Chicago is stepping into the national spotlight this New Year’s Eve with a live midnight countdown that will air in the Central Time zone for the first time ever on the iconic broadcast Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. Joining the city’s own skyline and riverfront fireworks, the event marks a milestone both for the show and for the city of Chicago.
For more than fifty years, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve has dominated New Year’s Eve television, traditionally from Times Square in New York City and, in more recent years, including a Spanish-language Atlantic Time zone segment according to Time Out Worldwide. Now, the show is expanding its reach to include the Central Time zone, with a live countdown broadcast originating from Chicago.
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The announcement reflects collaboration between Dick Clark Productions, WLS‑TV (Chicago’s ABC affiliate), and Choose Chicago, the city’s official tourism bureau. Chicago is set to bring its “incredible energy, culture and spirit” to this national broadcast, according to Barry Adelman, executive vice-president at Dick Clark Productions, as reported to Time Out Worldwide. WLS-TV’s general manager John Idler added that the station was “Chicago proud” to showcase the city’s skyline and riverfront in such a major moment.
The new Central Time zone segment will anchor performances, on-the-ground reporting and a firework display. The broadcast is set to air live on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, starting at 7 p.m. Central Time on ABC.
While this is a first for the Central Time zone, the decision signals Chicago’s ascent among the nation’s major New Year’s Eve celebration locales. As Time Out Worldwide notes, “Chicago has never been shy about throwing a good party, but now, for the first time, the whole country is invited to watch its countdown live.”
For Chicago residents and visitors alike, the move opens up a new way to ring in the New Year: in real time, with the city’s spirit front and center. While more details about the performances and hosts are forthcoming, the announcement alone marks a turning point: Chicago no longer just watches from the sidelines; it’s counting down live. Expect the cameras, the confetti and the skyline to all reflect a city celebrating both the moment and its place on the national stage.
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