Chicago

Chicago's live-event scene at a glance

Chicago supports five major-league teams in four leagues, a Loop theater district that receives Broadway tours, a concert calendar that peaks with Lollapalooza in Grant Park, and a comedy tradition that shaped how improv is performed across the country. Something is on every night of the year, though summer and the stretch from late September through December are the busiest.

• Sports are split by side of town: the Cubs on the North Side, the White Sox on the South Side, the Bears on the lakefront and the Bulls and Blackhawks on the Near West Side.
• Concerts range from 23,500-capacity arena shows at the United Center to the 3,600-seat Chicago Theatre and the converted Morton Salt warehouse now called The Salt Shed.
• Comedy centers on Old Town, where The Second City and Zanies sit a few blocks apart.
• Theater runs through Broadway In Chicago's five houses, mostly in the Loop.

The teams and where they play

• Chicago Bears (NFL) play at Soldier Field on the Museum Campus. The stadium opened in 1924 and reopened in 2003 after a rebuild that left a modern bowl inside the old colonnades; at 62,500 seats it is the second-smallest in the NFL, which keeps demand high for rivalry games against the Packers. The franchise began as the Decatur Staleys in 1920 and claims nine NFL championships, including Super Bowl XX.
• Chicago Cubs (MLB) play at Wrigley Field in Lakeview, opened in 1914 and seating 41,649. Only Fenway Park is older among major-league ballparks.
• Chicago White Sox (MLB) play at Rate Field in Armour Square, opened in 1991 as Comiskey Park and renamed in December 2024; capacity is 40,615. The Sox won the World Series in 1906, 1917 and 2005.
• Chicago Bulls (NBA) and Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) share the United Center, opened in 1994. The Bulls won six titles between 1991 and 1998.
• Chicago Fire FC (MLS) plays at Soldier Field and has announced a privately funded stadium south of Roosevelt Road, and the Chicago Sky (WNBA), the 2021 champions, play at Wintrust Arena.

The Bears have spent several years exploring a new stadium site. Plans and timelines have shifted more than once, so treat any reported move date as provisional.

Concerts in Chicago, from the United Center to Grant Park

Arenas and stadiums

The United Center holds up to about 23,500 for concerts and books most major arena tours. Wrigley Field has hosted summer concerts since 2005, and Soldier Field takes the stadium tours. For any ballpark show, check where the stage sits before buying: seats behind or beside an end stage are often sold with limited views, while the infield seats facing the stage give the cleanest sightline.

Theaters and mid-size rooms

• Chicago Theatre, the 1921 movie palace at 175 North State Street, seats about 3,600 and books concerts, comedy tours and magic shows.
• The Salt Shed in West Town, inside the former Morton Salt warehouse on the Chicago River, has an outdoor Fairgrounds stage for about 5,000 (opened 2022) and an indoor Shed for about 3,600 (opened 2023).

Festivals and summer shows

Lollapalooza has made Grant Park its permanent home since 2005. It runs four days in late July or early August, draws an estimated 400,000 people and sells out most years, so multi-day passes go well before single days. North of the city, the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park runs from June through September; it has been the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1936 and pairs a covered pavilion with a 36-acre lawn where most fans picnic.

Comedy shows in Chicago: improv, sketch and stand-up

Chicago's comedy reputation rests on improv and sketch, and the low-difficulty search "comedy shows Chicago" usually leads to the same few rooms.

• The Second City, 230 West North Avenue in Old Town, opened in December 1959, founded by Bernie Sahlins, Howard Alk and Paul Sills. Its revues mix scripted sketch with improvised material, and it runs three stages: the Mainstage, the e.t.c. Theater and the UP Comedy Club.
• Zanies, 1548 North Wells Street, a few blocks south, is the city's long-running stand-up club. Shows are 21 and up, and seats are claimed with a photo ID.
• iO, founded in 1981 as ImprovOlympic by Del Close and Charna Halpern, is where long-form improv was developed. It closed in 2020 and reopened in November 2022 with improv, sketch and stand-up six nights a week.
• Laugh Factory Chicago books stand-up for audiences 18 and over, with a two-drink minimum on most shows.

For a first visit, a Second City Mainstage revue is the most distinctly Chicago choice. Touring headliners play the Chicago Theatre or the United Center.

Broadway In Chicago and the Loop theaters

Touring Broadway productions and pre-Broadway tryouts play five houses run by Broadway In Chicago: the James M. Nederlander Theatre (opened in 1926 as the Oriental), the Cadillac Palace Theatre at Randolph and LaSalle (1926), the CIBC Theatre (opened in 1906 as the Majestic), the Auditorium (1889, designed by Adler and Sullivan) and the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place. The first three are a short walk from each other in the Loop, so dinner before a show is easy to plan around.

These are ornate 1900s and 1920s houses with deep balconies. As in most theaters of that era, the front of the first balcony often gives a better full-stage view than the rear orchestra under the overhang.

What is on, season by season

• April to September: Cubs and White Sox baseball; stadium and ballpark concerts; Ravinia from June.
• Late July or early August: Lollapalooza fills Grant Park and downtown hotels.
• September to January: Bears home games, with December and January games played in real cold on an open lakefront.
• October to April: the Bulls and Blackhawks at the United Center, plus the busiest stretch for touring Broadway.
• Year-round: comedy and improv every night, and Fire and Sky games in their seasons.

Getting around: which L line reaches each venue

Chicago's L trains reach every major venue except the United Center, which is a short bus ride or walk from the nearest stations.

• Wrigley Field: Red Line to Addison, which lets out across the street. Wrigleyville bars around Clark and Addison fill hours before first pitch; Gallagher Way, the plaza beside the park, hosts events on game days.
• Rate Field: Red Line to Sox/35th, Green Line to 35th/Bronzeville/IIT, or Metra Rock Island to 35th Street. Bridgeport, to the west, has the neighborhood restaurants.
• Soldier Field: Red, Orange or Green Line to Roosevelt and a walk through the Museum Campus, or Metra to 18th Street or Museum Campus/11th Street. Tailgating is allowed in designated lots.
• United Center: buses along Madison Street, or the Pink and Green Lines to Ashland/Lake a few blocks north. The West Loop's restaurants are a short ride east.
• Old Town comedy clubs: The Second City and Zanies are a few blocks apart around North Avenue and Wells Street, so dinner and a show can be planned on foot.

Bag rules differ by building. As of the 2025–26 season, the United Center allows only small bags up to 10 by 6 by 2 inches, Wrigley bars all backpacks, and Soldier Field enforces a clear-bag policy for Bears games. Check each venue's current policy, or the CTA's site for service changes, before you go.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Chicago
• Wikipedia – Soldier Field
• Chicago Bears – Gameday A–Z Guide
• Wikipedia – Dodger Stadium (ballpark ages)
• Wikipedia – Wrigley Field
• Chicago Cubs – Ballpark Security
• Wikipedia – Chicago White Sox
• Wikipedia – Rate Field
• Chicago White Sox – Public Transportation
• Wikipedia – Chicago Bulls
• Wikipedia – United Center
• Chicago Bulls – Health and Safety