Chicago Sets One-Night 10 P.M. Curfew for Unaccompanied Minors on New Year’s Eve

Officials cite last month’s downtown teen shootings as the reason for screening and capacity controls at the Riverwalk event.

Overview

Mayor Brandon Johnson ordered a citywide 10 p.m. curfew for people under 18 who are not with an adult for New Year’s Eve, with police emphasizing parental responsibility.
CPD will deploy increased patrols and require security screening and bag checks for the Riverwalk celebration tied to Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve broadcast.
Event entry begins at 5 p.m., gates will close once capacity is reached, and bags larger than roughly 12 by 6 inches are not permitted.
Street and bridge closures are scheduled around the Chicago River, and a five-minute fireworks display is planned just before midnight from bridges between Orleans and Columbus.
The move follows November shootings after the Loop tree lighting that injured nine teens and killed 14-year-old Armani Floyd, as a separate curfew bill from Ald. Brian Hopkins remains in the City Council’s Rules Committee after earlier vetoes of broader curfew powers.