Greektown Chicago is lit up in festive blue and white lights along Halsted Street and kicks off the holiday season with festive public programs and events starting this month! The Holiday Shopper’s Reward Program offers a $50 rebate when you shop and dine in Greektown Chicago from November 1 through December 31. The traditional Greek Holiday Karavákia Display showcases vibrant illuminated boats in neighborhood businesses starting December 1. Continuing the festivities, Greektown’s annual holiday tree-lighting with carols is Sunday, December 12 at 3 p.m. at Elysian Field at the corner of Halsted and Van Buren Streets.
Greektown’s 2021 Holiday Shopper’s Reward Program provides a special rebate to visitors who shop and dine in Greektown Chicago from November 1 through December 31, 2021. Shoppers can receive a $50 Visa Gift Card after mailing in original receipts from at least three different eligible Greektown businesses totaling $25 or more from each business, with a grand total of $250 or more. Participants can stop by any participating business listed on the Greektown Chicago website for additional details and to pick-up a remittance envelope. A list of eligible Greektown businesses and additional details are available at greektownchicago.org/about/greektown-shoppers-reward.
Another way Greektown Chicago is celebrating the holiday season is with a traditional Greek Holiday Karavákia Display from December 1, 2021, through January 15, 2022. In Greece, there is an old Christmas tradition of decorating karavákia (little boats) with paint, lights and other materials. The Greektown Arts Committee brings this unique tradition to life for Chicago’s Greektown by inviting 30+ local artists to decorate little boat models and providing them to Greektown businesses to display a karaváki or two in their windows or in a prominent place for public viewing throughout the holiday season.
Greektown will also be showcasing a larger karaváki, painted by distinguished artist James Mesple, near the temple at Elysian Field (southeast corner of Halsted and Van Buren Streets), where the annual holiday tree is located. The Holiday Karavákia Display is sponsored by Greektown SSA #16.
Greektown’s annual holiday tree-lighting ceremony will be held on Sunday, December 12 from 3-4 p.m. at Elysian Field (southeast corner of Halsted & Van Buren Streets) including complimentary hot chocolate and sweets. As the tree is illuminated, students from Chicagoland Greek schools will sing traditional Greek Christmas carols (kalanta) and additional Greek and American holiday tunes will be played by DJ Yianni. The holiday tree-lighting event is sponsored by Greektown SSA #16 with additional support from the Greektown Chamber of Commerce and nonprofit Chicago Greektown Educational Foundation.
About Greektown Chicago
Greektown is a dining, nightlife and cultural district located on the Near West Side of Chicago. A popular destination for tourists and Chicago residents alike, Greektown offers the best sampling of Greek heritage outside of Athens—from authentic restaurants, cafes and shops to the National Hellenic Museum and annual Taste of Greektown festival. Greektown Special Service Area #16 is the business improvement district for the neighborhood, administered by sole service provider the West Central Association and guided by a volunteer commission of local business owners, property owners and residents. For more information, visit GreektownChicago.org.