Meet a Wild Animal and Some Civic Leaders

Join Friends of the Chicago River and our all-star cast of wild river animals while you mingle with your friends, colleagues, and other civic leaders on May 29 at the 17th Annual Big Fish Ball,  and celebrate our shared action and advocacy for the Chicago-Calumet River system and its tributary streams. Our largest fundraising event of the year, the Big Fish Ball brings together hundreds of river friends, leaders, and policy makers at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk hotel along the Main Stem of the Chicago River.

Reserve your tickets now.

Also at the gala event, Friends will honor the recipients of the Chicago River Blue Awards, which celebrate the highest achievement in river-sensitive designs for the protection and improvement of the Chicago-Calumet River system and surrounding watersheds. Attendees will also have an extraordinary opportunity to get up close to wildlife similar to last year’s Big Fish Ball, which included a Canadian lynx, an alligator, a Burmese python, and several species of owls, a Blanding’s turtle, and an opossum. The evening will conclude with a beautiful After Party Cruise on the Chicago River.

The Big Fish Ball is an accumulation of the hard work and commitment of our gala committee, chaired by board member Jim Mark, as well as the numerous dedicated volunteers, donors, and partners.

A special thank you to our nearly 20 Big Fish Ball sponsors whose generosity makes the celebration and our work to improve and restore the river possible.