This Week Downtown: Broadway, Fireworks & a Free Ratatouille

Your week-ahead guide to Downtown — 5 picks worth planning around

By Raj Singh · Published July 5, 2026.

Rain clears out after a soggy Sunday and by Tuesday we're back to the high 70s, which is perfect timing for a free outdoor movie in Millennium Park. Between a Tony-winning musical, Megan Mullally at the Goodman, and fireworks off the back of a tall ship, the Loop and Streeterville are stacked this week.

SUNDAY 7/5

Iceboy! The Musical @ Goodman Theatre

The Goodman's original musical starring Megan Mullally has been extended by popular demand through August 9 — a good sign for a brand-new show. Matinee at 2 p.m., evening at 7:30, in the heart of the Loop.

Petterino's is right next door: grab the chopped salad and a martini before curtain and you're doing pre-theater the classic way.

MONDAY 7/6

Michael Charles & Band aboard the Tall Ship Windy @ Navy Pier

Chase the Monday blues on the 148-foot Tall Ship Windy while a Grammy-nominated blues guitarist plays and the skyline slides by. Sets sail from Navy Pier in Streeterville at 7 p.m.; tickets run $59.

Beat the boarding call with a spinach-and-mushroom deep dish at Giordano's on the Pier.

TUESDAY 7/7

Millennium Park Summer Film Series: Ratatouille @ Jay Pritzker Pavilion

The free Wells Fargo film series kicks off Taste of Chicago week with Ratatouille on the big screen under the Pritzker's steel ribbons. Lawn opens early, movie starts at 6:30 — bring a blanket and claim your patch of grass.

Fittingly food-forward: pack a picnic from Goddess and the Baker on Wacker — the lemon cake travels well.

WEDNESDAY 7/8

FIREWORKS! Aboard the Tall Ship Windy @ Navy Pier

Navy Pier's Wednesday-night fireworks are good from land and great from the water. Board Chicago's official tall ship in Streeterville at 8:45 p.m. and watch the show from the lake; the special-event sail runs $85.

Grab a funnel cake or a cold beer at the Pier's Beer Garden before you cast off.

THURSDAY 7/9

Suffs @ CIBC Theatre

The Tony-winning Broadway musical about the American suffragists lands in the Loop — smart, funny, and very of-the-moment. Curtain at 7 p.m. at the CIBC Theatre on Monroe.

The Berghoff around the corner does the pre-show right: order the schnitzel and a house root beer.

Plenty more where that came from — see more Downtown events.