Overview
- Chicago’s countdown joins ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, hosted in Chicago by Chance the Rapper, with local feeds on NBC Chicago and Fox 32/Fox Local.
- Gates open at 5 p.m., ART on THE MART runs 7–9 p.m., and main-stage music at Franklin and Wacker begins at 9 p.m. with DJ Mike Dunn, DJ Mike P, J. Ivy, Shemekia Copeland, and Chance the Rapper.
- A drone show starts at 11:50 p.m., then the ART on THE MART countdown leads into midnight fireworks launched from bridges between Orleans and Columbus, with top views from Upper Wacker Drive.
- The event is free with no tickets required, entrances are on Wacker at Wells and Lake, and CTA trains and buses are free from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
- Closures begin at 11:30 p.m., including select bridges and a river shutdown to boats from Franklin to Columbus, and security includes metal detectors, no reentry, and a 10 p.m. downtown curfew for minors.