07/20/2026
STORY: Chicago’s ‘Concrete Beach’ Is Going Viral On Social Media. Here’s Why Locals Love It
The internet is roasting Chicagoans for their love of the “concrete beach.” Despite the flak, many residents said they prefer the concrete over the city’s many sandy beaches.
GOLD COAST — Chicago famously has 26 sandy beaches lining its lakefront — but it’s the one made of concrete that keeps going viral.
And it’s causing Chicagoans to receive flak on social media.
Pictures of people laying out on the city’s “concrete beach” — the strip of seawall just north of Oak Street Beach — are plentiful on the internet, but the lakefront location seemed to particularly strike a chord last week, vexing social media users who made Chicago the butt of memes and jokes.
“Living in Chicago is awesome because you can just go chill on the beach whenever you want,” social media user Connor Griffin posted on X last week, accompanied by a photo of people laying out on the so-called concrete beach.
The post has over 40 million views, with thousands of people questioning how a beach could be constructed of concrete and calling into question the sanity of Chicagoans who choose to hang out there.
Read the full story at blockclubchicago.org
Photos are from Montrose Harbor on 7/15 and the Ledge on 7/19/26
for with Rory Quealy
