
Accessibility
The Grant Park Music Festival strives to welcome all people into the joy of music. You may always contact Patron Services at 312-742-7647 or via email at patronservices@gpmf.org.
Starting 90 minutes before each concert, you can find assistance at the Patron Services Center, a small white tent on the upper walkway to the west of the Pavilion. Front-of-House staff can also be found throughout the seating area.
Our concerts are appropriate for all ages, and we offer a number of services to support access for concertgoers.
Access Services
- For the most direct path to the Pavilion, we recommend entering from Upper Randolph Street, using the sidewalks just east or west of the Harris Theater. You may also enter from Monroe.
- Please note that patrons are no longer able to enter the Pavilion from the Michigan Avenue entrance.
- Elevator access connects the Millennium Park Garage to the Randolph Street entrances. There is also direct, stairless access from Garage Level 4 to the Seating Bowl.
- There are stairs with railings, and wide ramps with railings, from the upper walkways to the Seating Bowl. The Seating Bowl itself is on a slight incline with no stairs and wide aisles.
- The Seating Bowl is fully accessible to wheelchairs and other mobility devices. There are 34-inch-wide spaces for wheelchair seating, with adjacent companion seats, both in the members' section (reserved seating) as well as in the free seats (first come, first served).
- For patrons using mobility devices who prefer to transfer into a fixed seat, the Front-of-House staff can help store your mobility device nearby.
- Please note: if you reserve “wheelchair seating,” that will be a wheelchair-accessible space and not a fixed seat. Contact Patron Services if you need further information on which seat to reserve for your needs.
- The Great Lawn is accessible to mobility devices that tolerate moving over grass and dirt. There is no curb separating the walkways from the Great Lawn, although there are 4 steps separating the Lawn from the Seating Bowl.
- Complimentary courtesy wheelchairs are available for loan on a first-come, first-served basis at the Millennium Park Welcome Center at 201 E Randolph St. An ID will be requested as collateral.
- The restrooms at the Pavilion are accessible by ramp. They can be found in the east and west arcades on either side of the stage.
- Assistive listening devices (ALDs) can be checked out from the Patron Services Center. An ID will be requested as collateral.
- For further information regarding the concert experience or for individualized assistance before a concert, please contact Patron Services.
- Large print programs are available at the Patron Services Center while supply lasts.
- Our Front-of-House staff can provide wayfinding / sighted guiding upon request. You may contact Patron Services in advance with these requests.
- Guide dogs and other service animals are welcome. For more information on service animals, please see below – “Other services and information.”
- There is dim artificial lighting in the Pavilion during and after concerts. The sun typically sets during or shortly after the concerts.
- If you have questions regarding your seat’s view or distance from the stage, please contact Patron Services.
- The restrooms at the Pavilion are fully accessible. They include gender-neutral single-user/family restrooms and can be found in the east and west arcades on either side of the stage.
- Service animals are welcome, defined as a dog (or a miniature horse) that performs tasks for a disabled patron. We are unable to welcome emotional support animals or pets to the Pavilion. Please be ready to identify your animal as a service animal, and the task your animal has been trained to perform.
- Most fixed seats in the Seating Bowl have armrests. The seats are 16.5 inches in width, with 19.5 inches between armrests. There are 19 inches of legroom between the front of a seat and the back of the next row.
- There are some swing arm seats on aisles; contact Patron Services for more information.
- For a quieter, low-stimulus, sensory-friendly experience of the concerts, patrons may listen from the Lurie Garden at the southern end of the Park. This area is further from the audio system and from the crowds. The stage is not visible from the Lurie Garden.
- A concert-specific sensory map is available upon request. Millennium Park’s sensory map and social story can be found at this link.
For further information regarding the concert experience or seating, or for individualized assistance before a concert, please contact Patron Services at 312-742-7647 or via email at patronservices@gpmf.org.
You may reference all Harris Theater accessibility information at this link. Some key information below:
- Accessible parking spaces are available on Level 2 or Level 3 North of the Millennium Park Garage, with direct access to the elevators.
- Please take the garage elevators to the street: Level 7. Exit, and take a left (west) on Randolph St to enter through the Harris Theater doors at 205 E Randolph. There is an incline on Randolph, uphill from west to east.
- For Grant Park Music Festival concerts in the Harris Theater, the Patron Services Center will be in the main lobby off street level, on Level 5. There is also an Access Resources Counter on Level 1, where patrons can check out booster seats, disposable ear plugs, and assistive listening devices (ALDs) with or without t-coil enabled neck loops.
- All floors in the Harris can be accessed via elevators. Seating that does not require stairs, and swing-arm aisle seating, is available on all auditorium seating levels. Wheelchair accessible seats in the Harris are removeable seats; patrons may choose to transfer into the theater seat, or to have it removed and to park their mobility device in that spot.
- You may access a seat map of the Harris Theater with stair step counts at this link.
- Accessible, single-user restrooms are available on all seating levels.
- Service animals are welcome inside the Harris lobbies and theater.
- Fixed auditorium seats range in width, depth, and height depending on section. Please call 312.334.7777 or email access@harristheaterchicago.org with specific questions on seat dimensions.