Things to do in Chicago today

Photograph: Jaclyn Rivas

Shopping, Markets and fairs

Christkindlmarket

Daley Plaza, Loop

Until Dec 24 2018

You haven't experienced the holidays in Chicago until you've stepped inside 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 and chocolate-covered treats. No trip to Christkindlmarket is complete without a steaming mug of Glühwein, a traditional hot spiced wine. The holiday market has three locations in Daley Plaza, Naperville and Milwaukee, though the outpost in the Loop is its most popular iteration. Check it out November 16 through December 24. Christkindlmarket is open Sunday through Thursday from 11am to 8pm and Friday and Saturday from 11am to 9pm. Look out for special hours on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Eve (11am–4pm).

Photograph: Courtesy International Music Foundation

Music, Classical and opera

Do-It-Yourself Messiah

Harris Theater, Millennium Park

Ever since 1976, Chicagoans have gathered to belt out Handel’s classic oratorio (the one with the famous “Hallelujah!” chorus) backed by a volunteer orchestra and professional soloists. You'll need to show up to the event familiar with the score and ready to sing your heart out all evening long, and you might also want to figure out if you're a soprano, alto, tenor or bass.

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Things to do, Festivals

Winter WonderFest

Navy Pier, Festival Hall,

Until Jan 6 2019

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 8pm) to slide around the fake ice during the final hours of 2018. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Photograph: Patrick L. Pyszka

Things to do, Performances

City of Chicago Christmas Tree

Millennium Park | Chicago, IL, Millennium Park

Until Jan 6 2019

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 city's 105th tree is a 48-year-old, 60-foot-tall, 8,200-pound Norway spruce from Elmhurst, Illinois. The larger-than-life attraction is festooned with twinkling lights and crowned with an illuminated star. Spectators can check out the festive tree near Washington Street and Michigan Avenue through Sunday, January 6, 2019. To see the tree's big debut, head to Millennium Park at 6pm on Friday, November 16, when the city hosts a lighting ceremony with the help of Hamilton star Miguel Cervantes. Expect music, an appearance from the mayor and more than a little pomp and circumstance before the switch is flipped, marking the beginning of the holiday season in Chicago.

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Kids

Wonderland Express at Chicago Botanic Gardens

Chicago Botanic Garden | Glencoe, IL, Suburbs

Until Jan 6 2019

All aboard for the Botanic Garden's 10,000-square-foot indoor model train exhibit, which runs through 80 itty-bitty replicas of Chicago landmarks while fake snow falls throughout the venue. Outside, Christmas lights are strung throughout the gardens and ice sculptors show up to create art with chainsaws on December 16 and January 5 and 6.

Theater, Musicals

Hamilton

CIBC Theatre, Loop

Until Jan 20 2019

Let’s not mince words, since we’ve already spilled so many of them: Hamilton, writer-composer-lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda’s biography of Alexander Hamilton as refracted through a hip-hop, pop and R&B lens, is a sprawling, stunning, singular achievement. By filtering the story of the American Experiment’s beginning into modern, meticulously rhymed vernacular and populating the stage with performers of color to play the likes of Hamilton, Washington, Jefferson and Madison, Miranda and his regular collaborators (director Thomas Kail, music supervisor Alex Lacamoire and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler) make the founding fathers feel fresh and, miraculously, human. RECOMMENDED: Our complete guide to Hamilton Chicago Weeks out from the country’s naming its 45th president, Hamilton’s new Chicago company arrives to remind us our democracy has always been messy, political, personal, and worth fighting for. Kail and Blankenbuehler fill designer David Korins’s spare set—which suggests that, like the country, it’s still under construction—with movement as thrilling and dense as Miranda’s lyrics. (The few moments of stillness are also used to great counter effect.) The nearly all-new Chicago cast (ensemble member Emmy Raver-Lampman is the sole transfer) easily lives up to the originals while finding their own new moments and shades. Miguel Cervantes is a rather more grounded Hamilton than the more frenetic Miranda, who originated the role, but Cervantes conveys the man’s vital, fatal

Time Out says

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Photograph: Courtesy Maggie Daley Park

Things to do, Ice skating

Ice Skating at Maggie Daley Park

Maggie Daley Park | Chicago, IL, Millennium Park

Until Mar 10 2019

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 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. Short on time? Snag a Fast Pass for $40 and skip the line! The Ribbon stays open through March (weather permitting) and will host a Skate with Santa on Saturday, December 15 from 10am to noon. Visit the winter attraction Monday through Thursday from noon to 8pm, Friday from noon to 10pm, Saturday from 10am to 10pm and Sunday from 10am to 8pm.