Magnificent Mile Lights Festival To Impact Traffic On Saturday

Large Crowds and Traffic Restrictions to Impact 

North Michigan Ave and Surrounding Area Downtown

Chicago – The Annual Magnificent Mile Lights Festival will travel down north Michigan Ave. Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) urges residents,spectators and motorists to be mindful of temporary traffic restrictions and delays as well as to dress appropriately for weather conditions.

Featuring more than 40 floats, the Tree Lighting Parade will begin at Oak Street and Michigan Avenue and proceed south on Michigan Avenue to Wacker Drive. The main street closures will go into effect approximately 1 hour prior to the start of the parade and streets closures will remain in place throughout the evening.

The parade will conclude with a fireworks display over the Chicago River atMichigan Avenue at 6:55 pm. For public safety reasons, no viewing of the fireworks show is allowed on any of the Chicago bridges. Spectators and pedestrians are reminded that the Michigan Avenue Bridge closes to pedestrians as early as 4 pm on Saturday.

“Parade attendees are reminded to expect large crowds, remain alert of their surroundings, adhere to temporary parking and street access restrictions, as well as prepare in advance for any change in weather conditions.” said Gary W. Schenkel, OEMC’s Executive Director. “Attendees should allow for plenty of time to arrive and depart from the event and public transportation is highly recommended.”

With extremely large crowds expected for this family event, significant street closures and parking restrictions are required. Motorists can expect additional traffic on alternate routes off ofMichigan Avenue, due to the following street closures:

To accommodate crowds and encourage public transportation, more frequent service will be provided on the Red Line and Brown Line and longer trains will operate on the Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Pink and Red lines. Buses will be rerouted around the parade route. A comprehensive list of service and reroutes is available via CTA’s web site at www.transitchicago.com or by calling 312-836-7000.

For more Magnificent Mile Lights Festival presented by BMO Harris Bank information, see www.themagnificentmile.com.

For text or email notifications on traffic disruptions and extreme weather and more, subscribe to Notify Chicago at www.notifychicago.org .

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The Office of Emergency Management was established in 1995 to coordinate the City’s delivery of Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services resources. OEMC operates Chicago’s public safety communications system, managing emergency situations and coordinating major events, 311 and 911 Communications Operations. OEMC is also the host to Notify Chicago, a resource for residents to subscribe to receive text and voice alerts related to traffic disruptions, severe weather, health and major incidents. For more information visit our website at www.cityofchicago.org/oemc or “like” us on facebook at www.facebook/coemc.