What's on in Chicago, November 2026 to February 2027

Chicago does not go quiet when the lake wind turns sharp. The weeks between Thanksgiving and the new year fill the Loop, the lakefront parks and the neighborhood main streets with lights, markets and stage shows, and the deep-winter months bring Restaurant Week and Chinatown's Lunar New Year parade. Here is what is on from now through February, with the dates each organizer has published.

Holiday traditions downtown

The Goodman Theatre's A Christmas Carol is back in the Albert Theatre on Dearborn Street from November 13 through December 31. The production has been part of Chicago's December for five decades.

Christkindlmarket marks its 30th anniversary this season, and both of its Chicago markets open on Friday, November 20. The Daley Plaza market, at 50 W. Washington St., runs through December 24, and the organizers have hosted it as a free event since 1996. On the North Side, the Wrigleyville market at Gallagher Way, 3635 N. Clark St., stays open through December 31 and closes on Christmas Day.

The next evening, Saturday, November 21, the Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival takes over North Michigan Avenue. The day starts with family activities on the avenue and ends with a parade that travels south from Oak Street toward the Chicago River, lighting the trees as it goes, followed by fireworks over the river. Streets close in the afternoon, so plan to arrive by transit.

Lights and flowers for families

ZooLights returns to Lincoln Park Zoo from November 20 through January 3. It is closed on Thanksgiving, on December 1, 8 and 15, and on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission is free on Mondays except December 21 and 28, with a reservation required; the zoo releases those tickets a week ahead. A sensory-friendly night is set for November 24. For a warm stop before or after, Sweet Mandy B's bakes cupcakes and custom cakes on Webster Avenue in Lincoln Park.

On the West Side, the Garfield Park Conservatory's Winter Flower Show is on display from November 25 through January 3. The show is included with general admission, and the conservatory admits Chicago residents free with proof of a Chicago address. Its glass houses stay steamy all winter, which makes them a good outing on the coldest days of the season.

For skaters, the Maggie Daley Park skating ribbon in the Loop opened reservations in early November for sessions starting November 13, and the season runs through March 7. Every skater needs a ticket for a specific session, including those who bring their own skates.

Shopping local for the holidays

The One of a Kind Holiday Show returns to the seventh floor of the Mart, 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, from December 3 to 6, with more than 600 artists, designers and makers.

Andersonville's chamber of commerce has a full December on Clark Street: Small Business Saturday on November 28, the neighborhood's holiday tree lighting and a menorah lighting on December 4, a holiday trolley on December 6, and the St. Lucia celebration on December 13. The chamber notes that events and dates can change.

Farmers markets move indoors for winter. Green City Market holds its last outdoor Saturdays in Lincoln Park and the West Loop through November 21, then reopens indoors at 3031 N. Rockwell St. on December 5. The Logan Square Farmers Market runs its indoor winter market on Saturdays from November 28 through March 27 at Avondale Collective, 2800 N. Milwaukee Ave. Lula Cafe, on Kedzie Boulevard in Logan Square, cooks a market-driven menu if you want to make a morning of it.

Into the new year

Chicago Restaurant Week returns in the new year, but as of November 9 Choose Chicago had not confirmed its 2027 dates, so check its Restaurant Week page before you plan around it. Participating restaurants are announced ahead of time on Choose Chicago's site, and it is a good excuse to try a neighborhood place you have walked past all year.

Lunar New Year falls on February 6, 2027, and the Chicago Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade, organized by the Chicago Chinatown Community Foundation, follows on a Sunday afterward. It steps off at 24th Street and Wentworth Avenue and heads north along Wentworth toward the viewing stand at Cermak Road. The foundation posts the parade's date and start time on its page; check there before you go.

Before you go

Winter in Chicago means weather can change plans. Organizers can shorten hours or cancel outdoor events for cold, wind or snow, and several of these events need reservations. Check each organizer's page, listed in the sources, on the day you plan to go, and dress for the wind off the lake.