shopping and/or dining experience.
Ice Skating at Maggie Daley Park
Situated in the heart of downtown Chicago, with the city's sweeping skyline as a backdrop, the Skating Ribbon at Maggie Daley Park is a winter attraction unlike any other. Skaters can lace up and wind around a winding ice-covered path that's twice the length of a lap around a traditional rink. Admission to the Skating Ribbon is always free, and skate rentals are available for $13–$15. The Ribbon stays open through March (weather permitting) and even offers limited hours on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
City of Chicago Christmas Tree
Every year, Chicago's front lawn (er, Millennium Park) is adorned with an epic Christmas tree that remains on display until the beginning of the new year. The larger-than-life attraction is festooned with twinkling lights and crowned with an illuminated star—and it's not too far of a walk from Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza. Spectators can check out the festive tree near Washington Street and Michigan Avenue through Sunday, January 6, 2020. To see the tree's big debut, head to Millennium Park at 6pm on Friday, November 22, when the city hosts a lighting ceremony headined by Grammy award-winning South African singer-songwriter Jonathan Butler. The evening will also include performances from mariachi group Cielito Lindo and the cast of Eleanor’s Very Merry Christmas Wish - The Musical, as well as appearances by Santa and Mrs. Claus (the mayor usually shows up, too).
Ice Skating in Millennium Park
Skate under the Chicago skyline and within eyeshot of the Chicago Christmas Tree at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Millennium Park. Admission to the rink is free, and you can rent skates for $13–$15. The most popular time to hit the rink is in the evening, so show up earlier if you don't feel like waiting in line for your chance to slide around. Take advantage of free skating lessons on Fridays at 11am and Saturdays and Sundays at 9am. If it seems too warm to skate, call ahead—this rink is open through March 8, weather permitting.
Chicago Architecture Biennial
Every two years, Chicago becomes the center of the world of architecture and design during the Chicago Architecture Biennial. Taking place over the course of nearly four months, the programming encompasses exhibitions, installations, forums and more events that explore the state of modern architecture and urbanism. The Chicago Cultural Center serves as the event's hub, where visitors can explore a large model of a traditional Chicago worker’s cottage, experience a multi-channel video installation and learn about the architecture present in cities such as São Paulo, Vancouver and Johannesburg. Venues like the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum and the National Public Housing Museum also host Biennial programming, in addition to partner programs at a variety of local institutions. Find a complete list of events and happenings at the Chicago Architecture Biennial website.
Marriage Story
See this divorce drama for the powerhouse performances by Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver
Knives Out
Murder, skulduggery and an avalanche of plotting makes Rian Johnson's latest a retro pleasure
Frozen II
Elsa, Anna and that goofy snowman return with another irresistible mix of big laughs and operatic moments
Queen & Slim
A couple hits the road in this racially charged update of a familiar formula
Jojo Rabbit
A Nazi boy befriends a fantasy Führer in Taika Waititi's audacious WWII comedy
Parasite
Bong Joon-ho’s latest is the dazzling social-satire-cum-home-invasion-drama we need
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Michelle Pfeiffer and Angelina Jolie go head-to-head in an overly elaborate fairytale seque
The Addams Family
This Addams animated adventure is short on both creepiness and kookiness
Zombieland: Double Tap
Aware of its own disposability, the sarcastic zom-com sequel jerks to life only occasionally
Hustlers
Think Ocean’s Eleven with strippers and you’ve got the premise of this Jennifer Lopez flick