Chicago To Host ‘Iconic' Free New Year's Eve Celebration Downtown

After making its debut last year, Chi-Town Rising returns to the heart of downtown for another highly-anticipated event

Chicago will once again victoriously ring in the New Year with star-studded musical acts, an epic fireworks show and a massive star rising into the night sky, organizers said, and this year the celebration will be bigger.

After making its debut last year, Chi-Town Rising returns to the heart of downtown for another highly-anticipated event.

Produced by Arena Partners and televised live on NBC 5 and Telemundo Chicago, Chi-Town Rising 2017 will feature a “larger public footprint, incorporating outdoor and indoor elements,” organizers said in a statement.

Attendees can expect a large outdoor viewing area, on both the north and south sides of the Chicago River, offering viewing for locals and visitors free of charge. Video screens will provide entertainment and an outdoor countdown to midnight will culminate in the ascension of the Rising Star, the largest New Year’s Eve icon in the world, organizers said.

The star will “rise” 360 feet into the air on Hyatt Regency Chicago’s West Tower as a fireworks display synchronized to music takes off along the Chicago River and on Lake Michigan.

“We were thrilled with the response from attendees from Chicago and around the world last year, who came out to be part of Chi-Town Rising or who watched the celebration on TV,” said John Murray, president and founder of Arena Partners. “We surveyed attendees from last year, and we have incorporated their feedback to make this year’s Chi-Town Rising celebration bigger and better.”

The event drew an outdoor crowd of 90,000 attendees in its first year, with host Mario Lopez and musical guests Chicago and American Authors.

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“Major cultural events like this one are a key reason Chicago is breaking tourism records and attracted more than 52 million visitors in 2015,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. “I look forward to an even bigger and better event this year."

Ticketed options for the celebration will include indoor parties featuring Corona Extra and musical entertainment, gala celebrations within Hyatt Regency Chicago, and official partner celebrations at select venues across the city.

New this year will be the Chi-Town Rise & Shine 5K, a timed race around Millennium and Grant Parks on New Year’s Eve morning that will allow event-goers to “earn their right to party.”

Returning from last year will be the popular Family Countdown Celebration, hosted by the Chicago Cultural Mile Association, which will offer entertainment and education on New Year’s traditions from around the world for kids of all ages. It will feature warm refreshments, live entertainment and a special “halfway to midnight” countdown for those too young to stay up all night.

“We're looking forward to the second annual Chi-Town Rising New Years' Eve celebration,” David Whitaker, president and CEO, Choose Chicago, said in a statement. “Festivities of this scale have long taken place in iconic destinations around the world and we're proud to now have Chicago be among them.”

NBC 5 and Telemundo Chicago will showcase the grand celebration live on TV and online with highlights from the crowds, musical stages, celebrities, fireworks display, and a countdown spectacular.

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