Free Bike Valet at Millennium Park and Grant Park Events: 2013 Service and Today
The Millennium Park bike station offered free valet parking at park concerts and Grant Park festivals in 2013. Here is who runs free valet there today.
In 2013 the Millennium Park bike station offered free valet bicycle parking at summer park performances and Grant Park festivals.1 The station closed in 2022.2 Free valet now comes from event organizers: Lollapalooza's 2026 festival partnered with REVERB, and Active Transportation Alliance ran a free valet at Bike the Drive in 2024.3,4
- At a glance
- 2013 valet price
- Free at Millennium Park and Grant Park events1
- Station closed
- September 30, 20222
- Lollapalooza 2026
- Free valet with REVERB; July 30 to August 23
- Everyday bike parking
- Perimeter of Grant and Millennium Parks6
On this page
Riding to a concert beats driving to one, and a free valet makes it easy: roll up, hand over the bike, walk in. The Millennium Park bike station offered that service in 2013.1 The station is gone. This page records the 2013 promise and lists who provides free valet now. The station’s wider story sits in the station hub.
What the station offered in 2013
In 2013 the station’s events page said valet bicycle parking would be available during summer performances at Millennium Park and festivals at Grant Park, and that the service was free.1 It told readers to take advantage of it and ride to the festivals.1 Its list of other events named Bike the Drive, the LATE Ride and the Chicago Marathon.1
The station was affiliated with those events. It provided free special-event valet bicycle service for events such as Bike the Drive.8 The service ended with the building’s public use: the station closed permanently on September 30, 2022.2
Who runs free valet now
No single operator replaced the station. Valet depends on the event, and the organizer decides whether to hire one.
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza runs in Grant Park, and the 2026 festival ran from Thursday, July 30, to Sunday, August 2.3 Lollapalooza partnered with REVERB to offer a complimentary bike valet for people cycling in.3 Bicycles are not allowed inside the festival grounds, and free parking is available near the entrance.3
Bike the Drive
Active Transportation Alliance holds Bike the Drive, a 30-mile ride on DuSable Lake Shore Drive with a post-ride festival in Grant Park.5 The main festival sits at Butler Field, 235 S Columbus Dr.5 In 2024 the festival ran from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Butler Field, with vendors, music, food and a free bike valet.4 The 2025 festival map marks the valet as stop 13.9 The next ride is Sunday, September 5, 2027.5
Riders without a bike can rent one from a local outfitter.5 For rates, see bike rental downtown. The ride has its own page: Bike the Drive.
Active Transportation Alliance valets
The same group runs valet at other Grant Park events. It parks and secures bikes at no cost to attendees at major city festivals, and the valet contracts help raise money for its advocacy work.7 In 2011 it ran a free valet at the southwest corner of Monroe Avenue and Lake Shore Drive for the Taste of Chicago, and parked and retrieved nearly 350 bikes in the first week.10 That valet was open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. through Saturday, July 2, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 3.10
Everyday bike parking near the park
Outside event days, the city’s visitor page for Millennium Park lists bike parking on the perimeter of Grant and Millennium Parks, close to the Chicago Cultural Center.6 A Divvy station stands at the Cultural Center on the Michigan Avenue side.6 For other places to leave a bike downtown, read downtown bike parking and the festival valet guide.
Free valet, then and now
| Event | Provider | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Millennium Park performances and Grant Park festivals, 2013 | Millennium Park bike station | Free1 |
| Taste of Chicago, 2011 | Active Transportation Alliance | Free10 |
| Bike the Drive festival, 2024 | Active Transportation Alliance | Free4 |
| Lollapalooza, 2026 | REVERB | Complimentary3 |
How to use a valet
Check the organizer’s page the week before an event. The Bike the Drive festival map shows where the valet stands.9 For everyday trips to the park, use the perimeter racks the city lists.6
Read next
Bike the Drive Chicago: Date, Route, Cost and Rules
Bike the Drive closes DuSable Lake Shore Drive to cars for a 30-mile ride. The next ride is September 5, 2027. Start times, route, prices and rules.
eventsBike Valet at Chicago Festivals: Lollapalooza and Bike the Drive
Free bike valet at Chicago festivals: where Lollapalooza's valet stood in 2026, what Bike the Drive offers, and where bikes are not allowed inside.
commutingBike Parking Downtown Chicago: Racks, Corrals and Locking
Where to park a bike downtown: city racks and corrals, CTA station parking, how to lock, and why the Millennium Park indoor bike station is gone.
Questions people ask
Is there free bike valet at Millennium Park?
Not as a standing service. The station that offered free valet closed on September 30, 2022. Valet now comes with specific events, such as the Bike the Drive festival in Grant Park, and bike racks stand on the perimeter of both parks.2,4,6
Is there free bike parking at Lollapalooza?
Yes. Lollapalooza partners with REVERB for a complimentary bike valet for people cycling in. Bicycles are not allowed inside the festival grounds, and free parking is available near the festival entrance.3
Who runs the free bike valet at Grant Park festivals?
Active Transportation Alliance parks and secures bikes at no cost to attendees at major city festivals, and the valet contracts raise funds for the group. It ran a free valet at the 2024 Bike the Drive festival.7,4
Where can I lock a bike near Millennium Park?
Bike parking is available on the perimeter of Grant and Millennium Parks, close to the Chicago Cultural Center. A Divvy station stands on the Michigan Avenue side of the Cultural Center.6
Did the Millennium Park bike station offer free valet parking?
Yes. In 2013 the station's events page said valet bicycle parking would be available, free, at summer performances at Millennium Park and festivals at Grant Park. It listed Bike the Drive, the LATE Ride and the Chicago Marathon as other events.1
Sources
- Events (archived page)ARCHIVE 2004–14
chicagobikestation.com (2004–2014 archive) · web.archive.org · checked 2026-10-19 - Confirmed: Millennium Park bike station will now only serve cops instead of commutersPRESS
Streetsblog Chicago · chi.streetsblog.org · checked 2026-10-19 - Lollapalooza 2026: Your guide to this year’s festivalPRESS
WGN-TV · wgntv.com · checked 2026-10-19 - Bike the Drive brings out thousands of cyclists, shuts down stretch of DuSable Lake Shore DrivePRESS
ABC7 Chicago · abc7chicago.com · checked 2026-10-19 - Bike the DriveNONPROFIT
Active Transportation Alliance · bikethedrive.org · checked 2026-10-19 - Millennium Park - Getting HereGOV
City of Chicago, DCASE · chicago.gov · checked 2026-10-19 - Lend a hand to Active TransNONPROFIT
Active Transportation Alliance · activetrans.org · checked 2026-10-19 - McDonald's Cycle CenterREFERENCE
Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · checked 2026-10-19 - 2025 Bike the Drive Festival MapNONPROFIT
Active Transportation Alliance · activetrans.org · checked 2026-10-19 - Free bike parking at the Taste of ChicagoNONPROFIT
Active Transportation Alliance · activetrans.org · checked 2026-10-19
Photo credits (1)
- Flickr user Wildcat Dunny / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · source
Laws are quoted from Illinois statute and the Chicago Municipal Code; prices from each operator on the date shown. Editorial policy · Corrections.