Chicago’s popular attraction invites residents and visitors to enjoy live music and art programming, dining, and more along the Chicago River
Chicago is a wonderful place to be in the summer- especially near the lake. Take a look at what the Riverwalk is offering. Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) welcome a slate of engaging summer arts and recreational programming taking place on the Chicago Riverwalk, a magnificent urban space and entertainment hub located on the south bank of the Chicago River. The award-winning, pedestrian-friendly Chicago Riverwalk stretches 1.25 miles from Lake Michigan to Lake Street offering restaurants, wineries and bars, live music and performances, public art, urban recreation and more.
Programming on the Chicago Riverwalk is presented by the City of Chicago and produced by DCASE in collaboration with the Chicago Department of Fleet & Facility Management (2FM), the Chicago Park District and cultural partners from around the city.
Highlights include Sounds of the Riverwalk, kicking off its free music series June 30, and running through October 6 on select Sundays, featuring a variety of musicians from the Chicago Band Roster. ART on THE MART, the largest digital art projection in the world covering over 2.5 acres of THE MART’s river-facing façade, welcomes two new commissions this summer. Chicago Park District Fishing Program returns with interactive fishing and education opportunities. Details below and at ChicagoRiverwalk.us.
The Riverwalk Banner is currently activated with the public art installation, Kin Link by Chicago-based artist, Leonard Suryajaya. The five large-scale panels create a vision of an immigrant’s experience to the city through a queer lens that offers and creates space for differing patterns and identities to exist in cohesion. It considers the overlapping of family with kinship, and the knotty relationship between home and diaspora spanning from Indonesia to the United States.
Vendors in the Riverwalk concession program include Taco Rio, Urban Kayaks, Island Party Hut, The Northman Beer & Cider Garden, Mercury Cruise lines & Chicago’s First Lady Cruises, Chi Boys, Chi Boys Café, Chiya Chia, Feed Your Head, Colores Mexicanos, O’Brien’s Riverwalk Café, Chicago Brewhouse, Coco Bar, City Winery at the Riverwalk, Downtown Docks, Chicago Electric Boat Company, Tiny Tapp & Café, Chicago Cycle Boats, Sweet Home Gelato, and Brews and Bites by Chiya Chia.
Chicago Riverwalk 2024 Summer Programming and Public Art
Sounds of the Riverwalk
June 30 through October 6, select Sundays at 1 p.m.
The Confluence (between Franklin and Lake Streets)
Sounds of the Riverwalk returns for its fourth year and features an 8-week music series showcasing musicians from the Chicago Band Roster. These free, public performances take place on Sundays at 1 p.m. at the Confluence, located between Franklin and Lake Streets on the Chicago Riverwalk.
June 30 Africaribe (Bomba/Caribbean)
July 14 Sylvia Lopez (Salsa)
July 28 Del Pueblo Records (Vinyl Latin, Oldies, House)
August 4 Character Fleadh (Irish/Scottish)
August 18 Alex Santilli Trio (Indie/ Italian Folk/ Jazz)
August 25 Potomac Bombs (Bluegrass/ Prairie Tunes)
Sept. 15 Codigo Verde (Corridos)
Oct. 6 Gerry Hundt (Blues)
ART on THE MART
On view twice nightly
Now through September 11 at 9 p.m.
The Jetty (between Wells and Franklin Streets)
ART on THE MART is the world’s largest digital public art projection, displaying original video works across the 2.5-acre riverside façade of THE MART in downtown Chicago every night beginning at 9 p.m. With a yearly program of site-specific commissions, ART on THE MART lends visibility and recognition to a wide variety of artists locally, nationally and internationally.
Beginning June 6, ART on THE MART introduced two new commissions for the summer season. Omi Okun by the British-Nigerian multi-disciplinary artist and designer Yinka Ilori, in partnership with Momentum Textiles + Wallcovering, explores memories and mindfulness. In concurrence with Ilori’s projection is a new commission by the esteemed post-conceptual artist Cory Arcangel, whose work, Water, Wind and Fire, considers the potential and failures of modern and historic digital technologies. Both projections will run through September 11. Details at artonthemart.com.
Chicago Park District Fishing Program
Starting June 27, Thursdays – Sundays from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The Jetty (between Wells and Franklin Streets)
Join the Chicago Park District (CPD) on the Riverwalk to learn about what makes the Chicago River so incredible in this free family program. Located at “The Jetty” (between Wacker and Wells St) this program offers visitors the opportunity to catch a fish, hold a beaver skull, and learn about the ecosystem of the river hidden beneath the surface. Visitors will take part in outdoor education activities and learn about the role the river has played in Chicago’s history and future. Chicago Park District’s team of educators will be on-site every Thursday – Sunday from 10 a.m. -4 p.m. rain or shine through August 27 and Saturdays-Sundays from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. from September 2 – October 15, engaging Chicagoans and riverfront visitors in hands-on, spontaneous activities.
InstaGreeter Tours
Now through September 3, 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Enjoy the Riverwalk with a Chicago Greeter, a program of Choose Chicago celebrating 20 years of hosting visitors to Chicago. Locals and visitors alike can experience free one-hour walks leaving at 11:30 a.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Greeters highlight the architecture, history and places to eat and drink on the Chicago Riverwalk and more. chicagogreeter.com
Public Art
The Riverwalk banner exhibition launched in 2017 as a bi-yearly program and currently features the public art installation, Kin Linkby Leonard Suryajaya. Past artists include Candida Alvarez (2017-2019), Ebony G. Patterson (2019-2021), and Andrea Carlson (2021-2023).
Other public art installations on display at the Chicago Riverwalk include Echo Hecho Fresco by Alberto Aguilar at the Columbus underbridge, Del Otro Lado/The Other Side by Various Artists at The Confluence, The Radiance of Being mural by Kate Lynn Lewis at the Community Marketplace, as well as the Riverwalk Gateway by Ellen Lanyon, Allium by Carolyn Ottmers, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
# # #
About the Chicago Riverwalk
The Chicago Riverwalk provides a 1.25-mile continuous path along the Main Branch of the Chicago River from Lake Street to the Lakefront. The path is open from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. every day. For more information about the Chicago Riverwalk, participating vendors, and programming schedules, please visit ChicagoRiverwalk.us.
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) supports artists and cultural organizations, invests in the creative economy, and expands access and participation in the arts throughout Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. As a collaborative cultural presenter, arts funder, and advocate for creative workers, our programs and events serve Chicagoans and visitors of all ages and backgrounds, downtown and in diverse communities across our city—to strengthen and celebrate Chicago. DCASE produces some of the city’s most iconic festivals, markets, events, and exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park, and in communities across the city—serving a local and global audience of 25 million people. The Department offers cultural grants and resources, manages public art, supports TV and film production and other creative industries, and permits special events throughout Chicago. For details, visit Chicago.gov/DCASEand stay connected via our newsletters and social media.
Photos provided by DCASE
Splash Magazines
Be the first to comment