THIS WEEKEND IN CHICAGO – Starting a New Chapter in 2022!!
Another year is in the books, but Chicagoans are not wasting any time this first weekend in 2022 as they begin a new chapter of enjoying their weekends! Who’s with them!
If you couldn’t enjoy all the holiday festivities around town because you were too busy preparing for the holidays, here are a few you can still enjoy:
Wrapping up this Sunday is Light Up the Lake at Navy Pier (600 E. Grand Ave.) in the Streeterville neighborhood. Start off 2022 by brightening up the winter season with the biggest indoor, temperature-controlled light garden boasting more than 600,000 lights in Festival Hall. This event also features large-scale light-sculpture displays, a regulation-sized Alpine ice rink, an authentic holiday beer garden, kiddie train rides, Santa’s Merry Main Street, a gift market, and more! Plus, each ticket includes a ride on the Pier’s Centennial Wheel complete with fully enclosed and heated gondolas!
Now through January 9th, Winter in the Wildwood is an immersive walking holiday experience staged at the Otherworld Theatre (3914 N. Clark St.) in the Lakeview neighborhood. Audiences are transported to a Fae-Realm filled with holiday trees, lights, and magic where they’ll meet a magical Faun and uncover the truth behind the fading Wildwood lights and then embark on a quest to restore magic to the forest! Along the way, you’ll also enjoy fairytale stories, puppetry, magicians, and one-of-a-kind photo ops! Plus, each performance is unique and tailored to the audience and runs approximately 75 minutes. Please note: because this is an indoor experience, proof of vaccination and masking will be required.
If you’re looking for a twinkling display, a holiday market, and a tubing hill, then head on over to the Amaze Light Festival at Impact Field (9850 Balmoral Ave.) in Rosemont. This amazing seasonal attraction ends on Sunday and features light shows that include over one million lights, a 3-story lit tree, a trackless Artic Express and more along with seven illuminated worlds to explore! Plus, guests can fill up on food and hot beverages before visiting a candy shop stocked with festive treats!!
Missed out on New Year’s Eve celebrations, or still want to celebrate the New Year? You’re in luck with the New Year’s Day Bar Crawl in Wrigleyville. A ticket gets you admission, a breakfast buffet, gift cards and more! So, start off 2022 with a drink in hand surrounded by your favorite friends for some fun, dancing, and laughing. All the Wrigleyville best bars are within walking distance so you can spend more time partying with your friends as well. It’s a bar crawl you do not want to miss!!
Finally, for all the Chicago sports fans out there, here’s who’s in town this weekend:
The Chicago Bears host the New York Giants at Soldier Field this Sunday at 12 p.m. Or, if you prefer, you can watch the Bears play on a big, big screen at Time Out Market Chicago. Their screen is 32 feet wide by 6 feet tall, and there’s no need for a reservation!
The Chicago Blackhawks host the Calgary Flames this Sunday at the United Center at 6 p.m.
The Chicago Wolves host the Rockford IceHogs this Saturday (7 p.m.) and the Grand Rapids Griffins this Sunday (3 p.m.) at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont.
May you start your 2022 off on the right foot!
Sue Moss and Dean’s Team Chicago
