Grant Park Music Festival Promo Codes & Coupons September 2026 — Up to 20% Off

For more than 80 years, Grant Park Music Festival has been a Chicago summer music event. As a creative response to the Great Depression of the 1930s, Mayor Anton cermak teamed up with musicians union chairman James C. Petrillo to start Chicago's much-loved summer tradition. By 1935, the symphony concert had become a major form of cultural life in Grant Park. In 1944, the Chicago Park District established Grant Park Music Festival under the direction of Chief Conductor Nikola Marko. In 1962, the Grant Park Choir was founded under the direction of Thomas Peck. He was then led by Michael Cullen (1994-97) and a series of guest conductors until 2002, when he appointed the current chorus director Christopher Bell. Today, it is a unique collaboration between the Grant Park Orchestra Association, the Chicago Park District and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.