Family Fun Festival at Millennium Park

August 17, 2011 By
Family Fun Festival at Millennium Park – website
This post is a bit late – this is the final week of the Family Fun Festival. The Family Fun Festival goes on all summer and it’s been on my list of “Things to do right now!” since it started in June, but somehow it’s suddenly August. Last year I believe it went until September, but it’s ending August 21 this year so I decided we had to go RIGHT NOW. I’m posting this for those that might want to go this week or weekend and for those who might want to add this to their list of things to do for next summer.
Location: Family Fun Tent at Chase Promenade North at Millennium Park- N. Michigan Avenue & E. Randolph Street
Dates: June 13 – August 21
Hours: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm daily
Admission: FREE
Parking: The Millennium Garage has entrances on South Columbus between Monroe & Randolph. 

$14 – Early Bird: Monday – Friday (In between 5 – 10 a.m. Out by 7 p.m.)
$19 – 0 – 3 hours
$21 – 3 to 8 hours
$23 – 8 to 12 hours
$24 – 12 to 24 hours
$25 – Special Event Rate

Bathrooms: The closest bathrooms are at the Pritzker Pavilion and it’s a bit of a hike (not so great for the newly potty trained). The bathrooms are very large with lots of stalls and sinks. I saw only one changing table and it was inside a stall. The sinks and soap dispensers are at two different levels (for adults and children) and the hand dryers are low enough for kids to reach, but they’re the really loud ones so they might be a bit scary.
Nursing: There is no designated nursing area. I did see a few women breastfeeding their children so you won’t stand out.
Handicapped/stroller accessibility: There are ramps throughout the park and the tent is accessible. There is stroller parking inside the tent if you want to let the kids sit for the performance or walk around to the activities.
Other amenities: Cloud Gate, the Lurie Garden, the Pritzker Pavilion, the Nichols Bridgeway, and the Crown Fountain are all nearby (watch for another post about Millennium Park in general). 
Food/eating area: Millennium Park has the Park Grill (a seated restaurant) and concession carts, as well as restaurants and stores nearby. You can also bring your own food. There are individual tables and a 100′ long picnic table just outside the tent near Cloud Gate, and plenty of space for picnics in the grass. 
Activities: Activities are led by a different organization each week so they change every week. This week’s activities are being led by the Museum of Science and Industry. Kids can also read books, build with different kinds of blocks, color, and play with beanbags.
10:00 am – Wiggleworms sing-alongs
11:00 am – Reading Circle
1:00 pm – Family Performances – see schedule

We paid: $25. Grrr.. I missed the early bird parking discount by only 7 minutes. Not bad considering I didn’t even decide we were going until 8:30 am, but frustrating none the less.

Our experience: I absolutely love this and I’m disappointed we didn’t make it there earlier, and more often, this summer. We had a great time. We arrived just after 10:00am and watched the Wiggleworms performance; the kids even got to shake maracas along with the music. Then we explored some of the other activities – building with blocks, tossing bean bags, experimenting with different items to see what would float or sink in water, and coloring pictures. The kids color all the time at home, but this was especially exciting because they got to use markers; I rarely let them use markers at home because I don’t want to have to clean marker off my walls and furniture! We visited more attractions in Millennium Park (watch for a future post about that) & had a picnic. I’m really sad that this is ending so soon because it’s such a great event; the only downside is the parking (& I’m still not brave enough to take both boys on the train without another adult with me).

Comments

  1. Mindy says
    July 25, 2012 at 10:01 am

    Was it crazy packed?? Looks kinda crowded

Trackbacks

  1. Chicago City Guide sponsored by Chicco + Giveaway says:
    May 31, 2016 at 9:00 pm

    […] It’s still a little early in the year, but soon Millennium Park will host the Family Fun Festival (June 20 through August 21, 2016) daily for FREE. I wrote about one of our visits to the Family Fun Festival a few years ago. […]

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