Participate in well-loved Chicago customs to ring in the New Year with your family while securing financial savings.
All ages can find plenty of reasonably priced activities to enjoy on New Year’s Eve, including the well-known Navy Pier lights show, ZooLights, and museums. An overview of some things to think about doing on December 31, 2023 is provided below.
Pier Navy
Celebrate the New Year with a view of Navy Pier’s famous fireworks show. The lakefront show is scheduled to start at 11:50 p.m., but visitors are free to wait wherever on the pier.
ZooLights at Lincoln Park
Savor the sparkling lights of ZooLights in Lincoln Park. For those who would prefer to go to bed earlier, the zoo is having a family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration with countdowns every hour. ZooLights is free every Monday, so you might want to consider going there on January 1, which also happens to be a Monday. Tickets start at $7.
New Year’s Eve at the Brookfield Zoo
Experience the Holiday Magic of the Brookfield Zoo on New Year’s Eve. With animals, live entertainment, light displays, a dance party, and more, the zoo will be open from 3 to 9 p.m. Children between the ages of 3 and 11 can enter for $20.95, while tickets for adults and children over 12 cost $29.95. Purchase tickets from this link.
See a museum in Chicago
These are the museums that are open on New Year’s Eve and their hours:
The hours of the Adler Planetarium are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. is the Field Museum.
9:30 am to 4 pm is when the Museum of Science and Industry is open.
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. is Shedd Aquarium.
Ice hockey
Ice skating is a great way to start the New Year. Bringing your skates can make your New Year’s Eve visit to these ice skating rinks either free or reasonably priced.
Skate rentals cost $20 per, while skating is free at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink.
At Navy Pier, skate rentals cost $20 per pair, while skating is free.
$20 tickets are available online for the Maggie Daley Skating Ribbon.
The Gallagher Ice Rink is located in Winterland at Gallagher Way, and admission to the area costs $4.
View the “A Very Chicago New Year” program on NBC 5.
On December 31, at 11 p.m. CT, NBC 5’s program is available for viewing if you’d prefer to ring in the New Year in comfort at home. In addition to Chicago music icon and Smashing Pumpkins founder Billy Corgan and his wife, fashion designer Chloe Mendel, the annual, Emmy-nominated “A Very Chicago New Year” promises an all-star cast of presenters and performers.
Fans will have the opportunity to virtually test their knowledge of Chicago trivia in real time for a chance to win $2,024.
The NYE special will air live on the NBC Chicago 24/7 streaming channel at 11 p.m. on NBC 5. It can also be viewed on PEacock, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Fire TV, Xumo Play, Google Play, Freevee, TCLtv+, and Local Now. It will also be accessible through the NBC Chicago app and NBCChicago.com.