"Free, Free, Free!" is an e-newsletter and website that provides a monthly curated list of free programs, events and activities happening throughout the city in our libraries, museums, cultural centers and parks. We encourage you to express your culture through the arts and take advantage of the many opportunities the City of Chicago provides you to engage, create and participate!
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Rahm Emanuel
Mayor
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Mark Kelly
Commissioner |
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Millennium Park Campus Holiday Season
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McCormick Tribune Ice Rink
Friday, November 17, 2017 - March 4, 2018
Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St.
Now in its 17th season, the Chicago winter tradition offers lessons and special programming weekends and during the Chicago Public Schools' winter break. Admission is free, and skates are available for rent. Grant support for Winter Workouts ice skating lessons is provided by McDonald's Active Lifestyles Endowment, managed by the Millennium Park Foundation. For the full skating schedule, visit
www.millenniumpark.org.
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Caroling at Cloud Gate
Fridays, November 24 - December 15, 2017, 6-7pm
Millennium Park (at the "Bean"), 201 E. Randolph St.
Bundle up and get ready to belt out some holiday classics at these
festive events that are part concert, part sing-along as local Chicago choral groups lead hundreds of celebrants in song. Note: Performance may be shortened in cases of extreme cold weather.
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Dance-Along Nutcracker®
Sunday, December 3, Dance Lessons at 11am & 2pm; Performances at noon & 3pm
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.
Sugar plum fairies and mouse kings of all ages and abilities are invited to point their toes to the familiar music of Tchaikovsky's
holiday classic. Optional beginner lesson by Ballet Chicago precedes each performance. Free admission.
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Lurie Garden Bird Feeder Workshop
Sunday, December 10, 2017, 1-3pm
Millennium Park, Lurie Garden at Monroe St. and Columbus Dr.
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Holly Days
December 27-30, 2017, 10:30am-3pm
Art Institute of Chicago, Ryan Learning Center, 159 E. Monroe St.
Admission to the Art Institute's Ryan Learning Center is free and museum admission is always free for kids under 14 and Chicago residents under 18.
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Each year, people from all over the world visit the Christkindlmarket. The outdoor market in the Chicago Loop has become so popular and loved by everyone that any Chicagoan will tell you that they could not imagine the city without it. The Christkindlmarket is no longer just a German tradition, it has become a Chicago institution. The unique shopping experience, typical German food and drinks, as well as diverse holiday entertainment make the Christkindlmarket Chicago a preferred and popular destination. Admission is always FREE! Check out their
website for events throughout December.
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Glen Sorgatz Phenix Trio
Friday, December 1, 2017, 5-9pm
Christkindlmarket Chicago, 50 W. Washington St.
The Christkindlmarket Chicago staple:
Glen Sorgatz' Phenix Trio performs for market visitors An annual market staple, this engaging brass trio perform lively arrangements of traditional German music and holiday sing-alongs every Friday and Saturday from 5-9pm.
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Santa's Workshop
Friday, December 1-3, 2017, 3-8pm Friday and 11am-5pm Saturday and Sunday
Christkindlmarket at the Park, 1060 W. Addison St.
Calling all good boys and girls, and the young at heart! Santa will arrive at the Park this winter. Stop by
Santa's Workshop at Winterland at the Park and share your holiday wishes with Santa. Snap a photo and save the memory for years to come.
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Christkind visits the Market
Saturday, December 2, 2017
Christkindlmarket Chicago, 50 W. Washington St.
Come meet the
Christkind wandering the market every Wednesday & Saturday from 2-4pm!
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Kinder Tag and Children's Lantern Parade
Wednesday, December 6, 2017, 3-7pm
Christkindlmarket Chicago, 50 W. Washington St.
An afternoon full of
activities and performances geared toward children and their families with a Lantern Parade around the market plaza while singing German and American Christmas carols as Christkind leads the parade. Registration begins at 4pm at which time paper lanterns can be constructed for free onsite or lighted lanterns purchased for $10. Alternatively, lanterns may be brought from home.
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Glessner House Museum
Wednesday, November 22 to Sunday, December 31, 2017
1800 S. Prairie Ave.
A National Historic Landmark, Glessner House was designed by noted American architect Henry Hobson Richardson. During the holiday season, the house will be decorated for Christmas and admission is free on Wednesdays.
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Swedish American Museum's St. Lucia Day Celebration
Wednesday, December 13, 2017, 4:45pm
5211 N. Clark St.
Andersonville embraces the Swedish tradition of St. Lucia, beginning with a procession down Clark Street at 4:45pm featuring the Lucia Girls who wear crowns topped with candles. The procession on Clark Street is free to all and the Swedish American Museum offers free admission the second Tuesday of every month. Visit the website for a full schedule of events.
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Presented by Mayor Rahm Emanuel,
Night Out in the Parks brings over 1,000 cultural events to neighborhood parks each year. Chicagoans and visitors alike, enjoy the breadth of world-class events in every one of the city's 77 community areas. Here are a few programming highlights happening in December, but be sure to check out their
website (or
download the app!) for a full listing of events!
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Green Wrapping at North Park Village Nature Center
Saturday, December 2, 2017, 1-3pm
5801 N. Pulaski Rd.
Learn how to
wrap your gifts in "green" rather than store-bought paper. You'll gain the skills to hand-craft your own wrapping paper. Adults and families with children age 5 and up. Materials included.
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Holiday Dance Recital at Haas
Wednesday, December 6, 2017, 6-7pm
2402 N. Washtenaw Ave.
Join us at our annual Holiday Dance Recital! We plan to showcase a collaboration of dances learned by our tap and ballet classes set to holiday music.
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Since first opening our doors in 1873,
Chicago Public Library has served all Chicagoans with free and open places to gather, learn, connect, read and be transformed. The libraries are that special third place-beyond home and work-where people come to improve their lives, nourish their intellect or savor entertainment. Their 80 locations host a variety of free events ranging from performances, arts and crafts, writing and poetry, continuing education and more.
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Irish Cultural Hour: Irish Music with a Holiday Twist at Mount Greenwood
Friday, December 1, 2017, 10:30-11:30am
11010 S. Kedzie Ave.
Chicago Irish Immigrant Support (CIIS) presents the last in a fall series of Irish cultural programming at Mount Greenwood Branch. With musical performances and cultural programs CIIS hopes to create a great place for seniors to gather to enjoy one another's company and to celebrate Irish culture and heritage. This December event features Irish music with a holiday twist!
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Knit a Mitten Ornament at Harold Washington Library
Tuesday, December 5, 2017, 5:30-7:30pm
400 S. State St.
Knit a tiny mitten to hang from a tree or string on a garland. Materials will be provided.
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Holiday Bottle Lamps with Ellie Nitu at Albany Park
Thursday, December 7, 2017, 6:30-7:30pm
3401 W. Foster Ave.
Make a holiday bottle lamp with local artist, Ellie Nitu! In this workshop, you will learn how to wire a lamp as well as other construction and design principles. Bottles and lights will be provided. Please note that we have a limited number of supplies, so please register online or call the library.
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Kwanzaa Celebration at Altgeld
Friday, December 29, 2017, 3-4pm
13281 S. Corliss Ave.
Come join us as we celebrate Kwanzaa. This week-long celebration, begins on December 26 and ends on January 1. Learn the seven principles (Nguza Saba) of Kwanzaa, which celebrates African culture, heritage and traditions.
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Sequence Ch!cago: A Blues Christmas
Wednesday, December 20, 7-8:30pm
Aon Grand Ballroom
, 600 E. Grand Ave.
A nod to Chicago's diverse art and music scene, Sequence Ch!cago celebrates local artists, musicians and cultural organizations by showcasing their works through this unique and exciting new performance series!
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ZooLights
November 24-December 1-3, 8-23, 26-31; January 1-7, 2018
2001 N. Clark St.
Join us for the brilliance of this fun, free, family-oriented
holiday celebration, featuring luminous displays and holiday-season activities throughout zoo grounds.
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