CHICAGO — The City of Chicago will celebrate the 2021 WNBA Champion Chicago Sky on Tuesday, Oct. 19, with a downtown parade and rally. The parade will begin at 11AM when the team departs from Wintrust Arena, arriving at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park for a celebration rally starting at noon.
"The City of Chicago could not be prouder of our winning Chicago Sky," said Mayor Lori Lightfoot. "We are thrilled to throw a celebration worthy of this historic moment in Chicago sports and congratulate the Sky for bringing our city its first WNBA title. Let's get ready to paint the town #SkyTown!"
PARADE ROUTE
The official parade starts with the team leaving Wintrust Arena at 11 a.m., traveling north on Michigan Avenue from Roosevelt Rd. to Randolph St., and heading east to Pritzker Pavilion. Fans are encouraged to cheer on the Sky along the parade route.
RALLY
A Celebration Rally will take place at Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park starting at noon.
The rally is free and open to the public. All attendees must pass through security screening at select entrances off Michigan Ave. and Monroe St. Guests are encouraged to leave bags at home. For security, health, and safety information, please visit MillenniumPark.org and "Plan Your Visit."
While attendees are not required to be vaccinated to attend, it is highly encouraged. Please do not attend if you do not feel well or recently tested positive for COVID-19.
Report Suspicious Activity: If you See Something Say Something. The city reminds the public to be aware of their surroundings and to report suspicious activity. If you notice something suspicious, notify onsite security or call 9-1-1. If You See Something, Say Something™ is a national anti-terrorism public awareness campaign that emphasizes the importance of reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement authorities.
Millennium Park opens at 8AM on Tuesday and the Pritzker Pavilion will open at 10AM.
Additionally, the rally will be live streamed on Mayor Lightfoot's social media accounts.
IMPACTED STREET CLOSURES
Rolling street closures are expected to begin after 10 a.m. on Indiana from 21st to Cermak and Michigan Avenue from Roosevelt Road to Randolph Street. As soon as the motorcade passes, streets will begin to be reopened. Randolph Street between Michigan Avenue and Upper Columbus will also be closed for a short time once the Chicago Sky buses arrive at Millennium Park. Additional intermittent street closures can be expected in the area for a short time as needed. Motorists in the central business district should be prepared for increased traffic and possible reroutes. Traffic Control Aides (TCAs) will be on hand to direct flow and impacts from heavy traffic and street closures. Public transportation is encouraged.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Officials are encouraging fans to use public transportation.
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 .
Per federal mandate, those traveling the CTA must continue properly wearing a mask at all times, regardless of vaccination status. 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.
WEATHER
The weather forecast for Tuesday is 71. Fans are encouraged to dress accordingly and make sure to stay hydrated throughout the day.
