The countdown to La Grange's 80th Pet Parade begins with a party at Milk Money Brewing on Thursday, May 21, where the downtown brewery and Lyons' BuckleDown Brewing will pour their returning collaboration beer, the Pet Parade Summer Shandy. A portion of shandy sales will go to Pet Parade Charities, the nonprofit that funds the parade.
The kickoff runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at Milk Money, 75 S. La Grange Road. The evening also includes live music, a raffle drawing, a live auction, and 2026 Pet Parade T-shirt sales, according to the La Grange Business Association.
The shandy collaboration between Milk Money and BuckleDown Brewing, a family-owned brewery in Lyons, has become a recurring part of parade season.
The parade costs up to $100,000 a year to produce, according to Pet Parade Charities. Sponsor registration for the 2026 parade has already closed due to high demand, according to parade organizers.
The 80th La Grange Pet Parade steps off Saturday, May 30, at 9:30 a.m. at Cossitt Avenue and La Grange Road. This year's theme is "80 Years: Marching Through the Decades," and the parade will unveil a new mascot. Alexander Noland, a third grader at Cossitt Elementary, will serve as Junior Grand Marshal.
