Getting your Evanston news from Facebook? Try the Evanston RoundTable’s free daily and weekend email newsletters – sign up now!

Purchase and redeem season and daily passes with the convenient new mobile app.

Evanston beach passes for the 2021 season will be available for purchase beginning April 26. The City’s public swimming beaches will open on Saturday, May 29.

New this year, smartphone users will be able to purchase their Evanston season and daily beach passes via the Viply app, an authorized mobile beach pass vendor of Evanston beaches. The Viply app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. After creating an account in the app, users should select ‘City of Evanston’ and then select the type and amount of beach passes to be purchased. Mobile beach passes can be redeemed by scanning in at beach entrances.

Season beach passes, formerly called beach tokens, will continue to be available for purchase at the Robert Crown Community Center, Levy Senior Center, Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, Ecology Center and Chandler-Newberger Community Center during their office hours, beginning April 26. Payments can be made with cash, personal checks, and credit cards. 

The Morton Civic Center is currently closed to visitors, and beach passes will not be available at this location. 

Starting May 15, passes will also be available for purchase daily at the Dempster Street Beach office between 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. 

A season beach pass is valid from the time of purchase through Labor Day, Sept. 6. Through June 11, season passes will be sold at a discounted rate of $30 for Evanston and Skokie residents and $46 for nonresidents. On June 12, the price for a beach token will increase to $38 for Evanston and Skokie residents and $62 for nonresidents.

Fee Assistance and Free Beach Days

Evanston residents who meet the income requirement are eligible to participate in beach pass fee assistance and the free beach pass program. To learn more, visit cityofevanston.org/recreationscholarship or email scholarship@cityofevanston.org.

Free beach days for Evanston residents will be held at Clark Street Beach on Mondays from July 5 through Aug. 30.

COVID-19 Specific Beach Rules

To protect the health and safety of beach visitors and staff, the following guidelines will be implemented: 

  • Those who are sick or who live with a vulnerable family member should stay home.
  • Beaches will have a limited capacity in accordance with Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines to accommodate social distancing. Capacity limits vary by beach; staff will monitor and limit admission to comply with these limits.
  • Patrons must maintain a six-foot distance from those outside of their household while at the beach.
  • Face coverings must be worn when entering the beach, interacting with staff, and while on the beach when maintaining a six-foot distance from others is not possible. Children age two or under and those who cannot wear a face covering due to medical issues are exempt.

For more information about Evanston beaches, please visit  cityofevanston.org/beaches or call/text 847-448-4311. For convenience, residents can simply dial 311 while in Evanston.