July 4th fireworks at Navy Pier are usually a spectacular sight to see, and rather unsurprisingly, people come far and wide to check out the show. The show is always spectacular, remarkable, stunning, amazing, (insert adjective here), etc.
There’s one problem though… July 4th is still quite a ways off.
While they probably won’t compare in terms of size, audience, and overall magnificence—Navy Pier actually has a biweekly (twice a week, not every two weeks) firework schedule all summer long. The fireworks (accompanied by music) begin on the Wednesday after Memorial Day weekend, and they run through and just past Labor Day. Here’s a breakdown of the schedule:
From May 23rd – September 5th
Wednesday: 9:30 pm
Saturday: 10:15 pm
The fireworks themselves are free, but if you’re looking to enhance the experience, you can take a ride on one of the many firework cruises that coincide with the show. All of the usual Navy Pier suspects take part: The Odyssey, Seadog, Spirit of Chicago, and Mystic Blue. These usually leave about 15 minutes before the show starts, and being right off the coast of Chicago, they have the best seat in the house.
You can get more info on the individual ship cruises and fireworks here.
Like I said, in the grand scheme of things, these shows might not be on the level of the 4th, but they’re still (bear with me, I’m busting out all of the adjectives today) impressive, beautiful, and quite picturesque. Some bonus info: there are always fireworks at Navy Pier on New Year’s Eve too!
Here’s a quick promo video from the Pier: