For the third year in a row, the McKinley Park neighborhood hosted Chicago's Birthday Party, commemorating the 189th anniversary of the city's founding with a big celebration on Wednesday evening, March 4, 2026.
Held at the geographic center of Chicago at 3658 S. Honore St. in front of site host St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Chicago's Birthday Party feted the 189th anniversary of the city's founding with live music performances, ceremony and singing Happy Birthday to Chicago in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese and Polish languages.
Hundreds of attendees enjoyed complimentary Chicago-style hot dogs, drinks and birthday cake, as well as a photo booth and giveaways from sponsors and community partners.
Live Music Performances
William McKinley American Legion Post 231 color guard members fire a gun salute as part of the ceremony to begin Chicago's Birthday Party.Student bands from Horizon Science Academy - McKinley Park and Evergreen Academy Middle School rocked out sets of Chicago favorites, and mariachi Luis Alfredo again wowed the crowd: his third year performing at Chicago's Birthday Party.
William McKinley American Legion Post 231 kicked off the birthday ceremony with a gun salute, led by Commander Patrick McGuire, and Jahmal Cole of My Block, My Hood, My City roused the crowd with his heartfelt expression of love for Chicago and its neighborhoods.
Captain Chicago
Captain Chicago once again returned to entertain, circulate for photos and to quiz kids on Chicago history, with prizes for winners. Both the Chicago Police Department's 9th District and the neighborhood's Chicago Fire Department Engine 39 showed up to support and join the celebration.
Emcee Julia Rodriguez, 12th Ward alderwoman, led the show and also the singing of Feliz Cumpleaños.
She introduced other birthday singers, including Executive Director Grace Chan McKibben and the crew from the Coalition for a Better Chinese-American Community (CBCAC) singing in Cantonese, and Pastor Adam Gawel of St. Andrew Lutheran Church singing in Mandarin.
Sto lat
Metropolitan Water Resource District Commissioner Daniel Pogorzelski again led the crowd in Sto lat — the 100 years Polish birthday song — and President Chris Bania and the McKinley Park Civic Association concluded the singing with Happy Birthday to Chicago in English.
Evergreen Academy Middle School's alumni band rocks out at Chicago's Birthday Party on March 4, 2026.Chicago's Birthday Party is the result of a broad group of community organizations and enterprises coming together to collaborate on celebrating our city.
Donors and Supporters
Major donors included Swap-O-Rama and QTS Data Centers, and event contributors included RIO Event Studios and bakers Kristoffer's Cakes, Aracely's Bakery and Cadinho Bakery and Cafe. In addition to showcasing their band, Horizon Science Academy - McKinley Park provided sheet cakes to make sure all received a slice.
Other enterprise supporters of Chicago's Birthday Party included the McKinley Park News, which founded the event in 2023, and the Chicago White Sox, McDonald's, Mariano's, Jimmy John's and M. Rodriguez American Family Insurance.
Community Partners
Community partners included St. Andrew Lutheran Church, the 12th Ward, the McKinley Park Development Council, the Midwest Asian Health Association (MAHA) and the civic association, all of which participated in months-long event planning that also engaged the McKinley Park News, which provided the mckinleypark.org event website and led fund-raising.
Additional community partners supporting the event were the office of U.S. Congress Illinois 4th District Representative Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, Omega Delta Youth Baseball & Softball League and Tu Casa Guanajuato en Chicago, which brought mini Chicago flags for the crowd.
Save The Date
The next Chicago's Birthday party is scheduled for Thursday, March 4, 2027, at the geographic center of Chicago, 3658 S. Honore St., Chicago.
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