This year, Chicago will — for the first time ever — have its very own countdown as part of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” They won’t be dropping a ball like they do in NYC, though now I find myself wondering what a Chicago-style ball drop would look like.
Obviously, we’d hold the ketchup.
Our team at the Greater Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce will be thinking of Ravenswood as we shout, cheers, and kiss our way into 2026. We’ll be thinking about this exemplary community, with its thriving heart: one with room for all of the artists, makers, doers, and believers that care to stop by or settle in. We’ll be toasting to what we’ve accomplished together and what’s yet to come. Keep reading for ways to celebrate NYE in the neighborhood, our favorite memories from 2025, and a sneak peek at 2026!
Celebrate New Year’s in Ravenswood
🎵 We’ll drink a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne 🎵 What’s the best way to ring in the new year? Surrounded by community, of course! Lucky for you, there’s plenty to choose from this year — you simply can’t go wrong.
- December 30
- NYE Silly Straw Class at Lightwriters Neon | 5pm and 6pm, 4222 N Ravenswood Ave
- NYE Silly Straw Class at Lightwriters Neon | 5pm and 6pm, 4222 N Ravenswood Ave
- December 31
- Noon Year’s Eve at Artifact Events | 11am, 4325 N Ravenswood Ave
- Kids New Year’s Eve Party at Platform 47 | 4pm, 4709 N Damen Ave
- Irish New Year at Begyle Brewing | 11am-9pm, 1800 W Cuyler Ave
- New Year’s Eve at Gio’s Bar and Grill | 7pm, 4857 N Damen Ave
- New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball at My Buddy’s | 7:30pm, 4416 N Clark St
- New Year’s Eve 2026: Roaring 20s at VIN312 Winery | 8pm, 4710 N Ravenswood Ave
- Cheers to 2026 at Platform 47 | 9pm, 4709 N Damen Ave
- New Year’s Eve Bowling Bash at Timber Lanes | 9:30pm, 1851 W Irving Park Rd
- The Signature Show: New Year’s Eve Bash at Chicago Magic Lounge | 10pm, 5050 N Clark St
- January 1
- NEW YEAR 108 Surya Namaskar at Pistachio Yoga | 9:15am, 5206 N Damen Ave
Have an event for our New Year’s Roundup? Email me at grace@ravenswoodchicago.org or give me a call at 773-975-2088 ext. 105!
Looking Back at 2025
It’s been quite a year! In 2025, the GRCC helped welcome a number of exciting new businesses to the neighborhood, including:
- Bad Coffee, 1801 W Berteau Ave
- The CheckOut, 4116 N Clark St
- Del Sur Bakery, 4639 N Damen Ave
- Irene’s Bagels, 1942 W Montrose Ave
- La Mexicana Grill, 4641 N Clark St
- PastaFi, 1818 W Montrose Ave
- The Pottery Loop, 1770 W Berteau Ave
- The Rooted Space, 4432 N Damen Ave
- Time and a half Books, 4839 N Damen Ave
- Trading Post Pet Supplies, 4747 N Clark St
We also celebrated some big milestones, like Lillstreet’s 50th anniversary, BitSpace’s 10th anniversary, and our own 10th anniversary, plus new spaces opening for Ponnopozz and Traffic Jam! Swing.
At GRCC, in 2025 we expanded our calendar of community events, debuted new business support programming through a partnership with Cook County, hired an Outreach Coordinator (me!), and coalesced around serious challenges alongside business leaders and residents to form an even stronger, more connected community.
On the event front, we grew our two big festivals (Ravenswood ArtWalk and Ravenswood On Tap), brought back Taste of Ravenswood, and hosted a slew of other fun community events, networking opportunities, and business workshops. Some of our new endeavors included:
- Community pub crawls in August and November designed to support construction-affected businesses
- The family-friendly Montrose Monster Mash Trick-or-Treat event on Halloween
- A pantry donation drive supporting The Friendship Center in partnership with local businesses
- Two Know Your Rights workshops designed to support Ravenswood small businesses and community members
- Sponsoring live ice sculpting demonstrations at Ravenswood Light Up NIghts
Thanks to funding support from Special Service Area 31, this year we brought new public art to the neighborhood in the form of a mural by local artist Alex Perkins. Our Facade Improvement and Security Camera rebate programs helped businesses across Ravenswood make critical upgrades and improvements. The SSA also contiunued to provide valuable services to our commercial corridors, including litter abatement, landscaping, graffiti removal, and supplemental snow removal from parking spaces along Ravenswood Ave.
Keep an eye out for our upcoming SSA Services Survey, which gives business/property owners and residents within SSA boundaries the chance to share feedback that will shape the future of SSA 31.
Heading into the new year, we’re excited to continue supporting our local small business community, bringing needed improvements to corridors and storefronts across the neighborhood, and working with diverse partners to make Ravenswood a better place to live, work, and play.
Our Year in Photos
We’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our valued members, neighborhood partners, and volunteers, without whom none of this would be possible!
Stepping into 2026
Another amazing year lies ahead! In 2026, we’re excited to continue expanding and evolving our work to meet the ever expanding and evolving needs of our community. We’ll be bringing back your favorite programs and events from previous years, along with some brand-new stuff we can’t wait to share with you!
If you haven’t yet, subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay in the know about events, news, volunteer opportunities, deals from our members, mutual aid drives, and more local scuttlebutt! We look forward to seeing you and yours around the neighborhood in 2026 and beyond.
