City to ring in 2016 with first-ever 'Chi Town Rising' celebration

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CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) - People all over Chicagoland are making big plans for Thursday night's big party to ring in a brand new year.

For the first time ever, the city of Chicago will celebrate with a 70 foot star 360 feet into the air- and of course, fireworks! The event starts promptly at 7 p.m. with performances on the Countdown Stage from various artists and bands.

TV host and actor Mario Lopez will host the inaugural Chi-Town Rising event on Thursday night. The celebration is privately funded and promoters say they expect about 20,000 mostly paid attendees. Arena Partners initially hoped it would draw about 100,000 people for live music and a countdown but the event was scaled back last month due to crowd control concerns.

Chi-Town Rising will feature performances by headliners Chicago and American Authors. The star will rise up the west tower of the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

The event, which costs more than $100 a ticket, will take place on Upper Wacker Drive, between Michigan Ave & Columbus Drive. Officials say the celebration will disrupt traffic downtown throughout the day Thursday. 

According to the Chicagoist, East Upper Wacker Drive's east-bound curb lane and southern-most east-bound lane, from North Stetson Avenue to 111 E. Upper Wacker Dr. will be closed until 5 p.m. Friday. Click here to read more road closures 

The New Years Eve celebrations in Chicago and all over the world come against a backdrop of terrorism fears and stepped-up security.

In the United States, officials are tightening security in high-profile locations. Overseas, police say they've disrupted terror plots meant to target celebrations in Belgium and Turkey.

Click here for more details on the Chi Town Rising event.