Buckingham Fountain Back On: The fountain in Grant Park is operating again. The hourly major water display at the top of the hour will not operate for the rest of the season.
Expanded end-of-summer aquatics schedule keeps 20 neighborhood pools open through Labor Day, while all 23 swimming beaches continue their regular season through Labor Day and more than 200 water play features remain on through September 30
CHICAGO – The Chicago Park District today announced its expanded end-of-summer aquatics schedule, keeping 20 neighborhood pools open through Labor Day while continuing to operate all 23 swimming beaches, including Humboldt Park Beach, through Labor Day, and more than 200 water play features through September 30.
The expanded pool schedule builds on last year's successful initiative and prioritizes neighborhoods identified through Chicago's updated Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI) as facing the greatest health risks during extreme heat events. Thirteen of the 20 neighborhood pools remaining open through Labor Day are in neighborhoods with higher vulnerability to extreme heat, helping ensure residents in communities facing the greatest heat-related health risks continue to have access to essential cooling resources.
This summer, the Chicago Park District opened indoor and outdoor pools across the city, with outdoor pools operating seven days a week for at least eight hours each day. The District also recruited, trained, and onboarded more than 700 seasonal aquatics employees—including lifeguards, shallow water attendants, aquatic ambassadors, attendants, and customer service aides—making it possible to safely operate neighborhood pools and all of Chicago's swimming beaches throughout the summer.
"Every summer, hundreds of seasonal lifeguards make it possible for Chicagoans to cool down by safely enjoying our pools and beaches," said Andrew Walsh, Director of Aquatics for the Chicago Park District. "Because the overwhelming majority of our seasonal lifeguards are high school and college students, most return to school in August, well before Labor Day. Our team works carefully to adjust staffing, schedules, and operations so we can safely keep neighborhood pools open through Labor Day while continuing to safely staff all of Chicago's beaches and maintaining the high standards our patrons expect."
As students return to school each August, the Park District's seasonal lifeguard workforce naturally declines. To continue providing access to swimming later into the summer while maintaining staffing at all of Chicago's beaches through Labor Day, the District strategically extends operations at selected neighborhood pools using a data-driven evaluation that includes the City's updated Heat Vulnerability Index, geographic distribution across the city, pool capacity, community usage, ADA accessibility, access to public transportation, and operational and maintenance needs. The expanded schedule increases the number of neighborhood pools remaining open through Labor Day from 19 in 2025 to 20 in 2026, while directing additional cooling resources to communities where they are needed most.
"As Chicago experiences more frequent and intense periods of extreme heat, access to public pools is more than recreation—it's an important public health resource," said Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, General Superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District. "By using Chicago's updated Heat Vulnerability Index alongside community demand, geographic access, and site capacity, we're making thoughtful, data-driven decisions that direct resources where they can have the greatest impact. We're proud to expand this initiative and continue providing families across Chicago with safe, welcoming places to cool off through Labor Day."
End-of-Summer Aquatics Schedule
• August 14: 15 indoor and outdoor pools conclude summer operations as seasonal staffing begins transitioning back to school.
• August 21: An additional 39 indoor and outdoor pools conclude summer operations as facilities prepare for fall programming and scheduled maintenance ahead of Chicago Public Schools high school students returning to classes on August 24.
• Through Labor Day (September 7):
o 20 neighborhood pools remain open.
o All 23 swimming beaches, including Humboldt Park Beach, remain open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with lifeguards on duty, consistent with the Park District's regular beach season.
• September 8: Indoor pools reopen for open swim and lap swim, pending scheduled maintenance and capital improvements.
• September 21: Fall aquatics programming begins.
• September 30: More than 200 water play features remain in operation through the end of September, weather and maintenance permitting.
In addition to expanding the number of neighborhood pools remaining open through Labor Day, the Chicago Park District will continue its regular beach season through Labor Day and extend the operation of more than 200 water play features through September 30. Together, these efforts provide families across Chicago with continued access to essential cooling resources as summer transitions into fall, with a particular focus on neighborhoods most vulnerable to extreme heat.
Complete pool schedules are available at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/swimming-pools. Beach information is accessible at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/beaches, and water play feature locations here.