A wave of 90,000 bright yellow rubber ducks tumbled into the Chicago River on Thursday as part of the city’s annual Chicago Ducky Derby, a long‑running charity event benefiting Special Olympics Illinois.

The ducks were released from a truck positioned on a partially raised bridge, spilling into the water in a huge yellow cluster before drifting down a short stretch of the river. After about fifteen minutes of bobbing along, officials retrieved the winning duck and the runner‑up, prompting cheers from spectators lining both sides of the river.

Crowds gathered for the accompanying festival, snapping photos with oversized inflatable ducks and writing messages on a chalkboard labeled “I adopt a duck because…” Many attendees wore duck‑themed shirts to celebrate the event’s playful spirit.

Becky Cavanagh, this year’s Ducky Derby ambassador and a Special Olympics athlete for 13 years, proudly held up the winning duck as the crowd erupted. She said her favorite part of Special Olympics is “making new friends,” and greeted the moment with an enthusiastic “Woo!”

Special Olympics Illinois provides sports opportunities for people with disabilities across the state. Duck sponsorships help fund those programs:

• $10 sponsors a single “lone duck,” covering an athlete’s lunch at a competition.
• $30 buys a “quack pack” of six ducks, helping supply gold medals for a team.

This year’s derby has raised more than $480,000.

The sponsor of the fastest duck will take home an SUV, while the second‑place sponsor receives $2,500, according to Pete Beale‑DelVecchio, president of Special Olympics Illinois. He called the derby “a fantastic day for our athletes,” as attendees danced to a live DJ and posed with inflatable ducks near the river.

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