‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ spotlights Chicago with Chance the Rapper doing ABC’s countdown at the Riverwalk

As viewers watched from coast to coast, Chance the Rapper poured all of his usual gusto into launching a new tradition Wednesday night, showing the nation how Chicago welcomes the dawn of another year.

The hometown emcee served as Midwest host of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest,” leading the midnight countdown before a chilly outdoor crowd on Chicago Riverwalk at West Wacker Drive and North Franklin Street. It was the first time a Central time countdown was included on the ABC special, consistently the top-rated TV event of the holiday.

Though he briefly fell behind in watching the clock and doing the countdown, Chance sped up to hit the mark perfectly in the final seconds. Once 2026 began, he shouted “Happy New Year!” and then stayed quiet for a good 15 seconds, surrounded by family and friends, as the crowd took in fireworks and a recording of “Sweet Home Chicago.”

Minutes earlier, Chance performed his song “No More Old Men,” forcefully punching the rhymes paying homage to his father and Chicago barbershop culture. With featured artist Jamila Woods, he led the crowd on a call-and-response of “On and on and on and on … .”

ABC7 shows elaborate Millennium Park dance video with Terrell Brown and Cheryl Scott

While that performance went out to the national audience, WLS-Channel 7 had another Wednesday night treat just for Chicago: the annual year-ending dance video starring news anchor Terrell Brown and meteorologist Cheryl Scott.

Since 2018, the duo have been dancing in the new year with a choreographed routine shot at one or more Chicago landmarks. This year, they strutted their way through Millennium Park.

The video started with a danceoff at the winding BP footbridge that connects Maggie Daley and Millennium parks and jumped to a crew splashing in front of the giant animated faces of Crown Fountain, and then Brown and Scott dancing on platforms in the Wrigley Square fountain. Some beats from four Chicago Bucket Boys pounding glowing pails under The Bean led into the grand finale of dozens of dancers in black syncing up their moves under searching floodlights, Brown topping it off by guiding Scott into a deep dip.

The routine was shot in October, entirely at night, with troupes from Latin Rhythms Academy of Dance & Performance, the Puzzle Box Dance Studio and Mullane Godley Irish Dance Academy.

“The production is a celebration of the people, cultures, styles, and energy that make this beautiful city what it is,” Brown said in an email Wednesday night. “Bringing together different cultures, styles, and communities in one place at Millennium Park. On a bridge, no less. It’s very much about the city, the artists, and the collaboration behind it, both in front of and behind the camera.”

It was the duo’s eighth New Year’s Eve dance routine, traditionally aired during a local “Countdown Chicago” special leading up to midnight Chicago time. But with that time now devoted to Chance’s segments, Brown and Scott’s video moved back to around 9:25 p.m. as part of a brief ABC7-produced show that followed a mini-local newscast.

‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ lineup features Diana Ross, Chappell Roan

Chance was part of a “Rockin’ Eve” lineup that ranged from up-and-comers Jessie Murph and Tucker Wetmore to legends Mariah Carey and Diana Ross.

Ryan Seacrest and Rita Ora hosted the extravaganza from Times Square, with NFL star Rob Gronkowski and “Dancing With the Stars” fixture Julianne Hough fronting segments from Las Vegas.

Ross, the night’s Times Square musical headliner, performed a medley including “Upside Down” and “I’m Coming Out,” and the 81-year-old sounded strong and just wobbly enough to indicate she wasn’t lip-syncing.

The venerable ABC special kept up a steady parade of live and recorded performances by some three dozen musical acts, the most ever in its 50-plus-year history. From current chart-topper Chappell Roan to newly countrified Post Malone to Nashville favorites Maren Morris and Little Big Town to rappers 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes, the sounds were eclectic and the confetti kept flowing from rafters in multiple cities.

Chance stayed busy throughout the night, jumping onto the show to introduce Las Vegas performances and root on the chilly crowd watching the Riverwalk festivities. “We built different out here! We can party at any temperature,” he told the national TV audience. “We’ve been out here for hours and we don’t feel it anymore!”

After midnight Chicago time, the show cut back to Seacrest, clearly thrilled about witnessing “our first ever ‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ countdown in Chicago.”

Ora said it was “history in the making” and Seacrest replied, “We’re gonna do it again.”

“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” also will stream starting Thursday on Hulu.