The Bean
Photograph: Shutterstock
Photograph: Shutterstock

The best January 2025 events in Chicago

Start the new year with events, festivals, concerts, theater shows and more great things to do in Chicago during January.

Jeffy Mai
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We’ll be honest: January is not exactly Chicago’s finest month. But before you start to dwell on the prospect of snow, cold and seemingly endless winter, allow us to point out some of the best ways to kick off the first few weeks of 2025. Start by catching the final days of Christmas lights in Chicago (they offer a nice excuse to take a walk outside, even when the holidays have passed) and get some fresh winter air when you take a spin around the best ice skating rinks the city has to offer. Prefer to stay inside? Tour new exhibits at Chicago museums—many of which offer free days over the next few months—or check out some of the best things to do indoors, including rock climbing, bowling and soul-warming spa days. Make a resolution to start 2025 on the right foot with the help of our guide to the best things to do in Chicago this January.

RECOMMENDED: Check out our 2025 Chicago events calendar

Time Out Market Chicago

We've rounded up the best chefs in the city to join us at Time Out Market Chicago, a culinary and cultural destination in the heart of Fulton Market featuring more than 15 kitchens, three bars and one drop-dead gorgeous rooftop terrace—all spread across three floors.

Best Chicago events in January 2025

  • Experimental
  • Uptown

For more than 30 years, the Neo-Futurists have been delighting late-night crowds with performances that pack 30 miniature plays into a 60-minute show. The company's signature show is more unpredictable than ever these days, with a handful of compact new plays premiering every week. Within the span of 10 minutes, you may be treated to a poignant monologue about everyday life or an irreverent diatribe delivered by a pantsless member of the cast—all inspired by the experiences of the performers on stage. Always changing and evolving, it's the rare show that truly offers something different everytime you show up to see it.

  • Comedy
  • Uptown
  • Recommended

This weekly “live magazine” is a cavalcade of culture, politics and wit featuring journalists, actors, comedians and musicians offering idiosyncratic reports on the news of the day. Head to Uptown’s iconic Green Mill for drinks, hot takes and laughs; the longstanding Saturday afternoon edition tends to run about two and a half hours.

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