Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and DCASE have announced an upcoming slate of new and reimagined summer events including at-home dance parties, drive-in movies, virtual concerts, farmers markets and community meals - in lieu of summer festivals. Some highlights include:  

 

- Millennium Park at Home - Music, arts and recreation programming moves online for Chicagoans and visitors to enjoy from home.

- SummerDance in Place - This at-home version of the summer tradition invites residents to connect online for a 30-minute dance lesson followed by 60 minutes of music on Wednesday evenings in July  

- Taste of Chicago To-Go - Taste will continue to showcase the diversity of Chicago's dining scene, support local nonprofits and frontline workers and delight our fans through new and reimagined events  

- Club Concerts - Beginning in June, in collaboration with local music venues, DCASE will host live events featuring Chicago musicians performing at neighborhood clubs and other unique locations for broadcast  

 

Many of Chicago's new, reimagined summer events support the local music industry during the Year of Chicago Music - now extended into 2021.

DCASE has also partnered with Do312 to launch a new listing of Year of Chicago Music Virtual Concerts to highlight the local music venues and musicians sharing "Music in the Key of Chicago" digitally. If you're hosting a virtual concert or music event, please send information and an image to [email protected].  

 

Millennium Park will reopen in mid-June with limited in-person programming and in accordance with Public Health safeguards and best practices.

 

The Chicago Cultural Center, the Clarke House Museum, Expo 72 and the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower will remain  closed to the public until further notice.

 

The COVID-19 outbreak is having an enormous economic impact on our local arts community. The City of Chicago and DCASE are proud partners and contributors to the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund - providing financial relief to workers and organizations in the creative industries impacted by COVID-19. Please also visit DCASE's COVID-19 Arts Community Resources - a partial list of the many local and national efforts to support our artists and arts organizations.    

 

Did you know over 40% of DCASE staff have been deployed to assist with the City's COVID-19 response? While working diligently to provide supports for the arts community and at-home cultural programming, we've also been helping with food distribution, volunteer management, media response and more.