Chicagoans looking to trade their mattress for a sleeping bag this fall can do it at Soldier Field. Covenant House Illinois will hold its annual Sleep Out fundraiser overnight on Thursday, November 19, asking hundreds of participants to bed down outdoors at the lakefront stadium to raise money and awareness for young people experiencing homelessness.
The event will take place on the night of November 19, 2026, according to Covenant House Illinois, which describes Sleep Out as an overnight fundraising event where participants sleep outside to raise awareness and funds for the organization's work with youth experiencing homelessness. It will be the first time the event is held at Soldier Field, according to Block Club Chicago, and the stadium's capacity is expected to allow for the event's largest attendance since it began.
From a YMCA Lobby to a Lakefront Stadium
Sleep Out has moved around the city since Covenant House Illinois began hosting the annual event in 2016. The first sleepout was held at the Lawson House YMCA on West Chicago Avenue, per the same account, drawing fewer than 100 participants that year. The event later shifted to the organization's East Garfield Park headquarters on West Lake Street in 2020, then to the CME Center on South Wacker Drive in 2024 after construction forced a pivot away from that original downtown plan.
This year's move to Soldier Field's Miller Lite Midway follows an event that has previously attracted a couple hundred sleepers, the outlet reports. Covenant House Illinois is now hoping to attract 500 sleepers and raise $1 million, according to Block Club Chicago's reporting.
What a Night at the Stadium Looks Like
Programming will run from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. inside Soldier Field's indoor Miller Lite Midway, according to Block Club Chicago, and will include a candlelight vigil, panel discussions, participant testimonials, program presentations and conversations with young people who have been served by Covenant House Illinois. Around 11 p.m., participants will move to the stadium's outdoor mezzanine level, which is covered by the seating bowl but partially open to outside air, and settle in to sleep there between 11 p.m. and midnight. Sleeping on the Soldier Field playing field itself is not allowed.
JohnPaul Higgins, Covenant House Illinois's chief development officer, said participants will sleep overlooking the field in sleeping bags, rain or shine, per the outlet's reporting. Higgins said the event can amplify the organization's mission and educate potential friends and donors, and added that it can dispel myths about homelessness, elevate the lives of the youth the organization serves, and raise critical funds.
Registering as a Sleeper, Team Captain or Virtual Participant
Sleep Out asks participants to register to sleep outside at Soldier Field and solicit donations from friends, family and colleagues, and advance registration is required to take part in the broader Covenant House Sleep Out Movement, according to sleepout.org. Chicagoans can participate either as individual sleepers or as team captains, who can recruit members and raise funds together, Block Club Chicago reports. Covenant House Illinois is also seeking additional corporate sponsors for the event.
Those who don't want to spend the night at Soldier Field can still take part virtually, sleeping at a location of their choosing. The organization recommends virtual participants pick an outdoor spot, such as a back porch, and it will prepare shortened on-site programming for those joining remotely. Higgins said virtual participants still take part and raise critical funds even if they end up sleeping indoors, according to the outlet.
The Need Behind the Fundraiser
Covenant House Illinois, which opened in Chicago in 2017, provides shelter, pathways to permanent housing and other support for homeless youth. Funds raised through Sleep Out go toward safe shelter, meals, education and job training, according to Covenant House Illinois, and the money raised this year is intended to support housing, food, mental health support, education and employment services, per Block Club Chicago's reporting.
Higgins told the outlet that Chicago has more than 8,000 people ages 18 to 24 experiencing homelessness or housing instability. He said Covenant House Illinois served 544 young people last year, providing more than 14,000 nights of shelter and 79,000 meals. Sleep Out itself is billed as raising awareness and funds specifically for that 18-to-24 age group, and the broader Covenant House network serves teenagers and young adults in dozens of cities across six countries, according to sleepout.org.
