7 Places To See Fireworks Around Chicago On The 4th Of July
By Mae Rice in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 27, 2016 7:56PM
If you want to see fireworks on the Fourth of July, Navy Pier isn't your only option in Chicagoland—though it is your most centrally-located option (and the only one sponsored by Miller Lite, if that is important to you). Below, we've rounded up Chicagoland's six top fireworks displays, including one involving 3D glasses. The future is now.
1. The Fireworks At Navy Pier, Obviously
600 E. Grand Ave | 9:30 p.m. | Free
It's the only lakefront fireworks display in Chicago proper, and it's set to a "patriotic soundtrack," according to Navy Pier. Though the Pier recommends watching the display from the Centennial Wheel (which they make money from—coincidence?) the crowds on the pier are insane. Reader Chris Swanson recommends watching from a high rise if you can get in one; reader Caitlin Penn recommends watching from the water taxi.
@Chicagoist the best place to watch the fireworks is to take the water taxi during the show the fireworks just dance between the buildings 😍
— Caitlan Penn (@Caitlann07) June 27, 2016
2. Unsanctioned Fireworks At Winnemac Park
5101 N. Leavitt St. | Sundown | Free
The amateur fireworks at Ravenswood's Winnemac Park are a secret (but like, the type of secret that's been in the Tribune). Be careful at this one, or you could get your eyebrows singed off.
3. Fireworks At A Private Lakefront Club In Edgewater Beach
900 W. Foster Ave. | No set time | Members only
The Saddle & Cycle Club is so private, you can't really look at their website without a login, but we've still managed to learn that they'll be setting off Fourth of July fireworks on their extremely private property in Edgewater Beach. You won't be able to see the fireworks from the club proper unless you're a member, but we bet any old civilian can see them from the nearby lakefront.
4. Fireworks And Music In Evanston's Dawes Park
Church Street & Clark Street, roughly | 9:15 p.m. | Free
This Dawes Park display, hosted by the Evanston 4th of July Association, usually runs for 25 to 30 minutes, organizers told Chicagoist. The soundtrack playing at Dawes Park is also broadcast on the radio on 90.5 FM, so people watching all along the Evanston lakefront can have the full experience.
The fireworks cap off a day of Evanston festivities, including a parade whose theme is "The Fourth Awakens"—slightly more awkward now that George Lucas has broke up with Chicago, but still. A solid pun is a solid pun.
5. 3D Fireworks In Skokie
5701 Oakton St., Skokie | Dusk | Free
The first 10,000 patrons at the Skokie fireworks get free 3D glasses, which make the fireworks display look even more epic. Even rain can't put too much of a damper on these fireworks—if it rains, they'll just be postponed to July 5.
6. Football Stadium Fireworks In Oak Park
201 N Scoville Ave., Oak Park | Dusk | Free
These fireworks get set off from the football stadium at Oak Park and River Forest High School, near East Avenue and Lake Street. Details are scant, but if you like fireworks with a dash of high school nostalgia, this is your place.
7. A Maybe-Giant Fireworks Display In Itasca
Hamilton Lakes | Starts between 9:45 and 10 p.m. | Free
This fireworks display in the village of Itasca, about an hour outside of Chicago, is "the largest fireworks in the Chicago area," the organizers assert. We have no reason to think this is actually true—the display lasts roughly 25 minutes, about as long as Evanston's fireworks—but we like their moxy. Before the fireworks, there's live outdoor music from Pat McKillen and Maggie Speaks, too.