Lake View will hold two holiday tree lightings four days apart this November, and different chambers of commerce run them. The Lakeview East Chamber lights its tree on Wednesday, November 18. The Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber lights its own at Lincoln and Wellington on Sunday, November 22.
That says a lot about how the season works here. Between Halloween and New Year's Eve, Lake View has no single festival. Halsted, Clark, Southport, Broadway and Lincoln each run their own events, organized by their own business groups, websites and dates. The best way to plan the next two months is to sort events by corridor, starting on Halsted this Saturday.
Halsted opens the season on October 31
The Northalsted Business Alliance is marking the 30th anniversary of the Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade by making it an all-day event. On Saturday, October 31, Halsted Street between Aldine Avenue and Addison Avenue fills with food, drinks, music, local vendors and live performances, plus areas set aside for kids and families. All of it leads into what the alliance calls Chicago's only Halloween night parade.
Here is the day's schedule:
- 11 a.m.: Haunted Halsted Fest begins
- 6 p.m.: Halsted clears ahead of the parade
- 7 p.m.: The parade steps off from Halsted and Belmont
- 8 p.m.: Costume contest and post-parade party at 3514 N. Halsted
More than 300 costumed participants march in the parade. The costume contest pays out $4,000 in total prizes across five categories: Character, Creative, Scary, Youth for entrants under 13, and Group. First, second and third place in each category win $500, $200 and $100. The lineup includes the Chicago Full Moon Jam fire performers, the Lakeside Pride Marching Band, The Windy City Rollers and Chicago Thriller.
If you have a car parked nearby, the logistics matter more than the lineup. Parking restrictions start at 7 a.m. on October 31, and vehicle restrictions start at 10:30 a.m. Both stay in place on Halsted and the affected side streets until 2 a.m. on November 1. If your car is on one of those blocks Friday night, move it before Saturday morning.
Gallagher Way is already changing over
On the Clark Street side of the neighborhood, the season change has already started. Gallagher Way's calendar shows the plaza closed to the public from October 26 through October 31 while crews build Christkindlmarket.
The market opens Friday, November 20, at Gallagher Way, 3635 N. Clark St. Southport Corridor Chicago reports that Christkindlmarket marks its 30th anniversary this year, counting from the original Daley Plaza market. The Wrigleyville market runs through Thursday, December 31, about a week after the downtown market closes. Admission is free, and 28 local and international vendors are scheduled to sell handcrafted gifts, ornaments, holiday sweets, German-inspired food and seasonal drinks.
| When | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 3 to 9 p.m. |
| Friday and Saturday | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Sunday | 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| December 21 to 23 and December 28 to 30 | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve | 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Christmas Day | Closed |
Weekday openings start at 3 p.m., so on most weekdays an after-work stop is the only option. The longer daytime hours in the two weeks around Christmas line up with the time many people have off. The market is part of Winterland at Gallagher Way. In past years, Winterland has included an ice rink, holiday lights, Santa's Workshop and holiday movies. Southport Corridor Chicago recommends checking the official Gallagher Way schedule for this year's activities beyond the market.
Lakeview East and Northalsted run their own holidays
A few blocks east, the Lakeview East Chamber's season starts November 1 with its Giver's Gift promotion. From November 1 through December 23, shoppers who submit qualifying receipts from local businesses can earn a $50 neighborhood gift card. That gives you a reason to do your gift shopping on Broadway and Clark, so save your receipts from the start of the month. The chamber's annual events page has the details.
The chamber's Holiday Tree Lighting is Wednesday, November 18, in the Clark Street Dog parking lot. The event page lists 6:30 p.m., and the chamber's annual events page lists 5:30 p.m., so arriving early covers both. Admission is free, and Santa, carolers, cocoa and cookies are on the program.
Northalsted follows its Halloween parade with two very different holiday events. On Saturday, November 14, the Fa La La Fabulous Holiday Market fills the third-floor gymnasium at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is free, with a suggested $5 donation. On Saturday, December 5, the Santa Speedo Run starts at Sidetrack on Halsted. Sign-in opens at noon, the one-mile run starts at 2 p.m., and the after-party runs from 3 to 8 p.m.
Southport and West Lakeview build theirs around the storefronts
West of the tracks, the season revolves around Southport Avenue shops and the Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber's calendar. In date order:
- Tuesday, November 3, 5:30 to 8 p.m.: Arc'teryx Southport, 3441 N. Southport Ave., hosts a free Turkey Trot & Treat, with 5K group runs at 6 and 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday, November 14, 3 to 8 p.m.: The Dapper Fox x theworKshop design studio celebrates its grand opening as a mahjong studio and event space at 2138 W. Roscoe St., Unit 1.
- Sunday, November 22, 6 to 7:30 p.m.: The Lakeview Tree Lighting at Lincoln and Wellington brings carolers, goody bags and a visitor from the North Pole.
- Early December, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.: The Southport Holiday Cocktail Crawl offers cocktail samples, carolers and photos with Santa along the corridor. The chamber's event listing says Friday, December 4, and its Holiday Season Guide says December 5, so check with the chamber before you plan the evening.
- Sunday, December 6, 6 to 7 p.m.: A Menorah Lighting Ceremony takes place at Lincoln and Marshfield.
The Lincoln Avenue tree lighting and the Lakeview East tree lighting are four days and about a mile apart. If you want both, they fit in the same week.
The season is also a send-off on Southport
On Southport, this holiday season is also the last one for a long-running restaurant. Block Club Chicago reports that Southport Grocery & Cafe, 3552 N. Southport Ave., will close at the end of the year after 23 years. No final day of service has been announced.
According to Southport Corridor Chicago, a new full-service restaurant from Chicago's Dollop Coffee Company will take over the space. Southport Corridor Chicago calls it Dollop Diner, and Block Club Chicago reports the name as Dollop Finer Diner. Dollop started in 2005 as a small cafe in Uptown. Its existing diner at 5060 N. Clark St. in Andersonville serves breakfast and lunch, so Southport should keep a daytime restaurant at that address. Dollop has not yet announced a Southport opening date, menu or hours.
Broadway has new arrivals too. Noodleverse, a Chinese noodle shop, has opened at 3139 N. Broadway, according to an October roundup from Southport Corridor Chicago. Farther north, Paris Baguette has a "coming soon" sign up at 3478 N. Broadway, with no opening date announced yet.
If Southport Grocery is part of your weekend routine, the cocktail crawl in early December and the quieter weeks after Thanksgiving are your remaining chances for a meal there before the doors close.
If you are planning a move within Lake View or nearby and want to talk through how each part of the neighborhood feels from Halloween through New Year's, Lisa Huber would be glad to compare notes over a cup of cocoa at one of this year's tree lightings. Let's Connect.
