ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT & UPTOWN SQUARE

Welcome to Uptown! Here you'll find a long and colorful history as an entertainment destination centered at the intersection of Broadway and Lawrence, now know as the Entertainment District. Today, Uptown remains packed with venues big and small, including the Aragon Ballroom, Riviera Theater, Uptown Underground, and Uptown Lounge, which draw large audiences year-round—adding up to more than 250,000 annual attendees. Notably, the historic Green Mill Lounge remains one of the nation’s premier jazz clubs. Recent developments, active restoration, renovated condos, and new businesses only reinforce the area’s standing as one of Chicago's top entertainment destinations. 

Anchored by the Uptown Theatre (opened 1925), the district rivaled New York's Broadway as a hub for performance and glamour. From it's heyday, the area was filled with movie palaces, dance halls, and clubs. It was well known to have speakeasies during prohibition and a known hangout of Al Capone. Today, the focus remains on  the exciting nightlight, global cuisine, local bars, plush lounges, serving concertgoers and residents alike. 

Chicago’s entertainment district and home to nearly 65,000 residents! Nestled along Lake Michigan about six miles north of downtown, Uptown was once dubbed “the Loop’s little brother.” Ever welcoming, and ever evolving, the neighborhood is a vibrant, living tapestry—as rich in history as it is in culture. Settled in the 1830s, Uptown has a colorful history as a hotspot for arts and entertainment. The neighborhood’s iconic Prohibition-era venues and ornate architecture are as beloved today as they were in the early decades of the 20th century.

Uptown has long been home to social activists and advocates, immigrants and refugees, and artists and entrepreneurs of every stripe, all of whom have helped shape the area as it is today—a microcosm of Chicago itself—a neighborhood of big shoulders and rich contrasts. Drawn to its ample green space, vast lakefront, historic nightlife, global culinary offerings, and agencies that care for those in need, a new generation of visitors and residents are discovering what long-time fixtures have always known—that Uptown is a community where all belong.

Bounded by Irving Park Road on the south to Foster Avenue on the north, Lake Michigan on the east and Ravenswood Avenue on the west, Uptown is one of the most ethnically and economically diverse communities in Chicago and its mix of locally owned businesses and nonprofit organizations reflects its storied history. From the tastes of Argyle Street to the lights of Uptown Square to leafy Buena Park, we invite you to explore Uptown. Browse through our website to learn more about our neighborhood, our businesses, news, events, and much more!