New Ryan Field announces The Great Chicago Holiday Food Festival, a holiday event taking place at the newly opened stadium from Nov. 27 through Dec. 27. The festival, a holiday edition of The Great Chicago Food Festival held before every Northwestern University home game, will turn The Village at Ryan Field into a winter food market, with holiday menus from Chicago chefs and restaurants.
It will take place from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 to 6 p.m. Sundays, Nov. 27 to Dec. 27 (closed on some holidays).
Where: The Village at Ryan Field, Ryan Field, 1501 Central St.
Cost: Free admission; food and drinks for sale. Reserve free advance entry at https://www.newryanfield.com/holiday-food-festival.
“When we set out to build New Ryan Field, our vision was to create a venue that brought our community together for special shared experiences year-round, not just on game days,” said Pat Ryan Jr., CEO of Ryan Sports Development. “The Great Chicago Holiday Food Festival truly embodies that commitment by bringing together iconic Chicago culinary legends, small business artisans, and neighbors from across the region to celebrate the holiday season right here in Evanston.”
Participating restaurants include:
- Frontera Tortas y Tacos by chef Rick Bayless.
- Goatdown by Stephanie Izard, the first woman to win Top Chef and founder of Girl and the Goat.
- Gibsons Tavern and LuxBar Grill from Gibsons Restaurant Group.
- The Medallion, a pavilion for James Beard Award winners, featuring Publican Quality.
- Dimmi Baby, the Rising Star pavilion from the team behind Dimmi Dimmi.
Also at the festival:
- The Village at Ryan Field: Food pavilions serving winter menus from the restaurants above, including Bayless’ holiday tamales and a s’mores station.
- Artisan Gift Market: A market with 24 rotating independent small-business artisans selling gifts, art and packaged food from local makers.
- Holiday Hall: New Ryan Field’s North Hall, which overlooks the field and connects the stadium and the Village, will be decorated for the holidays.
- Holiday Light Garden: An outdoor walk-through light display around the stadium grounds.
