This Winter in Chicago
Skyline brightening Chicago welcomes the New Year with a round of celebratory fireworks.
Chicago isn’t dropping the ball in 2015. Two new celebrations could establish the city as a year-end destination. By Zach Long
New Year’s revolution W
ant to ring in 2016 with live music, rooftop fireworks and a gleaming 70-foot-tall object ascending the side of a 36-story building? Don’t worry about booking a flight east—just invest in a warm jacket and head to Michigan Avenue, where Chicago’s first public, outdoor New Year’s Eve celebration will occupy the final hours of 2015. Called Chi-Town Rising (chi-
townrising.com)—featuring a rising star, rather than a falling ball—the new, free event on December 31 marks a shift in the way that Chicago celebrates the New Year, embracing the party on a scale never seen before. “The city has continued to emerge as a destination for large-scale events and entertainment,” says Arena Partners CEO John Murray, pointing to Chicago’s recent role as host of the NFL Draft and the James Beard Awards. His company has been planning Chi-Town
NEW YEAR’S EVE BY THE NUMBERS 100,000 3 580,000
Estimated attendance at Chi-Town Rising
Number of Chi-Town Rising music stages
Square footage of Reaction’s venue, the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
Rising for the past 18 months, assembling a celebration that puts a Midwestern spin on New York City’s annual Times Square bash. He hopes to attract 100,000 attendees.
Chi-Town Rising isn’t the only Chicago event seeking to raise the bar this year. Local promoter React Presents is throwing its biggest
2
TIMEOUT.COM/CHICAGO December 2015–February 2016 1 MILLION 70ft 25+
Estimated viewership of the Chi-Town Rising TV special on NBC 5
Height of the Chi-Town Rising star
Number of acts playing at Reaction New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve concert to date in the nearby suburb of Rosemont, Illinois. The two-day Reaction New Year’s Eve festival (reactionnye. com; $89–$399) will take over the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center on December 30 and 31 with a “warehouse-style” party featuring performances by Skrillex and Deadmau5, two of the biggest
dance music acts in the world, in addition to more than 25 other artists.
Of course, these events aren’t exclusively aimed at local revelers. Organizers are also hoping to attract out-of-towners, drawing visitors to hotels and restaurants during what has traditionally been a slow season. “Chicago is a great winter destination, but it’s not often promoted as one,” Murray says, suggesting a bit of snow isn’t reason enough to give up on the tourist dollar. “New York doesn’t exactly have a warm climate.” Can Chicago’s latest festivities steal the spotlight from traditional New Year’s celebrations on the East and West coasts? “We see ourselves complementing what happens in other cities,” Murray says. In true year-end form, Chicago is resolving to become another in-demand New Year’s Eve destination, one gigantic party at a time.
PHOTOGRAPH: SHUTTERSTOCK
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