17 photos of guys in their ‘Onesies’ and union suits at Sidetrack in Chicago

What do you do when you’re in a city where the mid-winter temperature hovers around the freezing mark?

Invest in a union suit or cute, thermal onesie!

The long-running Sidetrack in Chicago rang in the New Year with its annual 1/1/Onesie Party. Every year on New Year’s Day, the award-winning venue opens early and is quickly filled with hundreds of guys in cute onesies.

Friends came dressed in group onesies and many showed off their bods in union suits or other eye-catching sleepwear.

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Hosted by Boy J (below right), the afternoon party featured contests with prizes in a range of categories.

Co-owners Art Johnston and José “Pepe” Peña opened Sidetrack on North Halsted Street in 1982. Forty-four years later, it’s still going strong.

The venue made headlines last year when it submitted a proposal to take over an empty unit in Terminal 1 at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. If successful, it would make O’Hare the first airport in the US to feature its own LGBTQ bar.

A decision from O’Hare is still pending on whether to award the contract to Sidebar or to another of the businesses pitching for the space. We’ll keep you updated if when we hear news on that.

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Sidetrack regulars and other upcoming attractions

Sidetrack hosts a diverse range of attractions throughout the month. These include viewing parties (RuPaul’s Drag Race and The Traitors at the moment), Tuesday Trivia nights, showtunes sessions, and a monthly Sapphic Saturday, among other regulars. The next big event at the bar will be its annual St Patrick’s Day parade party on Saturday, March 14, 2026.

Although chilly mid-winter might not seem the most appealing time to visit Chicago, there are plenty of festivals coming up to make a visit at this time of year more memorable (besides the hunks in union suits!).

The city is currently in the middle of its Tomorrow Never Knows indie music festival (January 8-31). This is followed by Chicago Restaurant Week (January 23 – February 8, 2026). The 17-day culinary celebration features specially priced menus from a record-breaking 500+ restaurants across the city. It’s followed by Chicago Theatre Week (February 5-15, 2026), when you can find value-priced tickets for $30, $15, or less at dozens of shows across the city.

You can check out more photos from the Sidetrack onesie party below.

(All photos: Sidetrack Chicago)

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