Chicago beaches to reopen Friday

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago's beaches are reopening.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot released a video to celebrate beach season. She knocks down a cardboard cutout version of herself on the beach a reference to the closed beaches last year.

Beach season starts on Friday and runs through Labor Day.

"As the weather warms up and our city begins to safely return to a sense of normalcy, reopening our beloved lakefront beaches is the perfect way to turn the page on spring and get back to our favorite outdoor activities," said Mayor Lightfoot. "While we are excited for folks to return to our beaches this summer, we still encourage everyone to be safe and continue to get vaccinated. This exciting announcement is the result of the tremendous progress we've made in our efforts to slow and stop the spread of this virus and I urge everyone to keep up the good work so we can reopen even more of our iconic summertime attractions in the near future."

All traditional beach amenities will be available except for drinking fountains, which remain off-limits.

Beachgoers can also access information on swim status by calling the Chicago Park District Beach Hotline at 312-74-BEACH and by checking chicagoparkdistrict.com.