Come join us!
Our Signature Events
Earth Day
Each spring, in partnership with the Chicago Park District, we host one of the city’s largest volunteer events, bringing thousands together to restore green spaces and strengthen community bonds.
Park Heroes
Park Heroes is an annual event recognizing the individuals and organizations that make Chicago’s parks flourish.
Our upcoming events
Hamburger Mary’s x FOTP Drag Bingo Night
Get ready for a night of drag, laughs, and a little competition — all for a good cause.
Join Friends of the Parks for HamBINGO, a fun drag bingo night to support our work and ensure Chicago’s public spaces remain free and accessible for all. Expect fabulous hosts, Jell-O shots, and plenty of fun!
HamBINGO starts at 7 pm. Please arrive early to get your spot, order food/drinks, and pick up your bingo cards. Guests are encouraged to make reservations for one of the time slots BEFORE 7 pm (ex, 6:00 PM, 6:30 PM).
Sunday, July 26 at 7 PM
Hamburger Mary's Chicago
1055 West Bryn Mawr Avenue, Suite E, Chicago, IL 60660
$20 suggested donation
Park Heroes / Park Roots Neighborhood Dialogue
Chicago's parks belong to everyone, from the North Side to the South Side to the West Side, and we want to hear directly from you about what you want to see in them.
This summer, Friends of the Parks is hosting a series of Community Dialogues across the city, where neighbors can share their vision for the future of Chicago's public spaces. Enjoy light refreshments, good company, and honest conversation about what it will take to keep our parks free and accessible for all.
Our South Side dialogue will be followed immediately by our Park Heroes Awards, celebrating the community leaders, volunteers, and Chicago Park District staff who go above and beyond for our parks.
If you're joining us on the South Side, plan to stay after the dialogue wraps for the awards celebration.
All other dialogues are standalone events, with no Park Heroes ceremony attached, just great conversation.
North Side Park Roots Neighborhood Dialogue
Chicago's parks belong to everyone, from the North Side to the South Side to the West Side, and we want to hear directly from you about what you want to see in them. This summer, Friends of the Parks is hosting a series of Community Dialogues across the city, where neighbors can share their vision for the future of Chicago's public spaces. Enjoy light refreshments, good company, and honest conversation about what it will take to keep our parks free and accessible for all.
Love Our Lakefront: Celebrating Nature in the City
There’s not much better than a Sunday on the lakefront! We are proud to sponsor this wonderful event hosted by our friends at Chicago Muslims Green Team and the Edgewater Environmental Coalition. We hope you’ll join us for a fun and educational day filled with bird watching, dune tours, and arts & crafts. RSVP today!
Grow & Glow
Please join us on Thursday, May 28th at 5:30pm for a wonderful evening celebrating Friends of the Parks, and especially our amazing 50 years of growing and protecting Chicago’s parks.
Enjoy cocktails, dinner, and dancing inside the beautiful Café Brauer and on its gorgeous terrace, with views of the Lincoln Park Zoo and downtown under the starry sky. Join together with other passionate supporters of all our treasured green spaces.
Grow & Glow is the capstone to our 50th anniversary Branch Out & Grow campaign, engaging all of Chicago to create a green future for generations to come.
Put on your dancing shoes and dress to sparkle, shine and glow with us for a wonderful night!
Steelworkers Park Framework Plan Community Meeting
We invite you to attend the Chicago Park District’s first Steelworkers Park Framework Plan meeting to share your ideas and help shape the future of this important lakeshore space. Click here to register.
Winter Social
Please join us at Revolution Brewing for our first annual Winter Social! We’ll have seasonal drinks, food, and a live performance by “The Outside Combo”.
Celebrate the future closure of the CDF
Join Friends of the Parks at Calumet Park Fieldhouse on Wednesday, November 12 at 11:00 AM to celebrate the future closure of the Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) and the exciting plans ahead for the Southeast lakefront.
Hear from Mayor Brandon Johnson, Superintendent Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, community partners, and Friends of the Parks’ Executive Director, Brian Gladstein, as we mark this major milestone for environmental justice and take the next steps toward a more accessible lakefront for all Chicagoans.
All are welcome!
South Works CBA Town Hall
We invite you to the South Works CBA & Policy Town Hall event hosted by our partner, Alliance of the SouthEast (ASE) and the Coalition for a Southworks CBA on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, where we will gather to discuss demands for a community benefit agreement (CBA) and policy demands for the South Works development.
Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Salud Center, 3039 E. 91st Street (near 91st Street and Houston Ave)
Food and light refreshments will be provided.
This town hall is a crucial opportunity to discuss the proposed CBA, organizing efforts and collaboration opportunities with local residents in preparation for the anticipated groundbreaking at South Works.
Decisions made about this site will have far-reaching effects on surrounding neighborhoods and the entire city of Chicago. As part of the Coalition for a Southworks CBA, Friends of the Parks will continue to advocate for community voices, benefits, and protections in these decisions.