New in Chicago — July 2026

4 new openings · 11 notable events spotted on the Chicago map in July 2026.

🏪 New places that opened

Pretty Cool Ice Cream in Chicago teamed up with the Chicago Transit Authority on a limited-edition lineup of CTA Line giveback pops for National Ice Cream Month, including Brown Line Cookies & Cream and Orange Line Mango Passionfruit.
1d ago
Aldi is proposing two new grocery stores in the Denver area, including one at 9111 E. 40th Ave. in Central Park.
1d ago
Craft & Carvery is now in Wicker Park, with pizza on the menu, five months after Time Out Market closed.
2d ago
United Airlines has started a twilight baggage drop at O'Hare International Airport, giving passengers another way to check their bags there.
2d ago

📅 Some Chicago suburbs are canceling or postponing July 3 fireworks because severe thunderstorm watches and warnings are still in the area.
📅 Several Chicago suburbs are set for Fourth of July fireworks and holiday festivities on Friday.
📅 A 4th of July 2026 guide is out for Chicago, with spots around the city for America’s 250th birthday.
📅 Theatre Evolve's production follows a dispute between a white couple and a Latine couple, and it ties that conflict to bigger sociopolitical questions.
📅 Shakespeare's least-produced history play is getting an environmental staging at United Church of Rogers Park.
📅 New artistic director Daryl D. Brooks's 2015 celebration of male crooners is joining the tribute to past hits at Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago.
📅 Kevin Webb is starring in Conor McPherson's solo play in Chicago, about a frustrated middle-aged theater critic who falls in with a band of vampires.
📅 Chicago actor Harry Lennix is the latest celebrity narrator for Aaron Copland’s 1942 piece, Lincoln Portrait, as America marks its 250th birthday.
📅 Chicago area Fourth of July celebrations start as early as Friday, with fireworks displays across the suburbs and a historic show at Navy Pier on Saturday.
📅 Lionel Richie’s postponed Chicago concert now has a new date at the United Center.
📅 The 46th annual Taste of Chicago runs in Grant Park in Chicago from July 8 to 12, 2026.