Chicago Celebrates Thanksgiving

BEST DATE NEWS

Nov. 26, 2025: Best Date News Volume #154

Welcome to Best Date News, your favorite Chicago weekly newsletter! Thank you for being a weekly reader. With Thanksgiving being on Thursday, we moved up this week’s newsletter to today. We hope you enjoy the holiday! In this week’s newsletter, you will read about the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade, record setting holiday travel, a potential snowstorm, snowy owls, weekend plans and more.

Nov. 26: National Holidays

• Drinksgiving

• National Cake Day

• National Jukebox Day

• National Tie One On Day

• National Good Grief Day

Sponsored by our friends at Chicago Artisan Market

Small Business Saturday in Chicago

• Chicago Artisan Market: Spend Small Business Saturday and Sunday at the massive Thanksgiving Weekend Chicago Artisan Market on Saturday, Nov. 29 and Sunday, Nov. 30! This special two day market event will be bigger and better than ever with more than 200 local small businesses in attendance.

• This is Chicago Artisan Market’s biggest market of the year. It will take place at Artifact Events (4325 N Ravenswood Ave) in Ravenswood from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days. There will be so many local artisans that they are using two full buildings. Here is a glimpse of what it looks like.

• Shop small this weekend with local artisans featuring food, fashion, home and art, plated food, artisan coffee and tea, pastries and desserts and more. There is free parking, a full bar selling cocktails, wine and beer, kids under 12 are free and you can bring your dog.

• Santa Claus will be making an appearance on Sunday, Nov. 30 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Plus, the market is an official stop on the free Ravenswood Holly Jolly Trolley that will be running from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29 in support of Small Business Saturday.

• Tickets purchased online in advance are less expensive than buying them at the door. You can get one for $8 or four for $20. See you there!

Chicago News

• Chicago Thanksgiving Parade: The 91st Chicago Thanksgiving Parade takes place tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 27 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. It travels north on State Street from Ida B. Wells Drive to Randolph St. The parade will feature floats, musical performances, marching bands, giant balloons and more. It was rated the number two Thanksgiving parade in the United States by Time Out Magazine. You can watch it live on CBS.

• Record Holiday Travel: If you are traveling for Thanksgiving this week, you aren’t alone. It’s going to be busy. More than 2 million people are expected to pass through O’Hare and Midway, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. O’Hare alone is expecting 1.63 million travelers during the seven day Thanksgiving travel period, a 9.5% increase from last year and likely the busiest in the airport’s 70 year history. The weather isn’t helping matters with a ground stop issued this morning at O’Hare.

• Saturday Snowstorm: Speaking of bad travel weather, Saturday is shaping up to be a difficult day across the Chicagoland area. After strong winds and a surge of cold air move through this week, a significant winter storm is expected to arrive early Saturday morning. Forecasts show that it will likely snow all day long with more than six inches expected for most of the area. Gusty winds will add to the conditions, making travel especially difficult throughout the day.

• Snowy Owls: Two new locals who likely won’t mind the snow this weekend are a pair of snowy owls that have made Chicago their temporary home along Lake Michigan. They’ve been spotted near Montrose Point (incredible video), drawing crowds of up to 100 people, since snowy owls, while not necessarily rare, appear in widely varying numbers each winter and are considered vulnerable as their population declines. The Park District has even temporarily closed the Montrose pier to limit access to the snowy owls and give them space.

• Chicago NYE Host: A couple weeks ago, it was announced that Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest will feature a live Central Time countdown from Chicago for the first time in its 50+ year history. This week, we learned who will be leading the celebration from Chicago: Chance the Rapper. He will serve as the city’s on air co host for the night, bringing live performances and updates as Chicago officially joins the country’s biggest New Year’s Eve broadcast. Throwback to Chance’s Thanksgiving SNL skit.

Just For Fun

• The Alley Cat: A new dive bar is coming to Wicker Park from the team behind Paulie Gee’s. It’s called The Alley Cat and it is aiming for a true neighborhood dive vibe with classic cocktails, bottled drinks and simple snacks. One early highlight on the menu is a “girl dinner” style board with house pickled veggies, bread and mustard. It opens in January 2026. Follow their journey to get the bar up and running on Instagram.

• Chipotle BOGO: Don’t want to cook tonight? Here’s a deal to take advantage of! Chipotle is doing a BOGO entrée deal from 4 p.m. to close today (in store). If you are avoiding cooking the night before Thanksgiving, meeting up with hometown friends or going out for Black Wednesday, this may be the move.

• Paul McCartney: Paul McCartney wrapped up two nights at the United Center this week as part of his Got Back Tour, delivering a 35-song set that spanned seven decades of music. He mixed Beatles favorites, Wings hits and solo classics, along with a few emotional moments honoring John Lennon and George Harrison. Tickets were pricey, so if you did not make it out, check out the Chicago Sun-Times review.

• Home Alone House: Just in time for the holiday season, the famous Home Alone house in Winnetka has its Christmas lights up. The house is currently under construction and has a pretty hilarious sign out front that reads, “Pardon our dust, ya filthy animals.” You also have to check out this Home Alone house cake. It is one of the most impressive cakes you will see.

• Paper Planes: Have you heard about the Chicago paper airplane guy in South Loop? He has gone viral for launching paper airplanes out of his Grant Park facing window and posting the flights on Instagram. He launches them almost daily, and according to his bio, he is now even taking requests if you want him to throw one from your building.

Weekend Plans

• Chicago Bears: Your first place Chicago Bears are taking center stage on Black Friday in a huge NFC matchup. The Bears take on the Eagles in Philadelphia on Friday, Nov. 28 at 2 p.m., with the game streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. You will not need a subscription to watch. Both teams enter at 8-3, and the Bears come in hot after winning four straight behind Caleb Williams. May we be in store for another miracle win perhaps?!

• Winter Fireworks: Navy Pier’s free, award winning Winter Fireworks are back for 2025, and the first show kicks off this weekend. Fireworks will light up the sky every Saturday at 8 p.m. from Nov. 29 through Dec. 27, with a special New Year’s Eve show at midnight on Dec. 31. Bundle up for dazzling views over the lake and skyline, with the Wave Wall Staircase offering the best spot to watch.

• Chicago Holiday Bars: The holiday season is officially underway in Chicago, which means 30+ holiday bars and pop-ups are now opening across the city. From classic spots like Butch McGuire’s to over the top themed pop-ups and rooftop takeovers, there are plenty of festive places to check out this weekend. We rounded up the full Chicago holiday bar list, along with their locations and opening dates.

• Chicago Blackhawks: The Chicago Blackhawks have gotten off to a good start this season, and this week is a great chance to catch a game with three straight home matchups at the United Center. The Hawks play the Minnesota Wild tonight at 7:30 p.m., followed by games against the Nashville Predators on Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. and the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 30 at 2:30 p.m. See the full schedule.

Poll Question of the Week

Last Newsletter's Poll Results

Poll Results: Last week, we asked which iconic Chicago holiday activity was your favorite. Here is how you voted:

1. 61%: Christkindlmarket

2. 15%: Magnificent Mile Lights Festival

3. 13%: Lincoln Park ZooLights

4. 11%: Chicago Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Sunrise & Sunset in Chicago

Here is today’s outlook in Chicago (compared to last week):

• Sunrise: 6:53 a.m. (7 minutes later)

• Sunset: 4:22 p.m. (3 minutes earlier)

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