CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT FULLY STAFFS HUMBOLDT PARK BEACH AND ALLOCATES RESOURCES TO REACTIVATE THE INLAND BEACH AND OFFER MORE COMMUNITY SWIM OPTIONS
The Chicago Park District announced today that the Humboldt Park Beach, the only inland city beach, will reopen to the public on Monday, June 17 at 11 a.m. The grand reopening of the Humboldt Park Beach, located at 1400 N. Sacramento Ave., aligns with the opening of all outdoor pools on Monday, June 17.
“We are very excited to welcome back the Humboldt Park and neighboring communities to Chicago’s only inland beach,” said Rosa Escareño, Chicago Park District Superintendent & CEO. “Due in large part to the success of our seven-month long ‘Your Perfect Summer Job’ recruitment campaign, which yielded a great response from lifeguards that make staffing Humboldt Park Beach possible, we can finally confidently say that the lifeguard shortage is behind us, and our beaches and pools will be fully staffed and open for swimming all summer long.”
The Park District’s “Your Perfect Summer Job” campaign efforts, which kicked off in December 2023, have been successful in inspiring more than 2,000 candidates to apply to be lifeguards this summer. In conjunction with the launch of the recruitment campaign, the Park District unveiled a new Lifeguard Explorers Training Program to both teach new swimmers and strengthen skills of those who came to the program with some swimming skills. The stipend-based program graduated nearly 200 participants, between the ages of 15 and 22 years old, some of who will work as lifeguards this summer. The course, which targeted the west and south side communities, provided Chicago residents additional opportunities to learn how-to swim.
Sufficient Chicago Park District resources and an extra effort are required to prepare and safely staff this man-made body of water throughout the summer season.
The Chicago Park District Department of Cultural and Natural Resources, Department of Facility Management and Aquatics have been working collaboratively to reactivate the dormant beach, and bring back this great resource to the community.
“I am extremely grateful to our team for helping to revive a community asset that offers more swimming opportunities to our neighborhood parks,” said Escareño.
Lifeguards will be on duty daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Humboldt Park. Beach goers may access information on swim status for Humboldt Park Beach by checking the flag color at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/beaches or at the beach. Admission to Humboldt Park Beach is free.
Park District crews have removed vegetation from the swim area, groomed the sand in preparation for it being filled next week, and will begin water quality testing services with support from the UIC School of Public Health. The results of the tests will be posted daily on the Park District’s Beaches webpage.
Humboldt Park Beach is Chicago’s only inland beach, and not a naturally occurring body of water, which requires added attention to help keep it clean and accessible. The Park District encourages visitors to help do their part by:
- Disposing of trash in the receptacles provided,
- Refraining from feeding the birds,
- Using waterproof swim pants on small children, and
- Keeping dogs out of the water and away from the beach.
The summer pools schedules will be available on the Chicago Park District’s individual pool pages prior to pools opening for the summer season on Monday, June 17.