Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain comes back to life for summer

Chicago turns back on Buckingham Fountain for the summer

Buckingham Fountain, one of the city’s most recognizable summer landmarks, came back to life on Saturday.

CHICAGO - Buckingham Fountain, one of the city’s most recognizable summer landmarks, came back to life on Saturday.

What to expect:

The celebration of the "Switch on Summer" took place with the historic fountain being turned on with fanfare, performances, street vendors, art stations, and food trucks.

The backstory:

The Buckingham Fountain, which has been open to the public since 1927, uses as much as 15,000 gallons of water per minute. The fountain's center jet can shoot water up to 150 feet into the air. 

The fountain puts on hourly 20-minute water shows during the day and special light and music shows at the top of every hour after dusk.

Buckingham Fountain usually remains active through mid-October.