(Heiko Stein / Pixabay)

Fireworks, cruises, competitive games and comedy shows usher in the new year. We’ve got 10 ideas for your big night out.

The annual “Christmas Around the World” exhibit at Museum of Science and Industry. (Credit: Heidi Peters / Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago)

Global Christmas traditions, a risqué “Nutcracker” and drive-thru light displays usher in the holiday weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Christkindlmarket Aurora. (Credit: Eric James Walsh)

German-inspired outdoor markets, festive trains and buses, carols and Latino dishes usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

(Photo provided Midwest SOARRING Foundation)

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month festivites, special screenings of the Godfather and more usher in the weekend. Here are 5 things to do in and around Chicago.

Photo by Norm Timonera

Hot cocoa runs, Black, LGBTQ+ and Native American film festivals and more fun surprises usher in the weekend. Here are 5 things to do in and around Chicago.

(Photo courtesy of MMSI)

Miniature sculptures, Beetlejuice pop-up experiences, record fairs and more fun surprises usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

(Photo courtesy of The Slow and Low: Chicago Lowrider Festival)

Chicago's International Film Festival, glass pumpkins, lowriding and more fun surprises usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

(Photo courtesy of Collaboration)

Black film festival, scarecrows, wine tastings and more fun surprises usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

(Photo courtesy of Dean Paul / Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater)

Skaters, wings, art walks and more fun surprises usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

(Photo courtesy of Pilsen Fest)

Alternative music, jazz music, taco festivals, block parties and more fun surprises usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

 (Credit: Printers Row Lit Fest)

American folk music, monarch butterfly migration, Ted Talks and more fun surprises usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Advocates rally in Roscoe Village’s Fellger Park on Sept. 7, 2022, calling on the city to include more infrastructure upgrades for cyclists, bus passengers, and pedestrians during an upcoming resurfacing of Belmont Avenue. (Nick Blumberg / WTTW News)

The groups say they don’t just want things like protected bike lanes, signal priority for buses, and other improvements to be limited to this stretch of street, calling on the Chicago Department of Transportation to “perform critical safety and quality-of-life upgrades” in the course of every major street resurfacing citywide.

Chicago Dance Crash. (Credit: Ashley Deran)

Icelandic and Polish food, jazz and electronic music and more fun surprises usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

(Courtesy Taste of Greektown)

Guitar collectors, film noir, doughnut races and Bechdel-Wallace-inspired short plays usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

(Courtesy Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events)

Rare coins, blues music, barbecued meats and Latin American music usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Bud Billiken Parade. (Credit: Enjoy Illinois)

Blues, retro music, farm animals and a Chicago tradition usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.