When the weather turns cold in Chicago, it can only mean that the holidays are here again, and from mid-November until the New Year, there’s a great range of displays, markets, parades and shows to be enjoyed in America’s second city.
Here are just two that are not to be missed.
The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival
This much-loved festival kicks off the holiday season for the 27th time on Michigan Avenue on Friday, the 16th, and Saturday, the 17th, of November.
From 4 p.m. Friday, Lights Festival Lane features live music, Santa Claus, face painting and circus performers along with popcorn, cotton candy and a variety of top brand treats.
The Lights Festival fun continues from Saturday morning at 11:00 with many more holiday experiences and special offers. And, as well as more live music shows, there’s also a chance to meet some favorite performers like Cody Simpson and Cailee Rae.
The weekend’s finale is the Tree Lighting Parade, which heads south along Michigan Avenue from Oak Street, starting at 5:30 p.m. Floats, marching bands and dancers will progress down the avenue accompanied by favorite Disney characters, lighting more than a million lights along the way.
The parade will come to a spectacular conclusion with fireworks over the Chicago River at 6:55 p.m.
The Christkindlmarket — November 16–December 24
The weekend of the Lights Festival also sees the beginning of the annual Christkindlmarket, which runs in the Chicago Loop until Christmas Eve.
The market is based on the traditional Christmas market held in Nuremberg since the 16th century, and it has become a cherished Chicago tradition during the 22 years since its inception.
Admission is free, and you can join your fellow Chicagoans and keep out the cold with German food and drink while enjoying entertainment from musicians, singers, dancers, magicians and theatre groups, and a unique outdoor shopping experience.
This year’s market will also be visited by the Christkind, the gift-bearing Christmas angel of the German-speaking world.
Find Out More
These events are just two highlights from the busy program of seasonal occasions enjoyed by residents of the prestige Presidential Towers Apartments in Chicago.
For more information, details of floor plans and current availability, please call us on (866) 273-0973 or fill out our online contact form here.