On Friday, November 20, 2026, most of the Loop's big holiday attractions open in a single afternoon and evening. Christkindlmarket opens at Daley Plaza, the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink opens in Millennium Park, the Millennium Park Holiday Market sets up on Chase Promenade North, Macy's on State Street opens a new market on Floor 7, and at 6 p.m. the city lights its 113th official Christmas tree near Michigan Avenue and Washington Street. The four city and market events share that one opening date, but they close weeks or even months apart. If you live downtown, the closing dates matter more than the opening night.
The Closing Dates Tell You What Can Wait
All four attractions open together, and then their schedules split. Here is how long each one lasts, using the dates published by the city and the market organizers.
| What | Where | Opens | Last day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millennium Park Holiday Market | Chase Promenade North | Fri., Nov. 20 | Sun., Nov. 22, 5 p.m. |
| Christkindlmarket Chicago | Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St. | Fri., Nov. 20 | Thu., Dec. 24 |
| City of Chicago Christmas Tree | Near Michigan Ave. and Washington St. | Lit Fri., Nov. 20, 6 p.m. | Sun., Jan. 10, 2027 |
| McCormick Tribune Ice Rink | Millennium Park | Fri., Nov. 20 | February 2027, weather permitting |
The Holiday Market runs for three days. Christkindlmarket runs 35 days, through Christmas Eve. The tree stays lit for more than seven weeks, and the rink stays open into February. For anyone who can walk to Millennium Park, the Holiday Market is the only one of these that ends quickly. You can see the rest on a quiet Tuesday in December just as easily as in the opening-night crowd.
The Three-Day Window: Millennium Park Holiday Market
The city lists the Millennium Park Holiday Market at Chase Promenade North with free admission. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. on November 20 and 21, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 22. So the Saturday is the only full-length day that doesn't also include the tree lighting, and Sunday ends three hours earlier than the first two days.
The vendors haven't been chosen yet. The city is taking vendor applications until Sunday, October 18, at 5 p.m. There is no fee to vend, and the call is open to "artists and makers of all kinds." If you make things to sell, you have about ten days from today to get a table at the market closest to home.
A second deadline comes soon after. The city is accepting submissions for its official Christmas tree through Friday, October 23. It prefers a Norway spruce or a fir and rules out pines because they aren't sturdy enough. A submission needs the owner's contact information, a short description of the tree's history, and at least two photos, one from a distance and one close-up. That means the tree that will stand at Michigan and Washington hasn't been picked yet.
Tree Lighting Night Runs Along Washington Street
According to the city's tree page, the ceremony uses several viewing areas across Millennium Park, with giant screens and a main stage on Washington Street next to the Chicago Cultural Center. The night ends with the tree lighting at 6 p.m., followed by fireworks. ABC7 Chicago is the official media partner and will broadcast it live, and the city will also livestream it.
The main stage and the Christkindlmarket entrance are both on Washington, at opposite ends of the Loop. On November 20 the market is open until 9 p.m., its Friday closing time, so the evening's crowd will be spread along Washington Street rather than packed into the park.
The city has not announced street closures or CTA reroutes for tree-lighting night, and none of the sources we reviewed list any. If you drive or park near Washington Street, look for an announcement closer to the date.
Millennium Park Is Short on Restrooms Right Now
The city's Millennium Park page says that because of construction starting September 18, the East and West restrooms on the lower level of either side of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion are closed. The restrooms in the Park Shop building are still open during park hours. The page also says Lurie Garden is open but its south walkway is still closed for improvements. The park itself is open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. with free admission.
The page doesn't give a reopening date for those restrooms. If they're still closed on November 20, the Park Shop restrooms will have to handle the tree-lighting crowd, the Holiday Market and the first skaters at the same time. Check the page again the week before.
The Rink Is Free and Open for Three Months
The McCormick Tribune Ice Rink opens Friday, November 20, weather permitting, with free admission. It's open daily from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and runs into February 2027. Momentum Coffee and Millennium Hall, both next to the rink, sell snacks and hot drinks. Power and manual wheelchairs are allowed on the ice when a skater escorts them.
The free lessons are the part of the rink calendar that suits people who live nearby. The city lists them on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 to 10 a.m., two hours before public skating starts. Registration is required, opens the Monday before each lesson, and is capped at 20 people per class level. A Monday sign-up and a short walk on a weekend morning will get you lessons that out-of-town visitors rarely plan ahead for.
Two things aren't settled for this season. The city's rink page lists free admission and lesson details but no skate rental price. Last year, Choose Chicago reported that online reservations were required, but no 2026 source confirms that policy for this season. The city says weather closures are posted on Millennium Park's Facebook page.
Christkindlmarket Turns 30, and Its Hours Favor Weeknights
This year is Christkindlmarket's 30th anniversary, and the anniversary shows up most in the souvenirs. The 2026 annual mug is flute-shaped with a pearl-white finish, the traditional symbol of a 30th anniversary. It holds 200 ml and shows a market scene with fireworks. The 2026 Christmas Tree Mug is green and evergreen-shaped, wrapped in miniature versions of annual ornaments from past years. Both mugs start at $10 empty and can also be bought filled with a hot drink from vendors. Glühwein is available to guests 21 and over. The anniversary half-liter stein is $20, and the new item this year is a 40 ml Mini Stein Shot Cup, sold at the market's information and merchandise booths. All of these are sold at all three Christkindlmarket locations: Daley Plaza, Aurora and Wrigleyville.
At Daley Plaza, the market is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. On Thanksgiving, November 26, and Christmas Eve, it closes early, running 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Over its 35 days, most of the market's operating days are Sunday-through-Thursday evenings. That's when someone who walks over after work can visit without paying for parking or traveling in from another neighborhood.
The market hasn't released the rest of its plans. Its events page says 2026 details are still coming, and the events currently shown there are from 2025. The vendor page says this year's map and vendor list will be posted in a few weeks. Until those are posted, any list of 2026 vendors is a guess.
State Street and Dearborn Fill In the Rest
Macy's on State Street, at 111 N. State, is opening a French-inspired holiday market of food and gifts with Bensidoun USA, Inc. It opens on Floor 7 on the same Friday, November 20. Holiday Lane, also on Floor 7, is already open, and the Marshall Field's Walnut Room is taking reservations for its seasonal menus. Macy's holiday page hasn't yet given a date for the Great Tree or for unveiling its holiday windows.
Goodman Theatre starts a week before everyone else. Its 49th production of A Christmas Carol, with Tim Hopper as Scrooge, runs November 13 through December 31 in the Albert Theatre. Its free New Stages Festival follows on December 5–13.
After the opening weekend, Millennium Park's next fixed events are the free Holiday Sing-Alongs at Grainger Plaza by Cloud Gate. They run 6 to 7 p.m. on Fridays, December 4, 11 and 18, with songbooks, large-print versions and ASL interpretation available.
The Season, Week by Week
Put together, the dates make a downtown calendar that starts with one very crowded night and then has room to spare:
- By Oct. 18, 5 p.m.: Holiday Market vendor applications are due.
- By Oct. 23: Christmas tree submissions are due.
- Nov. 13: A Christmas Carol opens at the Goodman.
- Nov. 20: Christkindlmarket, the rink, the Holiday Market and Macy's Holiday Square Market open, and the tree is lit at 6 p.m.
- Nov. 22, 5 p.m.: The Holiday Market closes.
- Nov. 26: Christkindlmarket runs on Thanksgiving hours, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Dec. 4, 11 and 18: Holiday Sing-Alongs at Grainger Plaza.
- Dec. 5–13: Goodman's New Stages Festival.
- Dec. 24: Christkindlmarket's last day, closing at 4 p.m.
- Jan. 10, 2027: The tree goes dark.
- February 2027: The rink season ends, weather permitting.
Our research didn't turn up a 2026 schedule for the CTA Holiday Train and Holiday Bus. Last year's schedule came out on November 17, 2025.
If you own a home near Washington Street or Millennium Park, you'll see how much the holiday season shapes daily life downtown, and buyers notice it too. If you're thinking about listing or buying in the Loop during the holidays or in early 2027, Vergis Eiland can walk you through how the season affects showings and timing on your block. Request your free home valuation to get started.
