CHICAGO – The City of Chicago will celebrate the 2021 WNBA Champion Chicago Sky on Tuesday, October 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 am, 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.

ACCESSIBILITY

PICK UP - DROP OFF AREAS

Seating is available on a first-come-first-serve basis. For people with disabilities and one companion, please enter on Michigan and Washington Blvd., and proceed east to the VIP/ADA tent where you will receive a wristband. Deaf/Hard-or-Hearing individuals should proceed to the left (east) side of the stage (stage-left) to view American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters, who will be standing next to the podium. Other accessibility seating is interspersed throughout the seating area. Accessible restrooms throughout the pavilion.

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 8 am on Tuesday and the Pritzker Pavilion will open at 10 am.

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 10am 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.

MEDIA

Media seeking credentials to the celebration rally should submit an online request before 4pm on Monday, October 18.

PLEASE NOTE that not all requests will be granted; media credentials are limited based on available seating and other considerations – and should not be considered approved until expressly granted (before 6pm on Monday).

Credentials (wristbands) will be distributed at Media Check-in starting at 8am on Tuesday at the Millennium Park Welcome Center (201 E. Randolph St.).

One broadcast live truck per outlet may park on Randolph St. just west of the Millennium Park Welcome Center (201 E. Randolph St.) starting at 6am on Tuesday and should arrive no later than 8am. Only vehicles marked with station identification will be allowed. Absolutely no personal vehicles.

Broadcast media platforms will be positioned at the back of the Pritzker Pavilion seating bowl. A pool feed will be provided by WGN-TV. Additionally, a photo pit and press seating area will be available at the front of the seating bowl. Video cameras will not be allowed in the photo pit area.

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MEDIA CONTACTS
General inquiries: Jamey Lundblad, City of Chicago DCASE, jamey.lundblad@cityofchicago.org

Interview requests: Kelly Kane, Chicago Sky, kkane@chicagosky.net, 312.925.9559

Onsite media contacts (Tuesday starting at 8AM at Millennium Park):
Christine Carrino, Christine.carrino@cityofchicago.org, 312.656.6108
Mary May, mary.may@cityofchicago.org, 773.620.9555