Sunshine Daydream Grateful Dead-Themed Playground Opens In Chicago

Last summer’s Fare The Well – Celebrating 50 Years Of Grateful Dead concerts in Chicago are the gift that keeps on giving. AirBnB, the rental company that held a big promotion surrounding the concerts, gave $150,000 to Chicago Park District towards the creation of a Grateful Dead-themed playground in the Windy City’s West Side that opened yesterday.

The Sunshine Daydream Playground is within Chicago’s Douglas Park and includes music-related structures including a xylophone, an upright bass that children can swing on and toy drums. Fare Thee Well “was celebrating the legacy of a band that for 50 years had built this incredible community, where people really felt like they belong,” AirBnB’s Alex Ward told DNA Info. “So we wanted to build something in a neighborhood that kids and families can meet, where they can feel like they belong.”

“Music is a universal language, whether it’s the Grateful Dead or ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb,'” Chicago Park District central regional manager Arthur Richardson told DNA Info. “I think anything that we can introduce these kids to something that expands the horizons of their imagination is a good thing.” Watch a report on the opening of the Sunshine Daydream Playground that aired on Chicago’s ABC affiliate:

[via DNA Info / Hat Tip – Live For Live Music]