Kicking Off February in Chicago

BEST DATE NEWS

Feb. 6, 2025: Best Date News Volume #112

Welcome to Best Date News, your favorite Chicago weekly newsletter! In this week’s newsletter you will read about Chicago Theatre Week, Lunar New Year in Chicago, Super Bowl food specials and sweepstakes, the CHIditarod and more!

Feb. 6: National Holidays

• National Frozen Yogurt Day

• National Optimist Day

• National Chopsticks Day

• National Lame Duck Day

• National Pay-A-Compliment Day

Sponsored by our friends at Eataly Chicago

Valentine’s Day Festa

• Eataly Chicago: Kick off your Valentine’s Day celebrations on Thursday, Feb. 13 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Valentine’s Day Festa at Eataly Chicago! This special tasting event grants you access to 10+ tasting stations, two glasses of regional Italian wine, one espresso martini from CH Distillery and more.

• You will have the opportunity to wander around Eataly sampling housemade pastas, charcuterie, wines, desserts and much more (see the featured menu). Plus, you will have access to a chocolate fountain, an exclusive glass etching station to customize your wine glass and cute photo moments.

• It’s a fun way to celebrate the holiday because it’s an experience not just a dinner reservation! If you don’t have plans yet for Galentine’s Day, this is a great holiday option with your friends.

• Get your Valentine’s Day Festa tickets now while they are still available. Tickets are $55 per person or four tickets for $200 ($20 savings).

Chicago News

• Chicago Theatre Week: The 13th annual Chicago Theatre Week kicks off today! It runs from Feb. 6-16 and features value-priced tickets to more than 100 performances at theaters across the city. Performances include a wide array of options ranging from musicals to improv to dramas. Tickets are available at $15 and $30 price points, and some will cost even less. If you want to catch dinner and a show, Theatre Week and Chicago Restaurant Week overlap today through Sunday (Feb. 6-9).

• Chicago Bears Owner: Virginia McCaskey, the principal owner of the Chicago Bears, has passed away at 102 years old, the team announced today. She has been the owner of the team since 1983, when she took it over from her father, George Halas, the team’s original founder. Read about the Matriarch of the Chicago Bears.

• Super Bowl Food: Excited for the Super Bowl this weekend?! Even if you don’t like watching football, between the commercials, halftime show and food, there is a little something for everyone. Not sure what your food spread is going to look like yet? Eater Chicago put together a list of Chicago’s Best Super Bowl Game Day Specials that you can pick up and enjoy from the comfort of your own couch during the game.

• Lunar New Year: The year of the Snake has arrived as Chinese New Year took place last week on Jan. 29. Chicago’s Lunar New Year parade will take place in Chinatown this Sunday, Feb. 9 from 1-3 p.m. The parade will travel north beginning at the intersection of 24th Street and Wentworth Avenue. Learn more about the festivities on the Chicago Chinatown Community Foundation site.

• CHIditarod: One of Chicago’s most unique events of the year is returning on March 1. CHIditarod, according to their website, is “an annual urban charity shopping cart race that takes place through Chicago’s West Town and Ukrainian Village neighborhoods.” Take a look! For the last 20 years, teams have dressed up, raced shopping carts, caused chaos and raised money for charity in the process. If you want to participate, racer registration closes at 11:59pm on Feb. 12.

• Beyonce in Chicago: Beyonce has announced a 2025 stadium tour for her Grammy-winning country album Cowboy Carter, and Chicago is one of only seven U.S. cities to make the initial cut of tour stops. The shows will take place at Soldier Field on May 15 and 17. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Feb. 14. There are multiple pre-sale opportunities as well.

Just For Fun

• Chipotle Bowl: Chipotle will be giving away 50,000 free entrees to lucky fans during the Super Bowl on Sunday. During the game, Chipotle will drop text-to-claim codes on their social channels. To win, you will need to text the code to 888-222 before all the vouchers are claimed. Additionally, on Monday, Feb. 10 Chipotle customers can get free guac and queso with the purchase of an entree when using the Chipotle app with promo code “EXTRA25.”

• Rosati’s Sweepstakes: If you really want to test your luck, Chicago-based pizza chain Rosati’s is offering 70 Illinois residents the chance to win a three-day, two-night stay at Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas as part of their Viva Rosati’s Pizza! Sweeptstakes in celebration of National Pizza Day and The Big Game. Submissions can be made until 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 9.

• Wheel of Fortune: Now if you really really want to test your luck, the casting team and producers of the TV show Wheel of Fortune will be in Chicago this weekend for a contestant search on Feb. 8 and Feb. 9. You can meet the producers in person and shoot your shot to spin and win on Wheel of Fortune.

• V-Day Fireworks: For the second straight year, there will be a Valentine’s Day fireworks show at Navy Pier. The love-themed special fireworks display will take place on Friday, Feb. 14 at 9 p.m. It can be best viewed from the southwest side of Navy Pier. The show is free and open to the public. Get all the details.

• Museum Free Days: It’s quite possibly the best month of the entire year to visit one of Chicago’s iconic museums. We have rounded up 48 different chances for Illinois residents to go for free during February. So many opportunities to go!

Poll Question of the Week

Last Newsletter's Poll Results

Poll Results: Last newsletter we asked you where in the outfield you would most want to watch a Cubs game from this season. Here is how you voted:

• The Yard: 58%

• Bleachers: 25%

• Rooftops: 17%

Sunrise & Sunset in Chicago

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

• Sunrise: 6:57 a.m. (7 minutes earlier)

• Sunset: 5:12 p.m. (9 minutes later)

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