(Above) A Chicago Loop Alliance “ACTIVATE” event on June 5, 2014, in the alley next to Chicago Theater. (Click on image to view larger version.)

April 1, 2016 – Turning alleys in the Loop into “pop-up urban experiences” has made a difference worth $900,000 so far and so Chicago Loop Alliance’s “ACTIVATE” events will be back this year.

It will be the third summer for the series, organized by the non-profit group tasked with making the Loop a better place.

This year’s events, says CLA, “will explore a unique overarching theme of the five senses” through art, music, and lights.

“We are taking audience participation to a next level,” says Michael Edwards (left), president and CEO of Chicago Loop Alliance. “We don’t want attendees to only experience art. We want to encourage them to be immersed in it.”

ACTIVATE events are scheduled for 5-10 p.m. on May 13, June 9, July 14, August 5, September 15, and October 13. Locations and other details will be announced two weeks in advance of each event.

CLA estimates over its past two seasons, ACTIVATE has attracted more than 30,000 people to the Loop and generated nearly $900,000 in economic impact, such as many of those people spending money at a Loop business after an event.