Chicago opened 2026 with a mix of large-scale tradeshows, fan events, and hospitality updates across the city and nearby suburbs. February brings major draws at McCormick Place and downtown hotels, led by automotive and dental meetings. Organizers also published a full festival calendar stretching from May through December, adding visibility into the city’s summer and holiday programming. New dining concepts and restored neighborhood venues continued to take shape, alongside hotel renovation and conversion projects slated to deliver updated rooms and new flags in the next two years.
Tradeshows & Conventions
Chicago February Tradeshows Draw Auto, Dental, and Design Sectors
Chicago lists four major tradeshows scheduled for February 2026 across McCormick Place and downtown hotels. The largest by attendance is the Chicago Auto Show, which runs Feb. 7–16 at McCormick Place and reports approximately 300,000 attendees. Healthcare and dental sectors also anchor the month, led by the Chicago Dental Society (CDS) Midwinter Meeting, set for Feb. 19–21 at McCormick Place with about 21,000 attendees and 450 exhibitors.
Other notable events include LMT Lab Day Chicago, held Feb. 19–21 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, which lists 4,600 attendees and 297 exhibitors focused on dental laboratory technology. The College Art Association (CAA) Annual Conference follows Feb. 18–21 at the Hilton Chicago, bringing roughly 5,000 attendees and 120 exhibitors tied to art, design, and academic research.
Arts, Attractions & Culture
Chicago Announces Full 2026 Festival Season Schedule
Chicago released its 2026 festival calendar, confirming a citywide season that runs from May through December. Programming begins in May with farmers markets, Memorial Day events, and Millennium Park fitness and music series.
Major summer events follow in June and July, led by the Chicago Blues Festival and Taste of Chicago. August brings peak outdoor programming, including the Chicago Air and Water Show, SummerDance, and the House Music Festival.
The calendar shifts into fall with the Chicago Jazz Festival over Labor Day weekend in September, followed by World Music Festival Chicago through early October. The season wraps up with holiday programming in November and December, including the city tree lighting, holiday markets, sing-alongs, and the New Year’s Eve celebration.
North Coast Music Festival Reveals 2026 Lineup
Chicago’s North Coast Music Festival unveiled its initial 2026 lineup on Jan. 30, confirming the electronic music event will return Sept. 4–6 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. The bill includes Illenium, Porter Robinson, Fisher, GRiZ, Gryffin, Slander, Ganja White Night, and more than 30 additional artists across house, bass, and electronic subgenres. Three-day general admission passes start at $354.95, with GA+ and VIP options also on sale.
Sports & Consumer Events
Cubs Convention 2026 Highlights Roster Moves and Fan Engagement
The Chicago Cubs Convention returned in January 2026, bringing players, executives, and fans together for team updates, panels, and autograph sessions. The event featured discussion around the Cubs’ offseason signing of Alex Bregman and its ripple effects across the roster, including expanded roles for younger players such as Matt Shaw. Team leadership emphasized roster flexibility and competitiveness heading into spring training, while fans engaged in Q&A sessions, player interviews, and behind-the-scenes programming that continues to position the annual Cubs Convention as a marquee winter fan event in Chicago.
Dining and Attractions
Former Northwestern Player to Open Women’s Sports Bar in Wrigleyville
Former Northwestern basketball player Clarissa Flores plans to open Level Sporting Club, a women-focused sports bar, in Wrigleyville this spring. The bar is slated for 3343 N. Clark St., less than a 10-minute walk from Wrigley Field, with an opening targeted for late April. Flores said the concept aims to put women’s sports at the center of the viewing experience, addressing a gap in Chicago’s sports bar scene.
Belmont Tavern Reopens in Avondale After 25-Year Hiatus
Belmont Tavern has reopened in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood, bringing new life to a historic bar that sat vacant for roughly 25 years. Led by longtime bartender Nick Kokonas, the revived tavern preserves much of the original 1890-era character while introducing a cocktail menu drawn from Kokonas’s two decades in Chicago hospitality. The bar features 26 cocktails priced at $12, alongside Old Style on draft, beer and wine selections, and neighborhood-focused happy hour specials. Belmont Tavern is now operating daily, positioning itself as a new gathering spot near the Belmont Blue Line station.
Hotels & Hospitality
Hyatt Lodge Oak Brook to Unveil Guestroom Renovations This Spring
Hyatt Lodge Oak Brook Chicago is completing a renovation of its 218 guestrooms and corridor spaces, with the updated accommodations set to debut in early May. The property, located on 88 acres of forest preserve in Oak Brook, will remain open during the renovation, including event spaces, dining venues, and amenities. Designed by DLR Group, the updates emphasize prairie-style design with preserved hardwood floors, residential-style furnishings, refreshed bathrooms, and upgraded corridor lighting. Hyatt said the project continues the lodge’s role as a retreat-style hotel for meetings, events, and leisure travelers in the Chicago suburbs.
IHG’s Ruby Hotels Brand to Make North American Debut in Chicago
IHG Hotels & Resorts will introduce its Ruby Hotels brand to North America with a planned Chicago opening in 2027. The hotel will convert the former Inn of Chicago at 162 E. Ohio Street, one block from the Magnificent Mile, under a 30-year lease. Renovations are slated to begin in the second half of 2026 and will expand the property to about 412 rooms. Ruby Hotels, a Germany-based brand acquired by IHG in 2025, currently operates 21 hotels, all in Europe, making the Chicago project the brand’s first U.S. location.
Photo Caption: State and city officials gather on the Grand Concourse at McCormick Place for the ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the grand opening of the 118th Chicago Auto Show on Saturday, Feb. 7. The event officially launched opening day of the 2026 show, which runs at McCormick Place through Feb. 16. Courtesy Chicago Auto Show.
