Millennium Park is a public
park located in the
Loop community area of
Chicago in Illinois, US, and originally intended to celebrate the second millennium. It is a prominent
civic center near the city's
Lake Michigan shoreline that covers a section of northwestern
Grant Park. The area was previously occupied by parkland,
Illinois Central rail yards, and parking lots. The park, which is bounded by
Michigan Avenue,
Randolph Street,
Columbus Drive and East Monroe Drive, features a variety of
public art. As of 2009, Millennium Park trailed only
Navy Pier as a Chicago tourist attraction. In 2015, the park became the location of the city's annual
Christmas tree lighting.