New Ryan Field is trading football tailgates for tamales and twinkling lights this winter. Ryan Sports Development announced that The Village at New Ryan Field will transform into a seasonal food market, with holiday menus from Chicago chefs, a 24-artisan gift market and a stadium-side light garden running through the holiday season.
A Holiday Spinoff of the Stadium's Food Festival
According to Evanston RoundTable, the event is called the Great Chicago Holiday Food Festival, a winter edition of the Great Chicago Food Festival that already runs before every Northwestern home game. A New Ryan Field search-result snippet lists the dates as November 27 through December 27, though that detail carries lower confidence than other festival specifics confirmed on the venue's own event page, per newryanfield.com. The festival is set at The Village at Ryan Field, located at 1501 Central St. in Evanston, and is described as transforming that space into a winter food market with holiday menus from Chicago chefs and restaurants.
The regular, non-holiday version of the Great Chicago Food Festival was first unveiled as a recurring offering tied to Northwestern games and concerts, with admission bundled into event tickets while food and drink are purchased separately, according to the Northwestern Wildcats official athletics website. That version debuted on Oct. 2 during the public opening of the newly opened Ryan Field, The Daily Northwestern reported, and included a cookout and family-friendly activities inside a 50,000-square-foot area called The Village, anchored by six residencies.
Free Admission, Paid Food and Drinks
The holiday edition charges free admission, with food and drinks sold separately, and visitors can reserve free advance entry at newryanfield.com/holiday-food-festival. The festival is expected to operate Thursdays through Saturdays from 4 to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 2 to 6 p.m., though it will be closed on some holidays. New Ryan Field's events listing also notes that entry and parking are free for visitors heading to the stadium grounds.
Pat Ryan Jr., CEO of Ryan Sports Development, said New Ryan Field was envisioned as a year-round venue for community experiences beyond game days. He added that the festival brings Chicago culinary legends, small-business artisans and regional neighbors together in Evanston.
Chicago Chefs Bring Their Signature Dishes
The lineup of culinary businesses includes Rick Bayless, Stephanie Izard, Publican Quality, Luxbar, Dimmi Dimmi and Gibsons, according to the newryanfield.com event page. These businesses operate from six custom-designed pavilions, offering winter menus developed specifically for Ryan Field. Frontera Tortas y Tacos, from chef Rick Bayless, is set to offer Bayless's holiday tamales at the festival.
Goatdown comes from Stephanie Izard, described as the first woman to win Top Chef and the founder of Girl and the Goat. The Medallion pavilion is billed as a spot for James Beard Award winners featuring Publican Quality, while Dimmi Baby is described as the rising-star pavilion from the team behind Dimmi Dimmi. Gibsons Tavern and Luxbar Grill, both from Gibsons Restaurant Group, round out the pavilion roster, and The Village is also set to include a s'mores station alongside the food pavilions serving winter menus from participating restaurants.
Shopping, Fireplaces and a Light Garden
Beyond food, the Artisan Gift Market will let visitors meet and shop 24 rotating artisans, offering gifts, art and packaged food from local makers. Holiday Hall, described as New Ryan Field's north hall, connects the stadium and The Village and overlooks the field, featuring Munich-style beer garden tables, glowing fireplaces, comfy furniture and holiday decorations.
Rounding out the grounds is a Holiday Light Garden, an outdoor walk-through display with thousands of twinkling lights set around the stadium grounds. Together, the pavilions, market stalls and light display aim to give the new stadium a second life as a wintertime gathering spot for the Evanston area, separate from its role hosting Northwestern games and concerts.
