Whether you’re a Chicago local or a first-time visitor, Millennium Park is a must-visit attraction for anyone in the city. Located in the heart of Chicago’s Loop, Millennium Park is best known for Cloud Gate (aka “The Bean”), but its art, architecture, gardens, and year-round events make it much more than a quick stop.
Come explore everything this space has to offer.
Millennium Park guide
Things to do in Millennium Park
Cloud Gate (“The Bean”)
One of the city’s most famous icons — you can’t come to Chicago and not see it. The Bean (officially named Cloud Gate) is the country’s first outdoor sculpture by famed artist Anish Kapoor. Don’t forget to snap the ultimate Chicago photo op in The Bean’s mirror-like surface.
Pritzker Pavilion
This stunning outdoor amphitheater brings concerts, events, and live performances to Millennium Park. Designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry, the Pritzker Pavilion is surrounded by Chicago’s skyline views — making it an unforgettable atmosphere for live shows. The space is home to iconic Chicago events, like the annual Chicago Blues Festival and Chicago Jazz Festival.
Crown Fountain
Another gem in the park’s world-renowned public art collection, this interactive video sculpture consists of two 50-foot glass block towers over a shallow reflecting pool. The Crown Fountain towers include LED video screens that display larger-than-life faces of Chicago citizens. In warm seasons, the towers cascade with water, making them the perfect place to splash around and cool off.
Lurie Garden
An award-winning masterpiece of botanical landscaping, the Lurie Garden is the perfect spot for rest and relaxation in Millennium Park. Every season, native perennials and bulbs give the garden great diversity, creating a haven for wildlife, birds, and insects. This peaceful oasis always has something beautiful to discover year-round.
The Boeing Galleries
The Boeing Galleries are paved outdoor venues situated on the park’s mid-level terraces. Designed for public exhibitions and furnished with seating for park visitors, these free open-air galleries are home to rotating modern and contemporary art installations throughout the year.
BP Bridge
Take a walk along the spectacular stainless steel BP Bridge to reach Maggie Daley Park. Spanning 935 feet, this snake-like bridge is an aesthetic walk over Columbus Drive, connecting two iconic Chicago parks.
McCormick Tribune Plaza and Ice Rink
In colder months, McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink turns into a winter wonderland, welcoming all ice skaters with free admission and affordable skate rentals. In the summer, the space serves as Chicago’s largest beer garden, offering scenic views of the park and a full food and drink menu. No matter the temperature, this plaza is known as one of the best people-watching spots in the city.
Millennium Park concerts and events
Millennium Park Summer Music Series
Millennium Park Summer Music Series is a free outdoor concert series that brings live music to Millennium Park all summer long. The weekday shows feature a diverse range of musicians and genres, including R&B, house, disco, jazz, pop, country, alternative, and world music.
Millennium Park Summer Film Series
Spend a summer evening under the stars at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion during the Millennium Park Summer Film Series, when free movies are shown weekly throughout the summer. Pack a picnic, find a spot on the lawn, and enjoy a movie with the city’s iconic skyline lighting up the night.
Millennium Park Summer Workout Series
Saturday mornings call for summer workouts. Grab a mat and participate in a free workout class on the Great Lawn during the Millennium Park Summer Workout Series, with options like Pilates, yoga, cardio kickboxing, and Zumba classes from local instructors.
Millennium Park music festivals
The park is also home to annual festivals celebrating Chicago’s signature music genres, including:
Chicago Blues Festival
The world’s largest free blues festival, Chicago Blues Festival brings four days of performances to Chicago, pairing legendary blues icons with rising local talent on the genre’s biggest free stage.
Chicago Gospel Music Festival
The Chicago Gospel Music Festival tradition honors Chicago’s roots as the birthplace of gospel music with performances from choirs and vocalists in Millennium Park.
Chicago Jazz Festival
Jazz legends and rising stars share the stage at the Chicago Jazz Festival, bringing Chicago a lineup as diverse as the genre itself.
Chicago House Music Festival and Conference
Chicago is the birthplace of house music, and the Chicago House Music Festival and Conference brings the beat home with a weekend of DJ sets, dancing, and industry conversation.
Millennium Park holiday events
- Tree Lighting Ceremony: Chicago kicks off the holiday season with the lighting of the city’s “official” Christmas tree, a beloved tradition that fills Millennium Park with festive treats, live entertainment, and a dazzling fireworks finale.
- Millennium Park Holiday Market: Aligned with the Tree Lighting Ceremony, this holiday market brings diverse vendors, entertainment, and concessions to Millennium Park.
- Millennium Park Holiday Sing-Along: This beloved Friday tradition brings Chicagoans and visitors together to sing holiday classics, spreading seasonal cheer around The Bean.
Millennium Park restaurants
If you’re looking to grab a bite to eat, Millennium Hall offers great dining options with something for every kind of appetite, all located within the park grounds.
- Napolita is an authentic brick-oven Neapolitan pizzeria, also known for hosting pizza-making classes and events (17 N. Michigan Ave.).
- Casa Bonita is a casual spot serving Mexican fare and frozen margaritas with views of The Bean (next to Cloud Gate).
- Double Clutch Brewing Company features the city’s largest beer garden (McCormick Tribune Plaza).
Explore more: Find Chicago restaurants near Millennium Park.
Things to do near Millennium Park
Maggie Daley Park is a fantasyland for all ages. Between the magical Play Garden, Skating Ribbon, rock-climbing walls, 18-hole miniature golf course, tennis courts, and picnic groves, this space offers a wonderful park experience during every season.
The Chicago Cultural Center draws visitors through fabulous free public events, showcasing music, dance and theatre, films, lectures, art exhibitions, and family events. Visitors can admire the magnificent stained-glass domes that crown one of the city’s most visited attractions.
The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the U.S., located in neighboring Grant Park. Its world-renowned collection showcases masterpieces that span more than 5,000 years of artistic history.
Grant Park is known as ‘Chicago’s front yard,’ acting as a city centerpiece and filled with some of Chicago’s most iconic landmarks and attractions, such as Buckingham Fountain.
Engage with more than 400 years of American writing at the American Writers Museum. Featuring special interactive exhibits, this space is the only museum of its kind in the nation where you can learn about the writers who shaped the nation.
Just north of Millennium Park, the Chicago Riverwalk is a scenic 1.25-mile pathway where visitors can immerse themselves in Chicago’s world-famous architecture from the riverfront. Visit one of the many waterfront restaurants or hop on one of the city’s famous boat tours.
Getting to Millennium Park
Public transit (bus and train): Millennium Park is easily accessible by CTA trains and buses. The nearby Washington/Wabash stop can be reached by the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, and Purple Line trains. CTA buses 3, 4, 6, J14, 20, 56, 60, 124, 146, 147, 151, and 157 all have stops near the park.
The park is also reached via Metra train lines, with Millennium Station located directly beneath the park.
Parking: Nearby parking garages are located at Grant Park North Garage (25 N. Michigan Ave.), Grant Park South Garage (325 S. Michigan Ave.) and Millennium Park Garage & Millennium Lakeside Garage (5 S. Columbus Dr.).
Bike: Getting to Millennium Park by bike is easy via the Lakefront Trail, exiting at Monroe Street. Visitors can also use Divvy Bikes, Chicago’s bike-share system, with a station conveniently located outside the Chicago Cultural Center along Michigan Avenue.
Learn more about getting to Millennium Park.
