CHICAGO (FOX 32 NEWS) - The Chicago Cubs will celebrate their first championship in 108 years with a parade on Friday, spanning from Wrigley Field to the Loop and culminating in a rally at Grant Park.
The official parade route will start at approximately 11 a.m., departing Wrigley Field at approximately 10 a.m., and will travel along Michigan Avenue between Oak St. and Ohio St. and then along Columbus Dr. between Monroe St. and Balbo Ave. Fans who want to catch the downtown parade are encouraged to see them along this route.
Fans are encouraged to view the parade at the following locations:
- Addison from Sheffield to Pine Grove;
- North Michigan Avenue from Oak St. to Ohio St.;
- Columbus Dr. from Monroe St. to Balbo Ave.
There will be zero tolerance for drinking on the public way.
A Celebration Rally will take place at Lower Hutchinson Field in Grant Park at approximately noon, when the motorcade arrives in Grant Park.
The rally is free and open to the public. All attendees must pass through security screening at entrances at Michigan Ave. and Jackson Blvd. and at Michigan Ave. and Congress Pkwy.
The public should expect street closures surrounding the parade route starting as early as Friday at 4 a.m.
Officials are encouraging fans to use public transportation.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will offer additional service to customers traveling into the Loop on Friday Monday. Riders are advised to allow plenty of travel time due to street closures, traffic congestion and reroutes. CTA’s Red and Blue subway lines and Brown, Green, Pink and Orange elevated lines are the best option for Cubs fans heading downtown for the parade and rally.
Additional service will be provided on all eight rail lines following the morning rush period through midday. CTA buses will be detoured in the downtown area during the parade and as a result of street closures for the rally. Detailed service information is available at www.transitchicago.com.
To speed travel and reduce lines, customers are encouraged to buy fare cards in advance with sufficient value or to add enough value to their existing Ventra cards for their return trips later in the day.
Metra will use all available resources to add extra train service and capacity. Trains are expected to reach capacity on all lines and delays are expected. Metra is offering a one-day $5 unlimited ride ticket for tomorrow’s celebration and encouraging all passengers to purchase it in advance. Beginning this afternoon, the ticket will be for sale from ticket agents at all ticket windows, including all downtown and outlying stations, and through the Ventra App, available for download in the App Store and Google Play.