Chicago River Spectacular Fireworks Show and Tiki Bar Cruise
Chicago, USA
Chicago River Spectacular Fireworks Show and Tiki Bar Cruise
Chicago, USA
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
Overview
Admire up-close views of the Chicago skyline—and a fireworks show over the city—on this tiki bar boat tour. In the evening, make your own way to the departure point at the Chicago Riverwalk, hop aboard, and get comfortable in the air-conditioned seating area or on the deck. Purchase cocktails and food from the on-site tiki bar, watch the city float by, and then sit back and take in the show.
- See a new perspective on Chicago on this evening boat tour
- Enjoy a view of the fireworks show that most other visitors miss
- Purchase tiki drinks and bites to accompany the experience
- Enjoy a one-of-a-kind night out in the Windy City
What's Included
Meeting and Pickup
Itinerary
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.1
based on 40 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
I have taken the firework cruise before with a different operator and review the fireworks from the open water. Not from the waterways between the Riverwalk. The view was not that good. I did enjoy seeing the buildings at night. But I would have enjoyed the fireworks more if we were closer to them. also, the music selection started off pretty good then it was not so good.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us! 🏙️✨ We are glad to hear you enjoyed seeing the buildings lit up at night, but we're sorry the fireworks view and music didn't completely hit the mark for you. 🎆🎵 Because our river vessels are larger, navigating the crowded riverwalk during peak times requires us to keep a safe distance from other boats and structures for safety. 🛥️⚓ For an up-close, open-water fireworks view, we'd love to have you join us on our Lake Michigan Fireworks Cruise next time! 🌊✨ We also really appreciate the note on the playlist and will work with our team to keep the tunes fun throughout the trip. 🎶
Cheers,
Island Party Team 🌴🛥️
Overall it was a nice experience, staff needs to pay attention more on cleaning the boat before boat rides because there was a lot of spiders everywhere and one even crawled on me , I feel like we’re the boat was also to show the fireworks that way better but you were still able to see everything good.
Perfect way to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. Very romantic 😍. The fireworks were wonderful!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you so much for celebrating such a special milestone with us! 🥂✨ Happy 10th Anniversary! 💕 We are thrilled to hear that you had a romantic evening enjoying the fireworks show and city views. 🎆🏙️ We hope to welcome you both back on board for many more celebrations to come! 🥂⚓
Cheers,
Island Party Team 🌴🛥️
The seating on the boat isn’t the best. It’s small & cramped. I was stuck sitting on a metal box to be able to sit on the top deck. They also have two tables on the top deck, which made the space awkward for the other people around the tables. You also had to pay extra to even get the option to go to the bar. The actual ride was fine, but I booked a fireworks cruise. I thought the boat was going to sit on the lake and face towards the city to see the fireworks but it stayed on the river near where it departed. I think it’s ridiculous I paid $100 to watch the fireworks on the water when I could’ve found a better spot off the lakeshore for free. I really wish I wouldn’t had purchased these tickets. It really felt like a disappointment and a waste of money.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that your experience on our Wednesday Fireworks Cruise did not meet your expectations, but we would like to clarify a few details regarding our operations.
First, our Wednesday night fireworks cruises are designed specifically as river cruises, which is noted in the trip description. Because we want to offer options for everyone, we do have separate Lake Michigan cruises available for guests who prefer to view the fireworks from the lake.
Regarding the bar, we do not charge our guests simply to access the bar area; however, we do offer an upgraded open bar package option for those who wish to purchase it.
Lastly, we want to clarify that our vessels offer a variety of comfortable seating options across multiple areas. In addition to the top deck, we have an open bow and a lower level equipped with tables and chairs to accommodate our guests comfortably throughout the trip.
We appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us, as we always want our guests to have a clear understanding of the unique experiences we offer on each of our vessels.
Amazing experience going with friends and having fun. Drinks are reasonably priced at $12. I recommend staying near the dock where people board the boat and lining up early to secure a chair and table on the second floor; otherwise, you'll have to stand.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you so much for joining us on our Chicago River Spectacular Fireworks Show and Tiki Bar Cruise! 🌟 We’re thrilled to hear that you and your friends had such an amazing experience and enjoyed the fun atmosphere and reasonably priced drinks. Great tip about arriving early to grab a table upstairs — we’re glad you shared that with future guests!
We hope to welcome you back soon for another night of fireworks, music, and beautiful Chicago views. 🎆🚤
— The Island Party Boat Team
Apparently, there are two different addresses for the boat company. We were sent the wrong address for our boat cruise and missed it completely. Very disappointing since we were celebrating our nephew's 21st birthday.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for your feedback. We’re very sorry to hear about the confusion surrounding your cruise experience. We want to assure you that the correct boarding address is listed clearly on all tickets and confirmation emails sent prior to the cruise. We only have one address for tickets and Viator does not sell the private charters that go out of a different location.
We understand that navigating downtown can sometimes be challenging, which is why we strongly encourage guests to double-check their ticket details in advance and allow extra time for parking and locating the dock.
Was a Great experience came on a couples trip with my husband & wanted something not to crazy or loud!!
But deff a Great time fun music, friendly staff, deff returning with the family in the future
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you so much for the great review! We're thrilled to hear you and your husband had a fun and relaxing time with us. It’s wonderful to know the music, vibe, and staff made the experience just right—not too crazy, but still a great time! We can’t wait to welcome you back with the whole family for more memories on the water! ⚓🎶🌅
Overall it was a good experience. They made a roundabout through the river then stopped the boat to see the fireworks show. Only suggestion is that the boat was parked behind the bridge so we couldn’t see the fireworks that were happening below, just the big ones. Whereas other boats were able to go past the bridge. Also have more chairs on deck rather than tables so people can sit instead of having to go down the ground level
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for your honest and helpful feedback. We’re glad to hear you had a good overall experience and appreciated the river cruise and fireworks show. Safety is always our top priority, especially during high-traffic events like fireworks nights when the waterways can become very congested. In this case, our crew made the decision to stop in a location that allowed for a clear and safe view of the main fireworks display while keeping everyone on board secure.
We also truly appreciate your suggestion regarding seating. We’re always looking for ways to improve guest comfort, and we’ll definitely take your comments into consideration as we plan future cruise layouts.
Thank you again for cruising with Island Party Boat—we hope to welcome you back aboard soon! 🎆🛥️
No instructions on where to park.
We were not able to make the boat.
Never been to Chicago, not sure if I will return.
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that parking was an issue during your visit.
Our website does provide detailed information on nearby parking garages to help guests plan ahead. Unfortunately, it looks like your booking was made through a third-party provider, so some of that helpful information may not have been as clearly communicated.
When visiting a new city, we always recommend reviewing travel details in advance or reaching out to our customer service team—we’re happy to assist with directions, parking tips, and any other questions to help make your experience smooth from start to finish.
The address given to get to the Riverwalk is right but there is no parking anywhere near there so if you are driving and out of towners you dont know where to go. We left our hotel with plenty of time but with a concert and traffic we finally made it downtown and missed the boat because we couldnt find parking.
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that parking was an issue during your visit.
Our website does provide detailed information on nearby parking garages to help guests plan ahead. Unfortunately, it looks like your booking was made through a third-party provider, so some of that helpful information may not have been as clearly communicated.
When visiting a new city, we always recommend reviewing travel details in advance or reaching out to our customer service team—we’re happy to assist with directions, parking tips, and any other questions to help make your experience smooth from start to finish.
We hope you’ll consider visiting us again, and we’d love the opportunity to welcome you back under better circumstances
Average Cruise for Fireworks. Drinks are not good quality, Fireworks we saw were from distance. For the Price this should be better, not recommended.
Everything u can do this cruise 🛳 💯 times and some how it seems like the first time. Great experience 👍🏿
Fireworks were great. The crew provided an awesome experience. Got a nice trip of the Chicago river.
Very nice Birthday experience for me. Merchandise mart art show on building and fireworks were spectacular!
Great views of Chicago skyline. Perfect locaton on the river to watch the fireworks
Highly recommend
The experience, the view, the fireworks… everything was great! We had a really good time. The boat could’ve been a bit newer, but it was still a good time.
Booked a trip for Wednesday evening fireworks was made to wait in rain till 8 when was finally told that they would reschedule. I then got a notice that my trip was moved to Saturday at 8 pm to arrive early as seats are first come first serve. So we arrived at 4 pm to be able to enjoy tiki Island which was amazing but was not included in cruise which we knew. We then lined up at 715 to be told there was no 8pm cruise and we had no reservation. So then we where informed we where suppose to be on 9 pm fireworks cruise which they could still not find our reservation and was told it wasn't for there cruise. I tried to contact the operator at time never got a response and the girl doing boarding could not confirm. It was a hassle and just allot to be able to enjoy a evening of stress-free relaxation which we didn't have.and after already spending over 125.00 on 4 drinks where told ohhh well since can't find your reservation we can give u 15% off drinks ummm no thank you how about you find my information and get me on my cruise
It was advertised as having food to purchase but there was NO FOOD. I didn’t eat dinner before the ride because I thought there would be food!
It was overall a good experience. Not crowded but outside seating was limited. Weather was perfect. Skyline view and fireworks were great. Drinks available at a cost. No snacks. Smoking on the boat was an unpleasant surprise.
Perfect weather for this Tiki Cruise! Nice beverages as well, although we were hoping for Pina Coladas!
City View at night was amazing. The fireworks so fun! Bring a sweater as it is breezy. Staff was helpful and boat was nice.
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