Chicago is closing out the year with a seismic shift. Auris Presents is already a dominant force shaping the city’s modern nightlife and has announced TRANSITIONS, an ambitious new year-end festival that stretches across seven days, seven venues, and more than seventy of the most forward-thinking artists in electronic music. Running December 26 through January 1, the inaugural edition reimagines what a New Year’s celebration can look like in the Midwest, introducing a fluid, multi-venue experience unlike anything else in the United States.

TRANSITIONS is a new concept built on transformation. Borrowing its name and ethos from Underground Resistance’s iconic track “Transition,” the week-long event becomes a meditation on evolution and becoming. Attendees aren’t simply party-hopping; they’re moving through phases of matter. solid, liquid, vapor, and each night crafted to reflect a different state of being as one year dissolves into the next. With fully realized staging, visuals, and curation tied to its narrative arc, TRANSITIONS positions itself as both a celebration and a passageway.

The citywide takeover spans Radius, Cermak Hall, Concord, SERUM (PRYSM), Outset, Smoke & Mirrors, and Spybar, forming a constellation of portals through which this transformation unfolds.

Radius, one of Auris Presents' crown jewels, serves as a central pillar of the festival’s programming. Its lineup reads like a snapshot of global dance culture right now: house heavyweights Chris Lorenzo and Cloonee, the innovative spectrum-spanning sounds of Four Tet and Dylan Brady, Brazil’s surging star Beltran, and a feel-good Defected takeover helmed by Purple Disco Machine, Claude VonStroke, and Never Dull. If TRANSITIONS is a journey, Radius is where liftoff happens.

Next door, Cermak Hall goes deep. Azzecca brings her cosmic Cosimea brand to home turf, while AYYBO and Rafael deliver tech house with swagger. The room also leans into eclectic house via Chloé Caillet, Floorplan, and Paurro before diving into the harder realms with Kobosil and an unmissable Cera Khin back-to-back with ZORZA session. It’s the venue for those who want breadth and bite.

Concord's programming keeps the momentum dialed all the way up. Soulection architect Andre Power brings warm, soulful selections; Matroda anchors the night with Terminal Underground’s signature bass-driven stomp; and an On The Hhunt takeover featuring AIROD and hhunter promises controlled chaos for techno devotees. At SERUM, the Auris’ playground for off-center sounds, the lineup dives into the fringes: Incorrect label leaders Anthony Attalla and Carlo Lio, the cerebral techno of Bart Skills and Pleasurekraft, UK breakout Hannah Laing, and a punishing duo of Ben Klock and ANNĒ. Yotto unveils his intimate Anti Up project, while New Year's Eve brings a Farris Wheel takeover with house pioneer Gene Farris and the ever-unpredictable Shiba San. This is the venue for those who crave experimentation.

Smoke & Mirrors hosts standout nights including TRUST with Black Light Smoke, Patrixia, Echodroides, and Greg Corner, plus a solo set from Odymel and a Perc Trax showcase led by Perc and Selective Response. Spybar is a Chicago institution in its own right, keeping things tight with Chklte, Pauza, GENESI, and Matt Sassari, a perfectly tuned space for heads who want late-night intimacy. Outset closes the week with Boots’ New Year's Eve celebration featuring Boots, Miss Toto, and Kirk back-to-back with Miss B Haven, with more artists still to come.

No Auris year would be complete without DAY ONE. The legendary marathon returns to PRYSM for twenty-one hours straight, led by some of the heaviest hitters in the scene: Drumcode titan Adam Beyer, Chicago icon Derrick Carter, Life and Death visionary DJ Tennis, cinematic techno master Kevin de Vries, and house standouts Noizu, Kyle Watson, and ChaseWest. Special guests are promised, and won’t disappoint.

TRANSITIONS arrives at the close of a milestone year for Auris Presents: the fifth anniversary of ARC Music Festival, hundreds of shows across 2025, and hallmark events like Navy Pier Open Air and The July 4 Weekender. The launch of TRANSITIONS is more than a finale; it signals that Chicago’s dance community is entering a new creative chapter, bigger, bolder, and more interconnected than ever.

Tickets for TRANSITIONS are on sale now. All events are 21+. Chicago’s New Year's Eve has officially leveled up!

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