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New Year's Eve fireworks returning to Chicago River and Navy Pier

CHICAGO (CBS)-- The city's New Year's Eve fireworks will return to the Chicago Riverwalk and Navy Pier.

The city also hosted a big fireworks display on the Chicago Riverwalk to ring in 2022, but last year the show was confined to Navy Pier.

This year, beginning at midnight on the night of New Year's Eve, the fireworks display will be launched from six bridges along the Chicago River. You can watch along the river from Upper Wacker Drive from McClurg Court to Franklin Street. 

Bridge closures will be in place at Franklin Street, LaSalle Street, Clark Street, Dearborn Street, State Street and Columbus Drive beginning Dec. 31, 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.    

The Chicago River will be closed to boat traffic from Franklin to Columbus from 11:30 p.m. to 12:15 a.m.

Visit NavyPier.org for information on their New Year's Eve fireworks display.

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