After a few summer-like days in Chicago, many may be wondering when the local water parks will open.
Well, good news for everyone wanting to cool off—Yorkville’s Raging Waves, the largest water park in the state, will open its gates for the 2026 summer season this weekend.
Originally opened in 2008, the park featured 17 waterslides, a quarter-mile-long lazy river, a 350,000-gallon wave pool, a sand area, a leisure pool, and two restaurants. Now, Raging Waves has expanded to cover 58 acres, adding 15 more waterslides, 43 private cabanas, 11 dining options, and a massive, stadium-sized LED video screen on the back wall of the Barrier Reef Wave Pool.
According to NBC Chicago, visitors can expect “temperature-controlled water” in its wave pool and lazy river this year, allowing them to heat those areas for the first time.
Raging Waves will open its gates this Saturday
The park’s opening day is Saturday, May 23, with operating hours from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. during Memorial Day weekend.
Daily operations will begin the following week on May 30, when Raging Waves will also be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. until June 5. Extended hours will start on June 6, with the park open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through the end of the month. From July 3 to August 15, the park will operate from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.
The final weekend of the season will be Labor Day weekend, from September 5 to 7.
