12:13 PM Fri., June 5 / Let us take a quick quack at announcing the top three winners in the 2026 Riverwalk Duck Race, though as was noted by announcers, Katie Wood and Michael Kristula, and paraphrased here: “Everybody is a winner during this special fun time along the Riverwalk. Thanks to everybody who bought a duck.”
Kristula added, “And remember, ‘Don’t feed the ducks. Help keep the DuPage River clean.'”
Congratulations to Duck Number 1,110, a yellow duck that was purchased by Chuck Corrigan on behalf of the Rotary Club of Naperville/Downtown, AKA Rotary 4:44. The big prize is $1,981. 1981 is the year the Naperville Riverwalk was dedicated in the heart of downtown.
Duck Number 1,504 went to Elmhurst resident Cecelia Arredondo. She won a $300 Downtown Naperville Gift Card.
Duck Number 1,568 went to Naperville resident Patty Herbert. She won a $100 Downtown Naperville Gift Card.
Cheers to all! Arredondo and Herbert are asked to contact the Downtown Naperville Alliance to arrange a time to pick up DNA Gift Cards.
A photo gallery will be published soon. Thanks again to everybody for attending and to all volunteers who helped with the fun event with the educational message, “Don’t feed the ducks and other wildlife.” And whenever or wherever visiting a river, lake, pond or ocean, “Don’t feed the ducks!”
8:36AM Fri., June 5 / The 2026 Riverwalk Duck Race is about to take flight, rain or shine. All rubber ducks have been counted and sorted by rows of 100 and one more rubber duck was added to the mix in downtown Naperville.
(Since the first Riverwalk Duck Race hosted by the Naperville Riverwalk Foundation in 2016, the number of ducks in the race has been the same as the year.)
Right now, 2,026 rubber ducks, all counted and returned to a huge trash container on rollers kept safe and secure in the offices of Downtown Naperville Alliance, (where Downtown Naperville gift certificates are available for purchase at 131 W. Jefferson Avenue and good for shopping and dining every day!), are raring (well, ready at any rate) to race. And duck number purchasers do not have to be present to win.
Trumpeter Bob Binder replied early this morning that he’s all set to play “Call to the Post” at 11AM from atop the Eagle Street Bridge.
Folks have been asking if they can keep their ducks. Every one of the 2,026 ducks used in the Riverwalk Duck Race has a number and after the race, they’ll be retrieved, dried and kept for future duck races. However, Riverwalk Duck Race sponsor Castle Jeep will be giving away little ducks galore just across the Riverwalk Covered Bridge at Webster Street. This year, two jeeps will be set in the Naperville Township Parking Lot, noted Katie Wood, Executive Director of the Downtown Naperville Alliance.
Look for winners to be posted online after they’re announced at the Riverwalk Free Speech Pavilion, Jackson Avenue at Webster Street. Thanks to all!
Original Post, April 21, 2026 / Downtown Naperville Alliance and the Naperville Riverwalk Foundation will release 2,026 bright colored ducks into the DuPage River to raise money for Riverwalk education and improvements.
The Riverwalk Duck Race returns at 11AM Friday, June 5, 2026, rain or shine, with thousands of bright colored ducks competing in a short, current-powered sprint through the heart of downtown. Hosted by the Downtown Naperville Alliance in collaboration with the Naperville Riverwalk Foundation, the event is designed to spotlight the Riverwalk while funding programs that support it.
Organizers said 2,026 ducks will be released into the DuPage River at the Eagle Street Bridge and will float to the finish near the Riverwalk Moser Covered Bridge at Webster Street where a crew from the Naperville Park District will catch all the ducks, first pulling out the first three ducks. Each adopted duck is numbered/linked to an entry, and winners are determined by the first ducks to hit the finish-line-net.
Adoptions are available online only. A single duck costs $10; a Quack Pack includes three ducks for $25; and a Family Flock includes 15 ducks for $100. Sales end at 11:59PM Thursday, June 4, 2026, or until 2,026 ducks are sold – which ever comes first. Ducks will not be sold at the race on race day.
Duck Race Prizes
- Grand prize: $1,981 (marking the year the Naperville Riverwalk was dedicated during the city’s sesquicentennial)
- Second prize: $300 in Downtown Naperville gift cards
- Third prize: $150 in Downtown Naperville gift cards
To adopt a duck, visit the Riverwalk Duck Race campaign page at go.rallyup.com/riverwalk-duck-race. Organizers encourage residents and local businesses to share the event and adopt early, as ducks sold out a week before last year’s race.
Participants do not need to be present to win. Proceeds benefit the Naperville Riverwalk Foundation, supporting education and enhancements along the Riverwalk’s brick paths. Let wildlife be wild! Don’t feed the ducks. Race them.
Naperville Riverwalk Foundation
Established in 1997, the Naperville Riverwalk Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization. Its mission is to promote, educate and enhance while serving as a conduit for financial gifts that augment the annual commitments of the City of Naperville and the Naperville Park District to design, build and maintain the Riverwalk.
The Riverwalk Foundation is managed by a volunteer board of directors whose responsibilities as good stewards are to oversee the receipt and distribution of donated funds and other resources that shall be used for educational programs and special projects identified by the Riverwalk Commission that enhance the entire Naperville Riverwalk from Hillside Road to Jefferson Avenue.
The Riverwalk Foundation operates independently and as a separate entity from the City of Naperville, Naperville Park District, Naperville Riverwalk Commission, Century Walk and the Moser Tower and Millennium Carillon.
