The Projections on the River Front: Chicago Night Times, Days and Views

The 2026 season, night by night

The projections run four nights a week, Thursday to Sunday, and the half hour moves with the seasons to start around dark.

So whatever the month, the half hour starts close to full dark or after it, and the towers around the facade are lit too. The autumn window is the easiest to fit round dinner, because it is over by 8pm. After 27 December the 2026 programme ends. Next year's dates are not out yet, so check the projection calendar before you plan a spring trip around it.

What you are looking at

Art on theMART is one of the largest digital art platforms in the world. It uses video mapping to turn the building's 2.5-acre river facade into a screen for moving images by contemporary artists, from Chicago and from abroad. It was founded in 2018, and the programme changes through the year. Works come from established artists and from Chicago creatives and local groups, so two visits a month apart can show you quite different things. The current work is named on the projection calendar.

The canvas is a landmark in its own right. When the Merchandise Mart opened in 1930 it was the largest building in the world, and it still stands at the junction of the Chicago River's branches. Other lit buildings to see after dark are on Chicago Night attractions.

Where to stand

The best view is from the Chicago Riverwalk on the south bank, across the water from the building. The Riverwalk is free and open from 6am to 11pm, so there is nothing to book and nowhere to queue.

From Michigan Avenue, where both cruise docks are, the Riverwalk runs west along the river towards the building. The docks and the river front are on the meeting-point map, and the way down to river level is in the visitor guide.

Seeing it from the water

A boat is a good way to pass the building lit, but not a reliable way to see a whole projection. The twilight tales cruise names the Merchandise Mart among the landmarks on its river route. Whether you pass during the half hour depends on your departure and the route on the night, so treat it as a bonus. For the projection itself, stand on the Riverwalk.

Lake cruises spend part of their time beyond the lock, so the river-only evenings give you the longest stretch among the towers. Which is which is set out on what to expect on the night.

A plan for an autumn Thursday

Here is one way to spend an evening from mid-September. You get to the river front around 7:20pm, a few minutes before the projections, with the sun already down. You watch the half hour from the rail. At 8pm you walk east along the river to Michigan Avenue, where both cruise docks are. From there you can take a later sailing out onto the lake, or walk on for dinner.

One thing does not fit the same night. The Night Crimes bus leaves Pearson Street at 7:30pm, just as the projections start, so if you want both, you do them on different evenings. The bus runs on select weekdays, so a Thursday for one and a weekend night for the other works well.

Dress for the river front

You stand still for half an hour by the water, and that is colder than walking. The average low at Midway is 59°F in September, 46°F in October, 35°F in November and 25°F in December. From October you will want a warm coat, and in December gloves and a hat as well. The river front is lower than the street and catches the wind off the water.

The river front itself

The Riverwalk is worth the walk on its own. It runs for 1.25 miles along the south bank, in four districts: the Confluence, the Arcade, the Civic and the Esplanade. The projections face it from across the water, and both cruise docks sit on it at Michigan Avenue. From the path you look up at the towers on both banks, lit, with the bridges crossing overhead.

If you have time before the half hour starts, walk it from the Michigan Avenue end towards the building. You pass under the bridges and along the water the whole way, and you arrive facing the facade. It is the free version of a river cruise, without the commentary and without the lake. For the stories of the buildings you pass, you need a guide; for the view, you only need to be there.

Fitting it round an evening

• Autumn, 7:30pm to 8pm. In mid-September the sun sets at about 7pm, so the projections start in the dark. Watch them, then take a later cruise.
• Summer, 9pm to 9:30pm. The projections start close to full dark, with the towers lit around them. Take the sunset cruise on another evening.
• After the show. 360 Chicago is open until 11pm, with last entry at 10pm, for the view from the 94th floor.
• Before the show. Buckingham Fountain runs its lit show from dusk, spring through fall.

Dress for the river front, which catches the wind; what to wear on the water covers it, and evening temperatures are on Chicago weather at night. For a lit evening with a guide, the night cruise from Michigan and Wacker covers the river and the lake.

River evenings to pair with the projections

Chicago: Historic Gangsters & Twilight Tales Night Cruise

Ninety minutes of gangster history and twilight tales on the river after dark, from the First Lady dock. A live storyteller, a bar on board, and river only.

From $46 per person

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Chicago River 45-Minute Architecture Tour from Magnificent Mile

Forty-five minutes on the river with a live guide from 400 N Michigan, on an open top deck or in a sheltered lounge. It runs by day, and its last departures reach dusk.

From $28 per person

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Chicago by Night River and Lake Cruise

Ninety minutes with a live guide from the stairs at Michigan and Wacker: the river, then through the lock onto the lake after dark. Bring your own snacks; the bar sells drinks.

From $50 per person

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