Special Buckingham Fountain Hours During Lollapalooza Aug. 5-7

8/3/2011

The access hours of Chicago’s iconic Clarence F. Buckingham Memorial Fountain will be adjusted during the Lollapalooza festival, Friday, Aug. 5 - Sunday, Aug. 7, to 7 – 10 a.m.
Visitors who are not ticket holders to Lollapalooza should look for a 10’ x 10’ tent marked ""Buckingham Fountain Access"" on East Congress Plaza Drive, just south of East Congress Parkway. Guided tours will take place each morning prior to the start of the Festival.
Buckingham Fountain, one of the largest in the world, is located at Columbus Drive and Congress Parkway in Grant Park. Typically, the fountain runs 8 a.m. - 11 p.m. daily, from April to mid-October, depending upon weather. Times and access may be adjusted for public safety when large events take place in or around Grant Park.
Additional areas within the footprint of the Festival are temporarily unavailable during that time, including the dog friendly area, skate park and tennis courts located at 9th Street and Columbus Drive.
“We would like to thank our patrons for their patience with these adjustments during the Festival,” said interim General Superintendent and CEO Mike Kelly. “Long after the music stops, the Festival serves as a revenue source during tough economic times by giving back millions of dollars to our neighborhood parks.”
Regular viewing hours for Buckingham Fountain and access to recreational areas at 9th Street and Columbus Drive will resume Monday, Aug. 8.
Since 2005, the Lollapalooza festival has raised more than $8.2 million for Chicago’s parks. Proceeds have been used to fund playgrounds in Washington and Columbus Parks; a soccer field in McKinley Park; hundreds of thousands of dollars in summer day camp scholarships; repairs to Buckingham Fountain; and more. In 2010, the economic impact to the City was an estimated $85 million in local spending at hotels, restaurants and clubs.

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