City Cast Chicago
🥂 Ring in the year with brunch
December 30, 2025 · — Emmi Mack
Hey Chicago! Last time I’ll be saying that in 2025. We’re taking the next couple days off but will be back in your inbox Friday with a guide to January.
Till then, we’ve got New Year’s Day brunch recs for ya and some great Chicago movies … and, one more reminder to vote for us in the Reader’s Best of Chicago 😁
What Chicago's Talking About
The All-Time Best Chicago Movies
The holidays are a great time to catch up on movies. Luckily, the City Cast Chicago team put together a list of the best Chicago movies of all time. The task was gargantuan, but we think these 12 films deserve the honor. [City Cast Chicago 🎧]
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What To Do
Tuesday, Dec. 30
- 🛍️ Free Day + Pop-Up Market | Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum | Evanston
- 🤟 Deaf & Hard of Hearing Winter Break Extravaganza | Horner Park | Irving Park
- 🎶 Touchdown | The Whistler | Logan Square
- ❄️ Storytime Adventure: Tracks in the Snow | Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum | Lincoln Park
- 🎶 Sextile | Empty Bottle | Ukrainian Village
- 🛥️ Eve of the Eve Lake Cocktail Cruise | Anita Dee | Temporarily located at Burnham Harbor
- 🎶 STS9 | Ramova Theatre | Bridgeport
Wednesday, Dec. 31
- 🎇 Chicago's New Year's Eve Celebration | Main Stage at Wacker and Franklin | Loop
- 🥂 Gatsby's All-Inclusive New Years Eve Party | Morgan MFG | West Loop
- 🍾 NYE at Navy Pier | Navy Pier
- 🥂 New Years Eve: N°26 with Thank You For Dancing | Epiphany Center for the Arts | West Loop
- 🎸 Fountains of Wayne | Vic Theatre | Lakeview
- ❄️ Winterwonderland final day | Gallagher Way | Wrigleyville
- 🥂 New Years Eve Bash | Nighthawk | Albany Park
- 🎉 The Final Toast: NYE 2026 Celebration | The Promontory | Hyde Park
- ❄️ “A Christmas Carol” final night | The Goodman Theatre | Loop
- 🎉 Noon Year's Eve 2025 | Kings | Lincoln Park
- 🦖 Free Wednesday | Field Museum | Museum Cmapus
Thursday, Jan. 1
- 🌚 “Dark Side of the Moon” | Adler Planetarium | Museum Campus
- 🍾 New Year’s Day Silk Pajama Brunch | St. Regis Chicago | Loop
- 🏃 New Year’s Day Fun Run | Palmer Square Park | Logan Square
- 🎶 Afrobeats • Dancehall • RnB | Galleria Chicago | Near North Side
- 🏒 Blackhawks vs. Stars | United Center | Near West Side
- 🏀 Flames vs. Racers | Credit Union 1 Arena | Little Italy
- 🥂 The Morning After | Sonder Exchange | West Englewood
- 🎤 Expression Session: Open Mic | Urban Luxe Cafe | South Shore
- ☕️ Int'l Cafe | Revolution Brewing | Avondale
- 🍾 5th Annual New Year's Day Pajama Party | Gracie O'Malley's | Edgewater
👋 See you next year! Man, 2025 has been a whirlwind. I’ve learned a lot about local hidden gems, Chicago politics, pop-up mania, Vienna hot dogs … I hope you’ve learned some things too.
Thanks for reading.
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