Your Chicago 4th of July Guide

BEST DATE NEWS

July 3, 2025: Best Date News Volume #133

Welcome to Best Date News, your favorite Chicago weekly newsletter! In this week’s edition, you’ll read about the Fourth of July in Chicago, fireworks shows, NASCAR Chicago and more!

July 3: National Holidays

• National Stay Out of the Sun Day

• National Eat Your Beans Day

• National Chocolate Wafer Day

• National Fried Clam Day

• National Air Conditioning Appreciation Day

Sponsored by our friends at Urban Kayaks

Kayak the Chicago River

• Urban Kayaks: Nothing says Fourth of July in Chicago like spending time on the water, and Urban Kayaks can help get you out there. They have two locations, one on the Riverwalk (435 E Riverwalk) and one at the Lakefront at Monroe Harbor.

• They offer several guided tours starting at $60, including the Historic Chicago Tour, Sunset Tour and Twilight Paddle with the ultimate fireworks show.

• If it is your first time, their team gives you a quick walkthrough and gets you comfortable before you head out. The company is local, and passionate about Chicago. They’re all about showing off the city in a unique and memorable way!

• If you want to do something on your own, you can also check out their lakefront rentals featuring kayaks and stand-up paddle boards out on Lake Michigan with amazing skyline views.

Chicago News

• July 4th Guide: As you might expect, Chicago has a lot of fun things going on for Independence Day including fireworks, parades, parties and celebrations. You can check out Choose Chicago’s Fourth of July in Chicago guide that highlights things like the Navy Pier fireworks, NASCAR Street Race, Grant Park Music Festival, Cubs games and more!

• Fireworks Shows: Looking to watch fireworks for the Fourth? If so, you have a lot of options in the Chicagoland area! We put together a list of 70 fireworks shows taking place July 3-5 around the Chicago suburbs with locations, dates and times, so that you don’t miss the show in your area. If you are going to be in Chicago, don’t miss the special Navy Pier Independence Celebration Fireworks at 10 p.m. on July 5.

• NASCAR: The third annual NASCAR Chicago Street Race weekend takes place July 5 & 6 in the Loop. The racetrack takes over Grant Park for two days of races through the streets of Chicago. It’s a fun, festival-like environment that even includes a Zac Brown Band concert on July 5.

• Horror Unleashed: Last week, Universal announced plans for a massive year-round haunted house opening in River West in 2027. Universal Horror Unleashed: Chicago will be set in a 114,000-square-foot space and will feature immersive mazes, themed bars and horror-inspired food and merch. It’s the first of its kind in the Midwest.

• The Office: You will be able to see former Dunder Mifflin employees Pam Beesly and Dwight Schrute in Chicago in the coming months! Jenna Fischer announced that she will be back on stage this fall at the Goodman Theater in Chicago. She will be starring in a new play called Ashland Avenue. Assistant (to the) regional manager Dwight Schrute, aka Rainn Wilson, was just announced for FAN EXPO Chicago that will be taking place in August.

Just For Fun

• The Forge Lemont: Now here is a Chicagoland date idea that you won’t find anywhere else! The Forge Lemont is an adventure park with one of the largest aerial ropes courses in the world, and it’s amazing! You have to see our video! Our exclusive Zip, Putt & Sip package gets you a $100 value package for just $69 that gets you climbing, ziplining, mini golf and a drink! The deal is so good, it’s not even listed publicly. If you are a thrill-seeker, you will absolutely love this!

• Air(bnb) Jordan: Want to live like Mike? Well now you can! Michael Jordan’s former seven-bedroom, 17.5-bath Highland Park mansion was just put on Airbnb under the listing Champions Point Legendary Living. Here’s how much a week-long stay would cost.

• Southern Hospitality: After a two-year wait, Southern Chicago is now open in the South Loop. The restaurant calls itself “Southern Hospitality Redefined” and serves upscale soul food, steak, seafood and more (see menu). Meanwhile, Mom’s Place in River North just launched a new spinoff in Wrigleyville called Dad’s Place, featuring karaoke, live music, and NOLA-inspired comfort food.

• The Bear: FX confirmed this week that The Bear, along with Chicago’s favorite Jeremy Allen White, is coming back for Season 5. The Chicago-set series dropped its fourth season last week and continues to be one of the most talked-about shows of the summer. Maybe not as much as Love Island though…

• Free Museum Days: Want to beat the heat and stay inside during July? We shared this month’s free museum days for Illinois residents. And while the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry doesn’t have any free days this month, we did check out their new Marvel’s Spider-Man: Beyond Amazing - The Exhibition. If you’re a Marvel fan, it’s a must visit!

Sponsored by our friends at The SKEE League

Chicago BeerBall Championship

• Breaking The Vault: Do you like to play skeeball?! If so, here is a cool opportunity for you to put your skills to the test! It’s the Breaking The Vault: Chicago Skeeball Championship.

• The winner will walk away with $1,000 cash (the biggest cash prize in The Skee League history)! The event takes place at the Vintage Vault Arcade on the second floor of TimeOut Market.

• The competition will take place across three straight nights. July 8 and July 9 are the qualifying nights with time slots at 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. The top eight scores from each of these two qualifying nights advance to the “Skeet Sixteen” on July 10.

• These 16 finalists will then compete in a 16-player head-to-head bracket for the $1,000 prize money on July 10 (sponsored by Elio Products and United Buses). Want a chance to win? Get tickets to the event.

Weekend Plans

• Grant Park Music Festival: The Grant Park Music Festival’s July 4 Independence Day Salute is a longtime Chicago tradition. Conductor Christopher Bell leads the Grant Park Orchestra in a free, family-friendly night of patriotic classics, Broadway hits, and a fiery Yankee Doodle Fantasy. Bring a picnic and enjoy the music under the skyline.

• Ribapalooza: Kick off your Fourth of July weekend early with all-you-can-eat BBQ and drinks at Ribapalooza at The River Kitchen & Bar on Thursday, July 3 from 5 to 9 p.m. A $30 ticket gets you unlimited ribs, sides, beer, seltzers, cocktails and a chance to win Lollapalooza tickets.

• 50 Top Pizza: How does pizza this weekend sound? 50 Top Pizza ranks the top 50 pizza restaurants in the world each year, and they just released their results for The 50 Best Pizzerias in America for 2025. Two different Chicago spots made the list of best pizza places in the USA. Can you guess which ones?

• Sweet Treats: Small Cheval just launched a Birthday Cake Shake for the month of July to celebrate America’s birthday. Savanna Restaurant is giving out free pancakes at all their locations on the morning of July 4 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. You can get one free short stack per table (a $7.50 value) with the purchase of an entrée.

Poll Question of the Week

Last Newsletter's Poll Results

Poll Results: Last newsletter, we asked if you knew what a Chicago Handshake is, and 63% of you did, while 37% of you did not. For those who didn’t, a Chicago Handshake is a shot of Malort and an Old Style beer.

Sunrise & Sunset in Chicago

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

• Sunrise: 5:20 a.m. (3 minutes later)

• Sunset: 8:29 p.m. (0 minutes later)

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