Some of Chicago’s largest museums will stay open late Friday night to celebrate the city reopening for the first time in nearly 15 months.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the one-night commemoration Wednesday as the city readies itself for Friday, when the city enters what’s called Phase 5 — the lifting of capacity restrictions that had been in place since last spring.
Chicago will be one of the largest cities in the country to fully reopen.
Under Phase 5, all sectors of the economy will reopen. With no capacity limits, festivals, weddings, conferences, sporting events and museums are making a return in full force.
However, mask mandates and social-distancing guidelines still can apply in certain settings.
“One of the best ways we can celebrate our city’s reopening is by spending time at our renowned museums, which have undergone so many challenges over the course of this past year,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday. “That’s why I am thrilled that so many of our most iconic museums will be opening their doors until late this Friday night to give residents and visitors a head start on returning to a sense of normalcy.”
Lightfoot said she anticipates cultural institutions like these will safely and fully come back to life over the next few months.
The DuSable Museum of African American History is participating in the celebration by extending its DuSummer outdoor entertainment series to 10 p.m., but the actual museum won’t open until June 19.
Other participating museums will extend their closing time by several hours:
• Field Museum; 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
• Shedd Aquarium: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
• Museum of Science and Industry: 9:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.
• National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, at 3015 W. Division St.: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Correction: A previous version of this story indicated the DuSable Museum would be open to the public with hours being extended several hours into the evening. This information is incorrect as the museum doesn’t open until June 19 but its weekly outdoor concert series is what is being extended until 10 p.m.
