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Tinley Park sets Harmony Square plaza grand opening for June 21 with year-round events and new facilities
Summary
Village staff said Harmony Square will open officially the week of June 16 with a June 21 grand-opening concert and expanded year-round programming, including an ice rink, interactive water feature, VIP rental space and a stage building. Officials outlined parking, security and vendor plans and invited business participation.
Tinley Park village staff said Harmony Square will begin rolling out programming the week of June 16 and has a formal grand-opening celebration planned for Saturday, June 21, anchored by a large concert and a farmers market rebranded for the plaza.
Village staff described the project as a year-round community hub that will combine a main stage, a synthetic ice rink with skate rental space, an interactive water feature (not a traditional splash pad), and a third building that will include a roughly 30-person VIP rental room with AV and restroom facilities. The stage building will include a green room, a second-floor public safety office and a Harmony Square coordinator office, staff said.
Officials said Harmony Square will host repeated programming — weekly exercise classes, music in the plaza, movies, cultural performances, a farmers market and a block-party footprint adapted from past downtown layouts. Staff described technology features including an AV system and an interactive lighting system that can run light shows tied to seasons and special events.
On operations, presenters said the plaza will use existing public lots (north and south lots, the lot behind Subway, parking along Hickory Street and additional spaces near Yvonne's) and that those lots plus shuttles from the 80th Avenue train station will provide roughly 400–500 parking spaces within the downtown area without adding new lots. For large events, the village plans to continue a shuttle program from the 80th Avenue train station and to use the North and South lots for event parking.
Security planning will be coordinated with the Tinley Park Police Department; staff said a unified command structure is in place for larger events and that third-party security contractors will be hired when expected attendance crosses defined thresholds. Presenters said some fixed security infrastructure (a tower) will remain in place for large gatherings.
Village staff encouraged business involvement, describing vendor, sponsorship and volunteer opportunities. A business-facing e-newsletter (referred to as a “noteworthy news” business e-newsletter) and a web portal (timleypark.org/eventspartners) were listed as the locations where participation and sponsorship details will be published. Staff also said a Harmony Square coordinator will work with events staff to manage programming and vendor relationships.
Organizers noted the plaza’s flexibility for private and public uses: the VIP rental room is intended for small private events and overflow; the skate rental and concession windows will serve the ice rink in winter months; and the stage will enable both regular weekly concerts and larger weekend headline acts. Staff said the ice rink will likely operate from roughly November through early February on synthetic ice and will include space configured for curling lanes and skate rental.
Staff repeatedly stressed that some layout and operational details remain under refinement — including the final block-party footprint, exact capacity counts for individual event configurations, and finalized vendor and security thresholds — and that maps and finalized layouts will be shared when available.
Ending: Village staff asked business owners and community members to monitor timleypark.org/eventspartners and the village e-newsletter for signup and sponsorship details as Harmony Square moves from construction into its programming season.
