By The Arkansas Black Vitality Staff

CHICAGO – May 4, 2026 – The Obama Foundation has announced that the Official Watch Party for the June 18 Grand Opening Ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center will take place at the Midway Plaisance in Chicago’s South Side. Attendees will be able to witness a livestream of the historic event in a free, picnic-style atmosphere with an art market featuring local vendors and community organizations. 

The Grand Opening Ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center, which cost $850 million to build, will be held at 11 a.m. The Center will be officially dedicated in a dynamic celebration featuring performances by global icons and engaging storytelling about the Foundation’s work to inspire, empower, and connect people to make change in their own communities. 

“This is an historic day for Chicago’s South Side as we welcome the world into our neighborhood,” said Valerie Jarrett, CEO of The Obama Foundation. “We are excited to share this celebration with our extraordinary community and city who are such an integral part of President and Mrs. Obama’s story, and where they will always call home.”

Located on Chicago’s South Side, the Obama Presidential Center is a global hub that inspires, empowers, and connects people to create change. At the grand opening, visitors of all ages will be invited to explore the free campus, engage with immersive exhibits and public programs, and discover how they can make a difference in their communities.

Free tickets to the watch party have already been reserved during a May 26 raffle. Entry to the free watch party opens at 9 a.m., featuring a live DJ and pre-ceremony activities. There will be an ADA viewing area and accessible restrooms. Public transportation on the Chicago Transit Authority and Metra is strongly recommended, as parking will not be available on site.

For anyone who prefers to join the celebration virtually, the Grand Opening Ceremony will also be live-streamed online at obama.org and on The Obama Foundation’s social media accounts. While museum tickets are sold out for the opening weekend, the rest of the campus is free and accessible to the general public.

In conjunction with the June 18 grand opening, the Obama Foundation has scheduled a host of grand opening activities for the Obama Presidential Center over the weekend of the nation’s Juneteenth celebration, which honors the legacy of the nation’s 46th President, Barack Obama, and First Lady Michelle Obama.

As part of the weekend of festivities, the Chicago-based presidential center will open to the public on June 19 and kick off its public programming with live performances, family-friendly activities, food, art, and storytelling across campus, continuing through June 21 as part of a weekend festival.

As part of the Foundation’s mission to inspire, empower, and connect visitors and to reflect the Obamas’ legacy from their eight years in the White House, programming at the Center will offer diverse experiences connected to arts and culture, civics and democracy, gardening and food, and sports and well-being. 

“We are so excited to welcome our neighbors on the South Side, people across the city of Chicago, and visitors from around the globe to the Obama Presidential Center, starting with our free Grand Opening Weekend festival,” said Jarrett, the former senior advisor to the nation’s first Black president.

“These celebratory programs are only the beginning of the fun ways in which we will welcome visitors to campus. We will foster a spirit of civic engagement and joy. ”

The Grand Opening Week celebrations are a preview of programming that will bring the entire campus to life throughout the year and beyond, encouraging visitors to gather on their own, find inspiration, and experience renewal among the beauty of the landscape. 

Other initial 2026 summer programming will include:

• Throughout July and August, the Center will welcome visitors and community members from across the city and beyond for its “You Are America” summer series of talks, films, and community events honoring the 250th anniversary of America. The series will kick off with a free Independence Day celebration “The People’s Fourth,” featuring live music, self-guided tours, and family-friendly activities across the campus. 
• Summer Garden Gatherings will be hosted in the Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden every other week from July 12 to September 20, in partnership with Urban Growers Collective.
• An all-ages celebration of President Obama’s birthday on August 4 with a karaoke DJ set will invite visitors to join the experience by singing classics from soul, R&B, and contemporary music.
• At Your Pace, the Center’s walk-run club led by Peace Runners 773, will encourage physical activity, healthy habits and social connection through guided wellness activities, designed by and for our South Side community. This walk-run club is a 10-week registration-based program for adults age 50 and older that will meet weekly Thursday mornings from August 6 to October 8.
• Talks, performances, and special program experiences will feature thought leaders, creatives, and Obama Presidential Center-commissioned artists.

Earlier this year, The Obama Foundation announced After School Matters will serve as its signature youth programming partner for the Obama Presidential Center’s Teen Action Lab. This youth programming will begin with a four-week teen sports and athletics program in Home Court starting in mid-summer.

The Foundation will continue its “Futures Series,” a career exposure speaker series for Hyde Park Academy students. The Chicago Public Library will also host YOUmedia programming for teens in the Obama Presidential Center Media Suite beginning in summer 2026. 

Beyond activities happening on the Center campus, The Obama Foundation will also continue its global leadership programs through the Obama Scholars, Leaders, and Voyagers programs and opportunity programs through Girls Opportunity Alliance, and My Brother’s Keeper Alliance programs.

Information about all Obama Presidential Center programming will be available on the Foundation’s website and event calendar and will be updated as programs are added. Visitors can also register to get information about programs by signing up for newsletters at obama.org.

The Obama Presidential Center’s programming is made possible through generous support from the following donors: Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), Eric & Wendy Schmidt, The Andrew W Mellon Foundation, Knight Foundation, John & Jacolyn Bucksbaum Family Foundation, The Walt Disney Company, Abbott Fund, The Fang-Zhao Charitable Fund, and Northwestern Medicine, our founding partner of health and wellness.