Chicago Things To Do

An unofficial MCP connector that lets AI assistants find upcoming things to do in Chicago: Chicago Public Library events, Chicago Park District programs and events, and free youth programs, by date, ZIP code, age group and topic, using public City of Chicago data.

Connect

MCP endpoint (Streamable HTTP, no auth):

https://chicago-things-to-do-mcp.dinerddev.workers.dev/mcp

Stateless: every request is independent. JSON responses; no SSE stream or session ID.

Tools

Tool	Inputs	What it does
`find_activities`	`date_from` `date_to` `zip` `audience` young_kids \| kids \| teens \| adults \| seniors \| all, default all `keyword` `limit` default 10 `free_only` default false	Search upcoming Chicago Public Library events, Chicago Park District programs and events, and youth programs (My CHI. My Future.) in one go, by dates, ZIP code, age group, keyword and free-only. Use for questions like 'free things for my 8-year-old near 60651 this weekend' or 'what's happening at Chicago libraries and parks next week'. Results are sorted by date with official links.
`library_events`	`date_from` `date_to` `zip` `audience` young_kids \| kids \| teens \| adults \| seniors \| all, default all `keyword` `limit` default 10 `language`	Search upcoming Chicago Public Library events (story times, book clubs, crafts, tech help, ESL, teen programs and more) by dates, ZIP, age group, keyword and language. Library events are free.
`park_programs`	`date_from` `date_to` `zip` `audience` young_kids \| kids \| teens \| adults \| seniors \| all, default all `keyword` `limit` default 10 `free_only` default false `kind` all \| programs \| events, default all	Search Chicago Park District programs (classes, sports, swim, day camps) and events running during the dates you give, by ZIP, age group, keyword and free-only. Shows fees, schedules and registration links.
`youth_programs`	`date_from` `date_to` `zip` `audience` young_kids \| kids \| teens \| all, default all `keyword` `limit` default 10 `free_only` default false `in_person_only` default false	Search youth programs listed on My CHI. My Future. (after-school, sports, arts, STEM, jobs and mentoring from city partners) starting during the dates you give, by ZIP, age group, keyword and free-only. For ages up to 24.

All tools are read-only. Results include text for people and structuredContent JSON for agents.

Example prompts

Any free things to do with my 8-year-old near 60651 this weekend?
What story times are at Chicago libraries for toddlers next week?
Find Chicago Park District swim classes for teens in October.
Are there Spanish-language events at Chicago libraries this week?
Free after-school coding programs for 14-year-olds in Chicago?

Data & limits

Library events: Chicago Public Library Events (upcoming only, refreshed daily).
Parks: Chicago Park District Activities (programs and events with fees, ages and registration).
Youth programs: My CHI. My Future. Programs (city partner programs for ages 0–24). Contact names and emails in that dataset are never requested.
Results are cached at the edge for up to 1 hour. Times, fees and spots can change: confirm on the official page.

Example request

curl -s https://chicago-things-to-do-mcp.dinerddev.workers.dev/mcp \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'Accept: application/json, text/event-stream' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"find_activities","arguments":{"zip":"60651","audience":"kids","free_only":true}}}'

Support

Email support@dinerdapps.com.

Unofficial — not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of Chicago, the Chicago Public Library or the Chicago Park District. Data from the City of Chicago Data Portal; times and availability can change, so confirm on the official event page before you go.