Chicago Bike Week and Bike Month: Dates, Rallies and Rides

Two programs share the idea of a bike week in Chicago. One was run by City Hall and organized around a morning rally on Daley Plaza. The other belongs to Active Transportation Alliance and stretches across May. Here is how each works, and which one to plan around now. It is part of the events calendar.

Chicago Bike Week, June 2013

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) announced Chicago Bike Week on May 7, 2013 as part of Bike Chicago 2013, presented by the City and Goose Island Beer Company¹. The week ran June 10 to 14¹. The City’s plan used a public service announcement video contest and a mix of events: a downtown bike tour, spin classes at Cloud Gate, a movie night in Millennium Park and the Bike to Work Rally on Daley Plaza¹.

The schedule, as announced:

Day	Event
June 10 to 12	Free outdoor spin classes at Cloud Gate in Millennium Park, first come, first served1
June 10	Free cyclist yoga class on Daley Plaza at noon1
June 11	Bike Chicago feature film in Millennium Park1
June 12	Free Near North Bike Tour, 150 riders maximum, preregistration required1
June 13	Cycle Palooza spin class at Cloud Gate, 5:30 p.m.1
June 14	Bike to Work Rally, Daley Plaza, 7 a.m.1

The rally was the headline. In 2013 it offered live music, a free continental breakfast and a free T-shirt, plus a free bike valet¹. The video contest’s finalists were to screen at the June 11 film night, with winners announced at the rally¹. The release named the week’s goal in the Mayor’s words: to make Chicago the most bike-friendly city in the United States¹. Its hashtag was #ChiBikeWeek¹.

The 2011 Bike to Work Rally

The rally predates the 2013 announcement. In 2011, nearly 1,000 bike commuters packed Daley Plaza for Chicago’s Bike to Work Day Rally on Friday, June 17⁴. The Bike Commuter Challenge pits like-sized businesses against one another to see which can get the highest percentage of bike commuters during Bike to Work Week⁴. Employees from more than 400 companies took part⁴. For commuting advice that outlasts any one rally, read our Bike to Work Week guide.

Chicago Bike Month today

Active Transportation Alliance runs Chicago Bike Month through the month of May to showcase the benefits of bicycling and encourage more people to try it². The program has three parts.

The Bike Commuter Challenge. A month-long competition in which Chicagoland organizations earn points by riding their bikes². It is free to join, and riders need no commuting experience². The 2026 Challenge ran May 11 to June 7².

Celebration Stations. Pop-up hangouts on the afternoon commute with swag, snacks and Active Trans staff and volunteers². The 2026 stops were the Lakefront Trail at the Field Museum on May 13, The 606 at Damen Avenue on May 27, and the Polish Triangle on June 2².

Ride of Silence. The annual ride honors people injured or killed while biking or walking, and it takes place in hundreds of communities². Chicago’s falls on the third Wednesday in May³. In 2026 that was May 20: riders gathered at Queen’s Landing at 5:30 p.m. and departed at 6 p.m.². The ride is free, registration is requested, and Chicago riders have honored fallen cyclists since 2005³. The 2026 ride ended at Monochrome Brewing in Pilsen, where riders honored two more cyclists whose deaths were not on the route³.

Suburban communities add their own events through the summer. Riverside, Glen Ellyn, Elgin, Streamwood, Arlington Heights and Brookfield each hold recurring community rides, and the Active Trans calendar lists them from April through September².

Other dates that people search under “bike week”

• Bike the Drive. Registration for the 2026 ride is closed, and the next ride is Sunday, September 5, 2027^5,6.
• Illinois rides. Ride Illinois maintains the statewide Illinois Bicycle Calendar⁷. Its Grand Illinois Bike Tour ran June 7 to 12, 2026 in Metro East².
• Races. The Chicago Cyclocross Cup’s next series race is Sunday, October 25⁸.

Plan next May

Active Trans invites groups to submit Bike Month events and posts or links them². If you organize rides, a Bike Month entry puts them on the Active Trans page. If you ride, start with the Ride of Silence. The events calendar tracks what has been announced, and the Bike the Drive guide covers the biggest ride of the year.