2026 Ducky Derby splashes down in Chicago River for Special Olympics
Ernie from "Sesame Street" used to sing that his single rubber ducky made bathtime lots of fun — so just imagine the fun he would have had with more than 90,000 rubber duckies if he'd been on the Chicago River downtown on Thursday.
The Chicago Ducky Derby is an annual event that raises funds for Special Olympics Illinois, an organization empowering athletes with disabilities. The funds go to support programming that is free of charge to all athletes.
The event set a fundraising record of $700,000 for Special Olympics Illinois this year. Altogether since the Ducky Derby began in 2005, it has raised $5.6 million for the Special Olympics.
Participants bought rubber ducks on the Columbus Drive Bridge Thursday morning. Some bought "quack packs" of six ducks, others a "ducky dozen" of 12 ducks.
The ducks were then dropped into the river where they raced for prizes. The person who bought the top finishing rubber duck won an all-new Chevy Trax from Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Chevrolet dealers.
Runner-up prizes included $2,500 in cash courtesy of Wintrust, and four Cubs tickets for the premium Eero Club at Wrigley Field.
The festival also featured food trucks, vendors and a watch party to view the splashdown.
