Buckingham Fountain will “definitely” be turned on this month after its pools were kept dry in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the event marking its debut will be largely or entirely virtual, according to a Commonwealth Edison spokesperson.
The Chicago Park District and ComEd have yet to firm up a date for turning on the historic fountain in the heart of Grant Park, but it will begin operating “sometime before Memorial Day,” said ComEd spokesperson Tom Dominguez.
“We are working on the final details of the announcement and should have more details early next week,” Park District spokesperson Irene Tostado said in an email.
It’ll be the seventh year the utility is partnering with the Park District for a “Switch on Summer” event, which, in years past, consisted of live music and blowup games, culminating in someone flipping a giant switch and the fountain beginning to flow.
ComEd and the Park District are still deciding whether a small contingent of people will be allowed at the fountain for the event, including someone from the mayor’s office, the ComEd CEO and a local resident selected from a sweepstakes to switch on the giant switch, Dominguez said.
Regardless, the event will be livestreamed for people at home to watch the fountain come back to life, Dominguez said.
Twitter @ceproctor23