Former President Barack Obama is getting a little help from his friends in celebrating the opening the highly anticipated, $850 million presidential center and museum in Chicago.
The Obama Presidential Center, at 6001 S. Stony Island Ave. on Chicago’s South Side, officially opens to the public Friday, with tickets required. Thursday, organizers will host a grand opening ceremony, with a star-studded lineup of performers and special guests.
The invite-only celebration takes place Thursday morning on the center’s John Lewis Plaza. The ceremony will be live streamed on the NBC Chicago streaming channel and in the video player above from 8-10:30 a.m., with live coverage on NBC 5 starting on 10:30 a.m.
Who will be at the Obama Presidential Center opening ceremony?
The Thursday celebration “will reflect a spirit of inspiration and joy, with a big boost from the performers who are sharing their talent with us,” said Valerie Jarrett, the Obama Foundation’s chief executive and former Obama top adviser. “We hope to inspire people everywhere to believe in their power to bring change home.”
Jarrett added that the grand opening ceremony will be “unlike any other.”
The guestlist for Thursday’s dedication ceremony includes Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera and Bono, along with former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Here’s a look at the other performers who have been announced so far:
The Roots Common Eddie Vedder Jennifer Hudson John Legend Stevie Wonder Marc Anthony Tems U2’s The Edge Marsai MartinWhere is the Obama Presidential Center?
The center, located near where Obama lived and began his political career, is expected to attract more than 1 million visitors annually. It is adjacent to the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in the lakefront park, and not far from the University of Chicago.
The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry announced it would be closed Thursday in support of the center’s grand opening.
The following street closures for the grand opening have been in effect since Monday. Closures were expected to last through Friday:
Midway Plaisance from Dorchester Ave. to Stony Island Ave. Blackstone Ave. from 59th St. to Midway Plaisance Cornell Dr. from Stony Island Ave. to 57th St. Stony Island Ave from Midway Plaisance to 63rd St. Stony Island Ave. northbound from 59th to 57th St. 59th St. eastbound from Harper Ave. to Stony Island Ave. The interior of the Museum Tower at the Obama Presidential Center is seen in Chicago, on June 3, 2026. The dedication ceremony for the center will take place on June 18, 2026, and will open to the public on the following day on the Juneteenth holiday. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP via Getty Images)Inside the Obama Presidential Center
The roughly $850 million project covers both the political and personal realms of the nation’s first Black president. Campaign memorabilia and presidential artifacts are displayed in the admission-based museum tower while public spaces of the sprawling campus feature other things important to Obama: a new library, full-size basketball court, a new playground, park and more.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JUNE 03: Slides sit on the playground at the Obama Presidential Center on June 03, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. The Obama Presidential Center, which includes a museum, library, playground and basketball court, opens to the public on June 19. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)The museum will also feature an exhibit dedicated to his time in the Oval Office, with a replica of the office included within the museum itself.
It will also be the first fully digital museum of its kind, ditching scores of official papers on display. Instead, visitors will experience high-tech and hands-on exhibits spanning the campaigns, key moments of Obama’s presidency and life at the White House.
Iconic gowns worn by Michelle Obama will also be on display. Roughly a dozen outfits on mannequins are behind glass, including a black and red dress designed by Narciso Rodriguez that the former first lady wore on Election Night in 2008 in Chicago.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JUNE 03: Dresses worn by former first lady Michelle Obama are displayed in the museum at the Obama Presidential Center on June 03, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. The Obama Presidential Center, which includes a museum, Library, playground and basketball court, opens to the public on June 19. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)Obama Presidential Center tickets
The center officially opens to the public on Juneteenth. Tickets for opening day — and for months after — are sold out.
The Obama Foundation’s website listed tickets to the museum from opening day on June 19 through Nov. 30, though only 17 dates in November have available slots left as of June 17. All dates prior to November are booked solid.
The tickets are sold on a timed-entry basis, so each date has several slots to choose from. The morning and earlier afternoon tickets appear to be booking up the fastest.
Those hoping to plan a trip can sign up for updates on museum tickets, program and event announcements to ensure they’re alerted when new ticket dates come up.
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Comcast, NBC Universal’s parent organization, is one of the museum’s donors.
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