THIS WEEKEND IN CHICAGO – Arrival of 2024 Holiday Season!
Chicago’s 2024 Holiday Season is here! This weekend not only offers the return of many holiday favorite events but also some non-holiday events for those who aren’t quite ready to ring in the holidays.
One of Chicago’s beloved holiday shopping traditions is The Randolph Street Holiday Market taking place this Saturday and Sunday (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) at Plumbers Hall (1340 W. Washington St.) in the West Loop. Once again, this vibrant Holiday Market features unique handcrafted treasures, antiques, vintage fashion, a mix of vintage and modern decorative objects, housewares, art, hostess gifts, and more from over 125 vendors. Besides shopping, this Market also rings in the season with craft cocktails, fancy foods, informal modeling, a DJ, and kids crafts. In addition, there’s even onsite parking, gift wrapping, and personal shopping assistance available as well!
Celebrate 30 years of priceless holiday memories at Lincoln Park Zoo’s (2001 N. Clark St.) annual Zoolights now through early January offering the largest display of holiday lights within the city limits. This year’s display will feature over 3 million lights, including hundreds of luminous LED displays, and new artistic, interactive displays and programming. Plus, many festive seasonal experiences are available throughout the zoo as well as special ticketed events including Adults Night Out and a musical tribute to “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Don’t miss out on Chicagoland’s favorite holiday tradition!
This weekend’s non-holiday events include:
In 2010, Bourbon County Brand Rare Stout was released highlighting the critical role barrels play as an ingredient and has set a new standard for barrel-aged beer. Returning for its 10th anniversary, Goose Island Rare Day takes place this Saturday on the streets outside of the Fulton Street Brewery (1800 W. Fulton St.) in the Goose Island neighborhood taking the place of their “Prop Day” street fest to reintroduce this exceptional release. Rare Day will give attendees an opportunity to get a first taste of this year’s lineup, which does include the Bourbon County Brand Rare Stout, along with a commemorative glass, a welcome pour and access to the fest with five tasting tickets. The brewery is looking forward to seeing you here for beer, food, and many rare surprises!
If you see a Viking roaming the Andersonville neighborhood, you’re not hallucinating! Returning for its 7th year is the Viking Pub Crawl this Sunday (3 p.m.-6 p.m.) at various venues throughout Andersonville. Hundreds of revelers clad in full Viking attire will be celebrating the Swedish holiday of St. Morten’s Gås Day. Returning this year is the Viking costume contest for a chance to win amazing prizes, and a Viking rune scavenger hunt filled with surprises and prizes. A ticket includes a commemorative glass, appetizers from The Dinner Belle, and access to drink specials at participating bars. So, grab one of the pub crawl’s cow horn-shaped drinking vessels for an afternoon of festive fun, laughter, and camaraderie with your fellow Norse-enthusiasts!
Finally, Chicago’s 111th annual Christmas Tree Lighting takes place on Friday, November 22, at Millennium Park (55 N. Michigan Ave.) in The Loop and will shine brightly through January 8, 2025. This year’s tree, a 53-foot Colorado Blue Spruce, was donated by the Holden-Shaddick family of the Logan Square neighborhood!
Sue Moss and Dean’s Team Chicago
