Millennium Park Named Top Midwest Attraction

CHICAGO, IL — Thanks to the nearly 12.9 million people visiting it in the second half of 2016, Millennium Park has earned the honor of top Midwest attraction, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office announced Thursday. The Chicago park's attendance numbers — based on new technology collecting that data — also put it among the top 10 most visited U.S. attractions, which includes New York City's Central Park and the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

From June 15 to Dec. 31 last year, the city initiated a pilot program through a third-party vendor that used special electronic sensors to measure Millennium Park's attendance. The sensors, which covered half of the park, estimated 12,859,360 unique visitors, according to the city. Previous annual attendance estimates for the park were 5 million.

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Millennium Park's visitors helped Chicago break tourism records in 2016 and move closer to the mayor's office goal of 55 million visitors by 2020. Last year, 54.1 million people visited the city, according to a release by the city.

“Millennium Park has become part of the cultural fabric of Chicago, bringing children and families together from all parts of the city to experience world class culture for free,” Emanuel said in a statement.

The 24.5-acre Millennium Park — which is on Michigan Avenue, surrounded by Randolph Street, Columbus Drive and Monroe Street — opened in downtown Chicago in 2004. The park features the Crown Fountain and Lurie Garden, but it has become famous for the ultra-reflective, now-iconic outdoor sculpture "The Bean," or Cloud Gate, as it's officially called.

Upcoming Millennium Park events this summer include:

• Chicago Gospel Music Festival: June 2-3
• Chicago Blues Festival: June 9-11
• Millennium Park Summer Music Series: Mondays and Thursdays, running June 12 to Aug. 21
• Millennium Park Summer Film Series: Tuesdays, running June 13 to Aug. 30
• Chicago Jazz Festival: Aug. 31-Sept. 3

Cloud Gate sculpture — or "The Bean" — at Millennium Park (photo via the City of Chicago)

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