Northalsted (Boystown) Party Bus Rentals in Chicago

Halsted from Belmont to Addison

Northalsted, which many Chicagoans still call Boystown, was the first officially recognized gay village in the United States, and the rainbow pylons lining Halsted mark it as a place with history as well as a good night out. The district runs along North Halsted from Belmont up to about Grace, with most of the bars between Belmont and Addison and a second cluster a block east on Broadway.

The range is wide. Sidetrack fills most of a block with video bars, a rooftop deck and show-tune nights that have run for decades. Roscoe's at Halsted and Roscoe is the corner dance bar with drag shows and viewing parties. Hydrate, Scarlet and Progress keep the dance floors going late, Kit Kat Lounge serves dinner with performers working the room, and The Closet on Broadway is a tiny late-license bar beloved by regulars. Restaurants and brunch spots fill the gaps. Line-ups, cover charges and show schedules change often, so check each venue's current calendar and group policy.

Everyone is welcome here, and that welcome is the point of the neighborhood. Groups come for birthdays, bachelorettes, Pride, reunions and ordinary Saturdays. For citywide ideas see our girls' night out and birthday parties guides. This page concentrates on Halsted: how to arrive, where a vehicle can stop, and how to be the kind of group bars are glad to see.

Where to load when Halsted itself is off the table

Halsted through the district is one lane each way with parking on both sides, bike traffic, the 8 Halsted bus and sidewalks full of people from 10 p.m. onward. A bus stopped in the lane blocks the whole street, including the CTA bus behind it, so drivers avoid loading on Halsted between Belmont and Addison on busy nights.

The streets that work are the wider ones at the edges:

• Belmont Avenue, at the south end, close to the Red, Brown and Purple Line station. It is busy but wide enough to pull to the curb clear of the bus stops.
• Addison Street, at the north end, a straightforward approach from Lake Shore Drive, except when Wrigley Field has an event three blocks west.
• Broadway, one block east, with more curb space and its own bars and restaurants.

The cross streets between them, Aldine, Buckingham, Roscoe, Cornelia and Newport, are narrow one-way residential blocks with permit parking. A Sprinter can make a quick stop at a Roscoe or Cornelia corner. A full-size bus should not try.

For most groups the right plan is simple: one drop at Belmont or Addison, walk the strip, since the whole district is a ten-minute stroll end to end, and one pickup at the opposite end. That uses the bus for what it is good at, the rides in and home and any change of neighborhood, and keeps it out of the way in between.

Pride, Market Days and other full-street closures

Three annual events turn Halsted into a pedestrian zone, and each one changes transportation completely.

Pride in June. Chicago Pride Fest fills Halsted with stages and vendors on a June weekend, and the Pride Parade on the last Sunday of the month brings enormous crowds through Lakeview and Uptown. The route, start time and length have been adjusted in recent years, so check the current official details. On parade day, streets close across a wide area, parking bans start early with towing, and the CTA reroutes buses. A vehicle will not get within several blocks of Halsted. Plan a drop-off point well outside the closure, walk in, and set the pickup for a specific place and time far enough away, such as Irving Park Road, Ashland or Diversey, that the bus can reach it.

Northalsted Market Days in August. One of the largest street festivals in the Midwest closes Halsted from Belmont to Addison for a full weekend. The same approach applies: edge-of-closure drop-off, walk in, pre-set pickup.

Halloween. The Haunted Halsted parade closes the street on Halloween night. Our Halloween bar crawl guide covers costumes on buses and late-October demand.

For these weekends, request a quote months ahead, not weeks. Expect the driver to adjust meeting points on the day based on police direction, and keep the group's phones charged, because cell networks slow down in dense crowds.

Bachelorette parties: being a good guest

Northalsted has long been a bachelorette destination, and bars here have mixed feelings about it, for understandable reasons. These venues exist first as community spaces for LGBTQ+ people, and they predate by decades the time when that community could marry. A group that arrives treating the room as a backdrop, or the patrons and performers as props, wears out its welcome quickly. A group that comes as guests usually has a wonderful night.

What that looks like in practice:

• Call ahead. Some bars limit or decline bachelorette groups, particularly on show nights. Ask, and respect the answer.
• Tip performers and bartenders well, in cash, and do not touch performers or climb on stage unless invited.
• Ask before photographing anyone, and never post strangers. Not everyone in the room is out in every part of their life.
• Keep sashes and novelty props modest, and leave anything crude on the bus.
• Do not take over. Share the dance floor, keep your voices below the show, and buy a round for the regulars you squeeze past.

Bar stops do feature in bachelorette plans: among bachelorette inquiries in our network with usable trip notes, 22% mentioned bars or nightlife, though that is a small sample of about a hundred records. The bachelorette party planner and our bachelorette parties guide cover the rest of the weekend. If anyone in the group is unsure how to act, the rule is short: you are a guest in someone else's living room.

Vehicle choice, timing and neighborhood pairings

Groups headed to Halsted are usually modest in size. In our data, 91% of bachelorette inquiries and 81% of birthday inquiries with a usable headcount listed 20 passengers or fewer, and the tight streets here favor the same range. A 20-passenger party bus covers most groups, a 16-passenger party bus is a comfortable fit for twelve to fourteen with coats and bags, and a 14-passenger limo Sprinter is the easiest of all to position on Belmont, Broadway or a corner of Roscoe. The written quote will list what the specific vehicle assigned to you includes.

The neighborhood runs late. Dance floors pick up after 11:00, most bars close at 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Saturday nights, and a few late-license spots go to 4 or 5. Decide in advance whether the group is a midnight group or a last-call group, and set the rental hours honestly. Saturday is the default for bachelorettes, at 67% of those inquiries; Friday and Sunday-funday afternoons are easier for both bars and vehicles.

Pairings that work:

• Wrigleyville, 5 minutes: Three blocks west. Check the ballpark schedule first; the Wrigleyville guide explains why.
• Lincoln Park or Southport, 8 to 12 minutes: Dinner before Halsted.
• Andersonville, 12 to 15 minutes north: Clark Street's relaxed LGBTQ+ bars and restaurants, a good early stop.
• River North, 20 to 25 minutes: Lake Shore Drive south from Belmont, if the group is staying downtown.

The budget calculator will give you a per-person figure to share before collecting money.