Ring in the New Year with fireworks at Navy Pier and along the Chicago River downtown
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The city of Chicago is ready to ring in 2024 with many events planned for New Year's Eve night, and fireworks set to go off at Navy Pier and along the riverfront.
The Aon Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier will host the Big Night Chicago New Year's Eve Gala, featuring drinks, dinner, dancing and more. The ballroom has been decked out, with multiple bars serving up the best VIP cuisine.
It's just one of multiple events happening here at Navy Pier, the hottest ticket in town for New Year's Eve.
"Offshore has an amazing gala that they're going to take place," Navy Pier spokeswoman Felicia Bolton said. "Bar Sol has a wonderful party, and then, of course, Odyssey on the boats. It's going to be absolutely phenomenal."
It all comes to a head when the clock strikes midnight -- with Navy Pier's annual award-winning fireworks show over Lake Michigan, featuring 100,000 pyrotechnics. The show is expected to last 10 minutes.
"The firework display is just so astonishing to see, and so it's just a beautiful way to say happy new year to everyone," Bolton said. "You can watch it from anywhere along Navy Pier."
At the same time as the Navy Pier fireworks show, the city will put on a fireworks display from six bridges along the Chicago River. Bridge closures will be in place at Franklin Street, LaSalle Street, Clark Street, Dearborn Street, State Street and Columbus Drive from 11:45 p.m. until 12:15 a.m. The Wabash and Michigan Avenue bridges will remain open.
Before the big fireworks display, celebrations will include a new program of the "Bes of the ART on THE MART," beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 31. The show will feature highlights of five years of ART on THE MART programming, culminating with the fireworks show along the river at midnight. The Riverwalk fireworks display will coincide with the Navy Pier fireworks show on the lakefront.
The ART on THE MART show will include projections by the following renowned artists and performers:
- Jonas Denzel | explore
- Nick Cave | Ba Boom Boom Pa Pop Pop
- Derrick Adams | Funtime Unicorn: Ruby Rides Through Four Seasons
- Charles Atlas | The Geometry of Thought
- Wills Glasspiegel and Brandon Calhoun | Footnotes
- Jan Tichy | Artes in Horto – Seven Gardens for Chicago
- Jason Salavon | Homage in Between (Chicago Art, 20th Century)
- Spectralina | Woven
- Yuge Zhou | Love Letters
- Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project | The Big Bang: Movement Theory + the Black Dancing Body
The Riverwalk will be closed beginning at 11 p.m., with only a section from Wells Street to Orleans Street open until 12:15 a.m. for spectators to enjoy the full audio/visual projection program for the ART on THE MART show and the riverfront fireworks.
The Chicago Police Department outlined a safety strategy for the evening. While they did not disclose how many patrols would be on the ground, officials said their units would focus on the downtown area – making sure to maintain peace as the New Year arrives.