December 31, 2025
Chance The Rapper To Headline New Year’s Rockin’ Eve In Chicago
New York City hosted the event for more than 50 years before Chicago got the nod.
Chance the Rapper is set to represent his city as the headliner for the Chicago debut of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, which, for the first time ever, will ring in midnight live from the Windy City.
“I feel like there’s a huge responsibility when you’re showing off a city anyway,” he told ABC 7 Chicago. “And so we’ve been on a bunch of production calls, trying to make sure that there’s just like moments for all parts of Chicago to shine, to get to introduce this global city to the world. And also, like I said, I just want to have fun. I’m gonna be lit. It’s gonna be a great time.”
Chance the Rapper will be joined by a lineup of Chicago music heavyweights, including DJ Mike Dunn, DJ Mike P, J. Ivy, and Shemekia Copeland, performing on the main stage at the corner of West Wacker Drive and North Franklin Street in the Loop, starting at 9 p.m.
“I think our Chicago performers and our crowd out there is going to be excited. It’s the world stage, all the cameras pointed at Chicago,” Chance said.
Beyond the music, Chicago will showcase its beauty and charm with a custom audio-visual display projected from ART on THE MART starting at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET). Between performing and co-hosting alongside Seacrest, Chance the Rapper is set to keep busy all night. Chance The Rapper’s performance will be at 9 p.m. CT (10 p.m. ET)
“I’m going to have my host hat on most of the night. I’m going to be interacting with my other co-host and just showing the city to the world,” he said. “But at the end of the night, I’m going to be performing the song called ‘No More Old Men.’ I truly believe it’s probably the most important song that I’ve written. I think it encapsulates childhood in a way that I haven’t really been able to get across and also manhood in a way that I don’t think it expressed a lot in music.”
Before Chicago got the nod, Times Square was the regular spot for New Year’s Rockin’ Eve since 1972.
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