Most calendars mark the start of Streeterville's holiday season on Nov. 21, when the Lights Festival parade comes down Michigan Avenue. For people who live east of the avenue, the season starts three weeks earlier and a few blocks closer to home. It begins Saturday morning in the Museum of Contemporary Art's Sculpture Garden, where the 39th Annual Streeterville Dog Halloween Party has been running longer than the parade has.
Between that party and the parade, most of the neighborhood's events are free and close to home. They sit in the stretch between Lake Shore Park and the east end of Navy Pier. When the avenue on the neighborhood's west edge closes for the parade, the season moves onto the city's calendar. Here is how the next month lines up, in order.
- Sat., Oct. 31: Dog Halloween Party at the MCA, then trick-or-treating and films at Navy Pier
- Sun., Nov. 1: Día de los Muertos at Navy Pier
- Tue., Nov. 3: SOAR Farmers Market listing on MCA Plaza
- Sat., Nov. 7: Rashid Johnson exhibition opens at the MCA
- Sat., Nov. 21: Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival
- Fri., Nov. 27: Wintrust Winter WonderFest opens at Navy Pier
Saturday Morning Starts at the MCA's Back Gate
The dog party runs 9 to 11 a.m. on Oct. 31, and it's free. The way in matters. The MCA asks guests to come through the museum's back gate, the one along Lake Shore Park, not the front steps on Chicago Avenue. Leashes are required. Cats are welcome too. The museum asks every guest to bring a dog toy so that every dog goes home with a prize.
The costume parade starts at 9:30 a.m. Ald. Brian Hopkins and Maureen Schulman are judging, and they'll give prizes to the best-dressed animals. You can RSVP or donate through PAWS Chicago's event page, and the full details are on the MCA's listing.
That's the morning. In the afternoon, Halloween moves east. Navy Pier's last Slightly Spooky Saturday of the year is also Oct. 31. It has a dance workshop, trick-or-treating across the pier and a costume contest. The day ends with free back-to-back screenings of "Ghostbusters" and "Halloween" in Crystal Gardens. Navy Pier stays open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays this fall, so the films don't run up against closing time.
Sunday Brings the Pier's Ofrenda
The day after Halloween, Navy Pier holds its free Día de los Muertos celebration. The event page describes it as Saturday, but Nov. 1 falls on a Sunday this year. Navy Pier's calendar entry and its Oct. 19 press release both list Nov. 1. The program includes art, cultural activities and a local small-business market from 1 to 5 p.m.
Navy Pier opened its community ofrenda in the Family Pavilion on the Landing to contributions on Oct. 24. Anyone can add a photo or memento honoring a loved one. Anyone who wants to add something can bring it before Sunday. The day closes with "Coco" and "The Conjuring" in Crystal Gardens. Navy Pier invites guests to bring a blanket or chair and food from the pier's restaurants.
Put together, those two days cover two free programs, plus four free films, all within about a mile of each other. Neither event needs a ticket or a reservation. The same goes for the rest of the next week.
The Following Week Stays Near Chicago Avenue
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, the MCA's SOAR Farmers Market may set up one more time on MCA Plaza. The museum's page describes it as a Tuesday market "through October," but it also lists a Nov. 3 date. Check the listing before you bring a bag.
Four days later, on Nov. 7, the MCA opens Rashid Johnson's "A Poem for Deep Thinkers". The show brings together 70 works from across the artist's career and runs through April 25, 2027. That's a long run for the neighborhood's museum, and it lasts through the whole winter, so neighbors don't need to plan around opening week.
Within one week, the MCA is hosting a dog parade, a farmers market and a major exhibition opening. A building that gets visitors from all over the city spends the first week of November on programming for its own block.
What's New Along the Walk Between Them
The walk between the museum and the pier has changed a bit since summer. Some of it is new to eat or see, and some of it is construction.
On Michigan Avenue, Eater Chicago reported that Yu-Yubu opened July 25 on Level 4 of 520 N. Michigan Ave. It's a yuba café and ceremonial matcha bar.
A block west of the avenue, at 100 E. Ontario St., the Conservatory is still coming. It's a rooftop at Hand & the Eye inspired by a Victorian greenhouse, with an indoor-outdoor room looking over Michigan Avenue. Rooftop access is included with admission to Hand & the Eye. Eater Chicago's fall preview lists its opening as "ETA: Fall" and gives no firm date. Block Club Chicago described Hand & the Eye as an adults-only immersive magic experience spread across several rooms, with Levy Restaurants running its dining.
Two construction projects affect the walk to the lake. The Chicago Park District posted an alert on Sept. 15 saying that Lakefront Trail repairs will take several months. Crews are working one section at a time from south to north, with signs posted ahead of each work zone. On Erie Street, Northwestern Medicine's planned hospital tower at 330 E. Erie won Plan Commission approval. The project covers 1.2 million square feet. Urbanize Chicago reported in September that basement demolition at the site had already started, and main construction is planned for spring 2027.
Nov. 21, When Michigan Avenue Closes for the Parade
The 35th Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival is Saturday, Nov. 21. Mickey and Minnie Mouse are this year's grand marshals. As the parade moves south from Oak Street, it lights more than a million lights on the 200-plus trees along the avenue, block by block.
Here's how the day runs, according to the Magnificent Mile Association's guide:
- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Lights Festival Lane booths at Pioneer Court, 401 N. Michigan Ave.
- 3 p.m.: North Michigan Avenue closes from Oak Street to Wacker Drive. Oak Street closes from State to Michigan, and Upper Wacker closes from Michigan to the east turnaround.
- 5 p.m.: Upper Columbus closes from Wacker to Randolph.
- 5:30 p.m.: The parade steps off at Oak and Michigan and heads south.
- Early evening: Fireworks over the Chicago River at Michigan Avenue. The association lists 7:15 p.m. in its guide and 7:30 p.m. on its main festival page.
- 7:30 p.m.: The main closures are scheduled to lift.
The association also lists smaller curb-lane closures that day. Some are on Clark, Delaware, Dearborn, Walton and Oak west of State from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Others are on Upper Columbus and Randolph from 3:30 to 9 p.m.
For anyone east of the avenue, that means the neighborhood's west edge is closed from mid-afternoon until after the fireworks. Plan any trip west across Michigan that Saturday around those hours.
After Thanksgiving, the Pier Moves Indoors
Six days after the parade, Wintrust Winter WonderFest opens in Navy Pier's Festival Hall and runs Nov. 27 through Jan. 3, 2027. Festival Hall is closed to the general public Nov. 30 through Dec. 2 for pre-booked groups. Check those dates before planning a weekday visit right after the holiday.
Until then, the pier keeps its fall schedule. It's open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The Centennial Wheel, with its enclosed, climate-controlled gondolas, runs every day. The Drop Tower, Carousel and Teacups open on weekends when the weather allows.
From the costume parade behind the MCA to the opening of WonderFest, that's four weeks. In the first three, nearly everything here is free and within walking distance.
If you're wondering what your condo is worth before the holiday season gets busy, Your Home Flight can help. Request a free home valuation or schedule a consultation with Nickola Wells.
