10 of Chicago's 22 public beaches opening for the 2026 summer season will have a noticeable change.
Chicago beach season officially starts this weekend, but visits to 10 popular beaches will look a bit different this year. , Chicago beach season for 2026 begins Friday, May 22, ahead of the long Memorial Day weekend.
The season runs through Labor Day, with lifeguards on duty from 11 to 7 p.m.Access to the city's 22 public beaches is free, the Chicago Park District says, but parking is not. At, at 10 popular beaches this summer, visitors will see automated parking gates. The park district says the recent changes “simply modernize how payment is managed and enforced. ” The park district also said the new gates will help with park security.
Under the system, visitors will be allowed a 15-minute grace period free of charge that can be used for pick-up, drop-off or unloading supplies. After that, a parking fee will be applied.
However, the parking rates have not increased as a result of the upgrades, according to the park district. Parking rates vary slightly by location, with fees around $4.07 for up to one hour and a maximum of $24 for vehicles parked longer than nine hours. The park district said it expects parking fees will generate $9.4 million in revenue that will “directly support parks and park programming citywide. ”
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