Empowering Communities

ComEd ‘flips the switch’ to bring Buckingham Fountain back to life

June 1, 2021
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For the first time since 2019, the centerpiece of Grant Park and one of Chicago’s most popular sights, Buckingham Fountain, is back to life.

This is the seventh year ComEd teamed up with the Chicago Park District to turn on the landmark fountain as part of the “Switch on Summer” event, which celebrates the arrival of summer.

Almost 4,000 people tuned in to the virtual celebration, which featured special guest appearances, including WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling, Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, ComEd CEO Joe Dominguez, and music by Papo Santiago y su Orquesta, curated by the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center.

ComEd sweepstakes winner, Dominique Lalrinzuala, flipping the switch.

ComEd sweepstakes winner, Dominique Lalrinzuala, a ComEd customer from Orland Park, Ill., did the honors of reviving Buckingham Fountain with the flip of a switch. Lalrinzuala was one of 3,600 people who took part in the online sweepstakes that asked entrants to answer three ComEd energy-related trivia questions.

This year, Buckingham Fountain celebrates 94 years of calling Chicago’s “front yard” home and serving as a backdrop for memorable summer experiences in Chicago. The “Switch on Summer” celebration is especially important this year because it also signifies a safe return to summer activities in Chicago and the fountain’s impressive hourly water displays and nightly light and music spectacle.