DOWNTOWN — Chicagoans soon will be able to watch a star rise instead of a ball drop on New Year's Eve.
"Chi-Town Rising," a new outdoor celebration promoted by Arena Partners and chiefly sponsored by Corona and Hyatt Hotels, will make its debut Dec. 31 on the Chicago River.
Musicians will play stages on both sides of the river between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive, with a fireworks show and a big star rising up the side of Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 E. Wacker Drive, as spectators ring in 2016.
“We are thrilled to welcome a new tradition to our city, changing the way that Chicago and the Midwest celebrates New Year’s Eve,” John Murray, founder of Arena Partners and executive producer of Chi-Town Rising, said in a statement.
The event will be privately financed, but has the backing of the Illinois Office of Tourism and Choose Chicago, a quasi-public tourism booster for the city.
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