Arts & Entertainment

Obama Center Is Throwing a Free 3-Day Grand Opening Festival, With DJs, Double Dutch, Tours and More

The Obama Presidential Center is serving up a taste of the kind of programming visitors can expect in the future during the center's free three-day grand opening festival, June 19-21.

There will be music and dancing on the Plaza; Double Dutch performances in the Home Court athletic center, along with play stations led by mascots from Chicago's pro sports teams; drop-in gardening activities; and guided and self-guided tours of the campus.

Tickets to the museum itself are sold out for the opening, but no admission is required to attend the festival. Organizers are asking people to register in advance online in order to get an approximate headcount for various activities. 

Rounding out the weekend's entertainment:

— Family-friendly activities such as face painting, art making and photo booths.

— Performances and programs featuring artists whose work has been commissioned for the center.

— Story time and hands-on activities at the center’s Chicago Public Library branch.

— Talks in the center’s auditorium on topics including arts, culture and democracy.

Hours for the festival are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 19 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 20-21.

Later in the summer, the center will host a free Independence Day celebration, “The People’s Fourth,” and a birthday party with karaoke on Aug. 4 in honor of Barack Obama.

Contact Patty Wetli: [email protected]

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