Evanston venues and what they hold
Everything an organizer needs before committing a date in Evanston, Illinois — 18 mapped venues, capacity where it is published, airport distance and local time.
Ryan Field states a capacity of 35,000. The dots show what event67 would bill at that head count, and where the price stops.
Where Evanston holds a crowd
Evanston has a recorded population of 76,006 (2024), inside the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area of about 9.4 million people.
Counted by what they are for, that is 4 arenas and stadiums, 5 theatres and concert halls and 9 independent event spaces.
That is roughly 24 venues per hundred thousand residents, which is a dense field for a city this size — you will usually have a second choice at the same capacity.
By type that is 9 event spaces, 4 stadiums, 3 performing-arts centres and 1 concert hall, plus a longer tail below.
Arenas and stadiums (4)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Field | stadium | 35,000 | 5.2 km (3.2 mi) |
| Welsh–Ryan Arena | stadium | 8,117 | 2.9 km (1.8 mi) |
| McGaw Memorial Hall | stadium | not published | 2.9 km (1.8 mi) |
| Martin Stadium | stadium | not published | 2.5 km (1.6 mi) |
Theatres and concert halls (5)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pick-Staiger Concert Hall | concert hall | 1,003 | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts | performing-arts centre | not published | 1.9 km (1.2 mi) |
| Evanston Art Center | performing-arts centre | not published | 2.7 km (1.7 mi) |
| Piven Theatre | theatre | not published | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| The Block Museum of Art | performing-arts centre | not published | 1.9 km (1.2 mi) |
Independent event spaces (9)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cahn Auditorium | event space | 1,000 | 1.6 km (1 mi) |
| Norris University Center | event space | not published | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| Evanston Civic Center | event space | not published | 1.7 km (1.1 mi) |
| Community House | event space | not published | 8.3 km (5.2 mi) |
| Mayne Stage | event space | not published | 4.2 km (2.6 mi) |
| Wilmette Theatre | event space | not published | 4.2 km (2.6 mi) |
| Kenilworth Club | event space | not published | 5.5 km (3.4 mi) |
| Culture Connects 707 | event space | not published | 2.5 km (1.6 mi) |
| PalmHouse | event space | not published | 2.6 km (1.6 mi) |
Every venue mapped in Evanston appears above. The ones with enough published detail to be worth reading have their own guide and are linked; the rest are named here, which is honest about what the record holds without giving each of them a page made of three facts.
The largest rooms on record
Nothing in Evanston is classified as a convention or exhibition centre, so the largest rooms here are arenas, theatres and function spaces. The ceiling is 35,000 seats, at Ryan Field.
Capacities are the figure the venue or an encyclopaedia entry published. They are usually the seated maximum, and the same room in banquet or reception layout can differ by half. Confirm the layout you want before you plan around a number.
Arrival logistics
O'Hare International Airport (ORD) is 19 km (12 mi) out — a normal airport transfer, worth an hour in the run of show on the first morning.
Local time is Chicago time (America/Chicago) — set every session time in the app to that zone and let attendees' phones do the conversion.
At about 9,771 residents per square mile the city is compact enough that a venue and its hotel block are usually walkable, which removes a shuttle line from your budget.
Skokie, Niles and Park Ridge are close enough to draw from for a day rate, and to fall back on if Evanston has nothing free on your dates.
- Nearest major airport
- ORD
- O'Hare International Airport, 19 km (12 mi)
- Local time
- UTC−5
- America/Chicago, in September
- City population, 2024
- 76,006
- 9.4 million across the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area
What to check before you commit
No exhibition hall on record
Nothing in the Evanston dataset is classified as a convention or exhibition centre, so a trade floor needs either an arena floor, a fairground, or a nearby city. Check the arena listings above before you promise exhibitors a booth plan.
The city is smaller than the market
76,006 people live in Evanston itself, but about 9.4 million live in the wider Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Your local audience is far bigger than the city line suggests, and so is the commute your day-rate attendees will make.
What event67 costs for a Evanston event
A Evanston programme at 950 activated attendees — sized to Ryan Field, the largest stated capacity in the Evanston dataset — prices like this. Nothing is charged for the first 50, and nothing at all is charged past 1,000.
- activated attendees
- 950activated attendees
- billable, after the first 50 are free
- 900billable, after the first 50 are free
- for the whole event, at $5 each
- $4,500for the whole event, at $5 each
You are billed for people, not for the venue, so the room you choose in Evanston does not change this figure. Nothing is charged for an attendee who registers and never opens the app.
By event type
With a stated ceiling of 35,000 seats, Evanston can carry a full trade show or a multi-track annual meeting without splitting the audience across buildings.
- multi-track conferences
A 35,000-seat room carries a plenary with breakouts running alongside it.
- association annual meetings
An association meeting needs one big room, several small ones and a hotel block, which is the combination Evanston is set up for.
- festivals
An arena or stadium floor at 35,000 takes an audience no conference venue in Evanston can.
- sports tournaments
The same rooms already run fixtures, so load-in and crowd flow are solved.
- award ceremonies
5 fixed-seat houses give you a stage, lighting and sightlines without building any of it.
Where this data comes from
- GeoNames, CC BY 4.0
- US Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 estimates
- Wikidata, CC0
- Geographic data © GeoNames, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Venue data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License.
- US population figures are US Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
- Retrieved 3 September 2026. event67 has no commercial relationship with any venue listed.
Last updated
What it costs
- Free up to 50
- activated attendees, on one live event
- $5
- per activated attendee beyond 50
- $4,750
- the most one event can ever cost, whatever happens past 1,000
Activated means the person claimed their invite and opened the app. Not when you import them, not when the invite is delivered, and not if they register and stay home.
Questions people actually ask
How much is event67 for a 950-attendee Evanston conference?
950 activated attendees means 900 billable after the free 50, so $4,500 for the event. The price is $5 per activated attendee beyond the first 50, and the total for one event stops at $4,750 however many more attend. Activated means the person claimed their invite and opened the app. Not when you import them, not when the invite is delivered, and not if they register and stay home.
What is the largest venue in Evanston?
Of the 18 venues mapped in Evanston, the largest stated capacity belongs to Ryan Field at 35,000. Capacities in open data are the figure the venue itself published, and they are the seated number rather than a standing or exhibition figure, so confirm the layout you actually want before you plan around it.
Can you run a trade show in Evanston?
Nothing in the Evanston dataset is classified as a convention or exhibition centre. A trade floor here means an arena floor, a fairground or a venue in a nearby city such as Skokie. For a conference without an exhibition, the 18 venues on this page are the field.
Which airport do attendees fly into for Evanston?
O'Hare International Airport (ORD), about 19 km (12 mi) from the city. It is the highest-traffic airport within reach in this dataset. Local time is America/Chicago; publish every session in that zone and let attendees' phones convert it.
Can I run a small Evanston event on event67 for nothing?
One live event with up to 50 activated attendees costs nothing. Beyond that it is $5 per activated attendee beyond the first 50, and the total for one event stops at $4,750 however many more attend. Activated means the person claimed their invite and opened the app. Not when you import them, not when the invite is delivered, and not if they register and stay home.
Keep reading
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- Holding an event in Niles
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- Holding an event in Park Ridge
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- Holding an event in Northbrook
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- Holding an event in Des Plaines
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Running something in Evanston?
Set the schedule, invite the room and watch who actually turns up. Free for your first 50 activated attendees, on one live event.