With loads of happening things to do in Chicago this November, the city becomes a captivating tapestry of colors and culture.🎉 Let loose in the Windy City with festivities like Thanksgiving parades🦃, light displays, Christmas tree lighting🎄, and more. What are you waiting for? I have curated a list of unique events and activities just for you so you can make the most of the month! Get your essentials and step out to explore some of the best things to do in Chicago this November.
A Celebration To Honor The Dead
Honor the dead and learn about Mexico’s most celebrated traditions through works of art. The National Museum of Mexican Art🏛️ has its Dia de Muertos: Where the Past is Present exhibition, a free public tour that allows people to learn more about Mexican tradition and explore themes and symbolism associated with Dia de Muertos. It is an exhibition that you should not miss!
📍National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago
🗓️ November 9, 2024
Turkey Time!!!
Wondering what to do for Thanksgiving in Chicago? From Thanksgiving meals to parades, it is a month full of activities and events to attend. Enjoy a meal🍲 with friends and family, run a marathon🏃, or sit back and enjoy a parade!! There are so many fun things to do in Chicago this November, and we have a list curated just for you so your calendar can be filled with loads of fun.
Chicago Thanksgiving Parade
A local tradition for almost 90 years kicks off the holiday season with a fun-filled morning in the heart of downtown Chicago. Named the #2 Thanksgiving parade🦃 in the country, this year includes staged live entertainment, giant helium balloons,🎈 marching bands, equestrians🐴, and specialty units, among other things! Make sure not to miss this cherished holiday tradition!🥳
📍 State Street, Chicago
🗓️ November 28, 2024
Thanksgiving Feast at NoMI
Thanksgiving🦃 means a lot of delicious food🍗 and even more cooking. How about skipping the cooking this time and enjoying a Thanksgiving feast🥘 at NoMI? You can enjoy a 4-course prix-fixe menu📝 featuring truffle-sage brined turkey with herb and brown butter cornbread stuffing, citrus-spiced cranberry sauce, and pommes puree. If these aren’t making your mouth water🤤, don’t worry; they still have much more on their menu. Reserve a table quickly and enjoy some of the best Thanksgiving food!🍽️
📍 NoMI, Chicago
🗓️ November 28, 2024
Turkey Trot Chicago
Are you ready for the Turkey Trot🦃? This year, they are raising money for the Band of Runners Trail Camps 🏃. While it may be a different charity than usual, it is guaranteed to be just as fun, so put on your trotting shoes and get ready for a Thanksgiving Marathon in Chicago.
📍 The Bean, Chicago
🗓️ November 29, 2024
A Very Merry Christmas Market
November calls for Christmas markets in Chicago. The Christkindlmarket is one of them! It is a German-style Christmas market that offers a cozy atmosphere, Christmas decorations, and festive music. Of course, that isn’t all! Upon entry, you will be greeted by roasted nuts🥜, fresh pretzels🥨, bratwurst🌭, and hot spiced wine!🍷 The food and drinks, the vendor products from around the world,🌎 and everything else make for a unique experience.
📍 Daley Plaza, Chicago
🗓️ From November 22, 2024
‘Tis The Season To Be Jolly
Christmas🧑🎄is just around the corner, but Christmas celebrations are starting soon! We have light displays💡, Christmas trees🎄 being put up, Christmas markets, and so much more! Let us get a head start on the celebrations and enjoy all the stuff to do in Chicago this November!
Lightscape
Experience an illuminated trail for enchanting winter nights. Light, music, and art set the scene at the Chicago Botanic Garden, taking your holiday celebration to new heights! Embrace the spirit and beauty of the season with a stroll under the Lightscape✨ or enjoy an adults-only night👯 where you can admire the Christmas lights in Chicago and take a stroll and sip cocktails. 🍸
📍 Chicago Botanic Garden
🗓️ From November 15, 2024
Tree Lighting & Cultural Festival
The Griffin Museum of Science & Industry🏛️ has an annual tradition: the Tree Lighting & Cultural Festival to kick off their Christmas Around the World and Holiday of Lights exhibits🌟. You can experience over 50 twinkling holiday trees and displays, each decorated to represent a different country! The event will have the museum’s four-story Grand Tree🎄 lighting at 11 a.m. followed by live performances and activities to enjoy all day long, and obviously, no Christmas is complete without Santa Claus🧑🎄.
📍Griffin Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago
🗓️ November 16, 2024
City of Chicago Christmas Tree
We all love watching Chicago’s “official” Christmas tree🎄 light up yearly! It is a must-see no matter how often you have seen it. The massive tree decorated with Christmas ornaments will shine brightly from near the end of November until January. Ensure you are at Millennium Park to catch the lighting ceremony🌟 and take the Christmas tree in all its beauty and awe.
📍 Millennium Park, Chicago
🗓️ From November 22, 2024
The Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival
The annual winter celebration❄️, a local tradition for over 30 years, marks the beginning of the holiday season in Chicago! Kick the festivities off with the outdoor Lights Festival Lane🌟, where you can explore an interactive wonderland of holiday-themed activities, including photos with Santa Claus, live music, and more. This is followed by the grand tree-lighting parade🎄, illuminating over one million lights over 200 trees. Finally, the evening ends with a stunning riverfront fireworks display🎆. You can imagine this would be an unforgettable day, so don’t miss it!
📍 Magnificent Mile, Chicago
🗓️ November 23, 2024
A Show With Some Expensive Popcorn
With the festive season🎉 right around the corner, decorations, festive markets🛍️, and more are being set up! I bet it is all very hectic work, so why not take a break from all the decorating and preparations for merry-making 🎊 to relax and unwind with a show?🎥 I have a list of shows in Chicago this November that are guaranteed to relax you.
The Movie Menu
The Movie Menu🎬 offers an epic feast of films! Are you ready for an exciting selection of cinematic delights, popcorn🍿, and fun? Apart from that, they also have a delicious food and drink menu🧾 to enjoy with your film! Get your friends and family, or come alone and enjoy a night filled with laughter, suspense, and entertainment!
📍 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago
🗓️ November 9, 2024
Bram Stoker’s Dracula in Concert
Bram Stoker’s Dracula🧛 is loved by everyone! In 1992, the cinematographic retelling of the famous novel became a box office hit🎬, and now, for one night only, you can experience the same thrilling story in concert form! The opportunity to check out the North American Premiere of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in Concert🎶 is one you should not miss!
📍 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago
🗓️ Till November 9, 2024
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Join Harry, Ron, and Hermione🧙 on an extraordinary new adventure! Joined by a brave new generation, including Harry’s son Albus, that threatens to change the past and future forever. One of the many happening things to do in Chicago this November is the unmissable Harry Potter and the Cursed Child🪄 play.
📍 James M. Nederlander Theatre, Chicago
🗓️ Till February 1, 2024
No Reason Needed To Drink
Relax from all the hustle and bustle of November with a drink!🍻 These food and drink places in Chicago include some events where you can kick back and enjoy a drink or two. Whether it is trying new wines or drinking beers for a fundraiser, I have got you covered! Just pick your favorite event and enjoy the day.
Fall Wine Stroll 2024
Every fall season🍂, restaurants and retail establishments in Lincoln Square and Ravenswood turn into wine-tasting destinations🍷. Nearly 40 businesses participate, each offering a variety of wines along with a light assortment of hors d’oeuvres🥙from area restaurants. This event is the perfect way to explore new businesses! There are three routes in Lincoln Square, each offering different locations with up to 25 different wines🥂to taste along each route. Or you can choose the Ravenswood route if you don’t like mystery and want to know what is on your route in advance. Don’t wait too long, and get your tickets🎟️ before they run out!
📍 Lincoln Square and Ravenswood, Chicago
🗓️ November 7, 2024
Beelove® Honey & Beer Tasting Fundraiser at Goose Island!
Enjoy an unforgettable evening with the Honey & Beer Tasting Fundraiser!🍯 Sip on craft beers🍺, savor delicious bites, enjoy live music, and get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Goose Island Barrel House. Not only that, there will be a silent auction, among other surprises, and you will be supporting programs like BeeLove Cafe🐝 and Sweet Beginnings, among other things!
📍 Goose Island Barrel House, Chicago
🗓️ November 14, 2024
Keep The Pint Night with Sierra Nevada: Celebration Fresh Hop IPA
The Old Plank is celebrating their November Beer of the Month—Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPA🍺. The celebration comes with cheap drafts and a chance to take home a Sierra Nevada pint glass. There is no better way to enjoy a seasonal favorite and grab a souvenir🎁 to remember the experience! So why not bring along your friends and sip some great beers?🍻
📍 The Old Plank, Chicago
🗓️ November 14, 2024
Andersonville Viking Pub Crawl
Unleash your inner Viking⚔️ at the 7th annual Viking pub crawl! Enjoy an evening full of the best bars, drinks, and more🍻 with fellow Norse enthusiasts. Want an opportunity to show off your creativity and spirit? There is even a costume contest, so dress in your Viking best. Gather your crew, don your finest Viking outfit, and let your imagination run wild!
📍 Meeting House Tavern, Chicago
🗓️ November 17, 2024
Soothe Yourself With These
After all the exciting things that November has to offer, you probably want to relax and take it slow. Don’t worry; I have just the thing for you. This list of things to do in Chicago this November includes peaceful events where you can relax and take in the scenery🏞️ around you, paint a picture🎨 and more. These events are for those who want to have a quiet day.
Lincoln Park Art Night
Enjoy a fun night full of art and socializing! Did I mention it also has free food and drinks🥂! It offers a unique opportunity to discover artists, galleries, and art museums🏛️that call Lincoln Park home. Start at any of the six galleries you want, then take the hop-on/hop-off trolleys🚃 that continuously loop the route. You will be greeted with a mix of art from known and unknown artists, ranging from local to international.🌏
📍 Art on Sedgwick Gallery, Chicago
🗓️ November 14, 2024
Black to Sip’n Paint Sip & Acoustic Set
Enjoy an evening of wine and painting🖼️! From unlimited wine🍷 and complimentary small bites to take-home paint canvases, this is a place you must visit! You get to relax with some painting🎨, and you also get to sip wine and check out a live acoustic performance by Verard Live.
📍 3811 W North Ave, Chicago
🗓️ November 22, 2024
Open Your Eyes: Explore Chicago’s Underground Pedway
Experience Chicago’s famous “Pedway.” You will explore mysterious underground tunnels, hidden corridors of stained glass, and even past underground swimming pools. This tour offers a chance to explore hidden passages, overlooked details, rich symbolism, and quirky stories that add wonderful bits of color and texture to the overall narrative of the city.
📍 Pedway, Chicago
🗓️ November 29, 2024
Wrapping It Up!
That is all for now! I hope you enjoy this list of happening things to do in Chicago this November. Take a look at these events and pick whichever ones catch your eye; don’t worry, though, if none of them catch your eye, there are many more events waiting for you.✨ Just click on the button below and explore more happening things to do in Chicago this November.
