As another active weekend in Chicago begins, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) is reminding everyone to be safe and vigilant especially in crowds and report suspicious activity or situations to 9-1-1.  Weekend events include Guns N’ Roses and Dead and Company concerts at Wrigley Field, the Bears season home-opener at Soldier Field, Riot Fest in Douglass Park, Mexican Independence activities, ALS Walk/Run for Life at Soldier Field, Art on the Mart Fall Opener at the Riverwalk and PAWS Chicago 5K at Montrose Harbor among other events throughout the city.  Expect increased traffic and adhere to parking restrictions for everyone’s safety.  OEMC will monitor activities and weather throughout the weekend. 

Motorists in the areas of events and activities should be prepared for increased traffic and possible reroutes, if needed. Street closures may be in effect for larger events to ensure public safety.  Attendees to events are reminded to respect the surrounding communities. 

Mexican Independence Day Activities

Expect increased traffic in the Central Business District and on DuSable Lake Shore Drive due to celebratory activities through the weekend. There are no planned street closures at this time, however traffic may be diverted to control traffic flow if needed.

• Guns N Roses Concert at Wrigley Field – Thursday, September 16

Expect increased traffic on Thursday night for Guns N’ Roses playing live at Wrigley Field  starting at 6 pm.  Opening for Guns N’ Roses will be special guest “The Debut of Mammoth featuring Wolfgang Van Halen”. This event is the rescheduled date from the cancelled show on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. Doors open at 5 pm. For complete details, visit mlb.com/cubs/tickets/concerts/guns-n-roses

•  Dead & Company Concert at Wrigley Field – Friday, September 17 and Saturday, September 18

Dead & Co. will be playing live at Wrigley Field on Friday, September 17-Saturday, September 18, starting at 6:30 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.  Dead & Co. as a band has issued COVID-19 guidelines for all concert attendees to adhere to mandating the vaccination of all attendees for entry or requiring a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of concert entry at Wrigley Field. Entry will not be permitted otherwise. For complete details, visit  mlb.com/cubs/tickets/concerts/dead-and-company

• Riot Fest at Douglass Park – Thursday, September 16 – Sunday, September 19

Riot Fest annual music festival takes place in Chicago’s Douglass Park, 1401 S Sacramento Drive. Musical acts perform on one of five stages throughout the grounds on Thursday at 2:30 pm – 10 pm and Friday through Sunday at 11 a m – 10 pm. New for 2021, the Thursday Preview Party, in which gates will open at 2:30 pm. 2021 headline acts include: Alkaline Trio & Morrissey (Thursday), The Smashing Pumpkins, Lupe Fiasco & NOFX (Friday), Taking Back Sunday, Andrew W.K, Dropkick Murphy’s & Run the Jewels (Saturday), New Found Glory, Slipknot & Machine Gun Kelly (Sunday). All attendees will be required to show proof of their COVID-19 vaccination card or a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of the event On-site rapid antigen testing will be available.  Masks will be required in all indoor spaces, enclosed tents and restrooms. Taxi, Uber, Lyft and other rideshares will be staged for drop-offs and pick-ups along the North Ogden Avenue service drive west of California Avenue.  For complete details, visit riotfest.org. 

• Chicago Bears v. Cincinnati Bengals - Sunday, September 19

The Bears season opener is Sunday, with kick off at 12 p.m. at Soldier Field.  Parking lots open at 8 a.m. and gates open at 10 a.m. Parking passes must be displayed and visible to traffic aides and fans should follow the suggested routes to each lot.  To ensure the safety of all guests, Soldier Field has enhanced security using walk-through metal detectors at all gates. All carry-in items will be searched. Everyone age two or older, regardless of vaccination status, must wear masks in public indoor settings; however, the requirement allows masks to be removed while patrons are actively eating or drinking.  Masking remains optional in outdoor settings, though masks are recommended for unvaccinated individuals in crowded outdoor settings. For complete details, visit chicagobears.com/.

Additional events include:

• Chicago In Tune: Saturday, September 18 celebration of the city’s Blues music heritage, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm, Millennium Park
• ALS Walk for Life: Saturday, September 18; Taking place at Soldier Field, pre-walk festivities begin at 9:30 a.m. followed by the walk at 11 a.m.
• PAWS Chicago 5K: Saturday, September 18 from 7:30 - 11 am at Montrose Harbor, Grove 16
• Art Fest Michigan Avenue: Saturday, September 18 and Sunday, September 19, 10 am- 5 pm at 435 N. Michigan Avenue
• Art on the Mart Fall Opener: Friday, September 16, 7:30 pm at the Chicago Riverwalk

The Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) will monitor the citywide events from the Operations Center and coordinate public safety resources with the Chicago Police Department, Chicago Fire Department and City of Chicago infrastructure departments. 

Traffic Control Aides (TCAs) will be on hand at events citywide to direct flow and impacts from heavy traffic. Public transportation is encouraged. For more information on CTA services and reroutes, visit www.transitchicago.com or call 312.836.7000 from any area code/1.888.YOUR-I CTA. 

Mask Guidance Update: Both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in the City of Chicago must wear a face covering in indoor public spaces. Masking remains optional in outdoor settings where the risk of COVID-19 transmission is lower. However, masks are recommended for unvaccinated individuals in crowded outdoor settings.  For details visit chi.gov/covidvax 

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. 

Weather

OEMC advises Chicagoans to be aware of weather conditions and to follow instructions and heed all warnings from public safety officials. We encourage residents to check the weather before heading out. For the most up-to-date weather information, please tune into local media or download a weather app. 

OEMC will issue any alerts and notifications needed to keep residents and attendees up to date on weather conditions and emergencies.  Sign up for NotifyChicago alerts at NotifyChicago.org. OEMC also issues TEXT alerts for lakefront notices, issues affecting businesses or COVID-19 updates: 

• CHILAKE: For lakefront notices, TEXT “CHILAKE” to 7-8-0-1-5
• CHIBIZ: For alerts affecting businesses, TEXT “CHIBIZ” to 6-7-2-8-3
• COVID: Get COVID-19 updates by TEXTING “COVID19” to 6-7-2-8-3

For additional information on emergency preparedness information, visit the OEMC website at Chicago.gov/OEMC. Follow the Office of Emergency Management and Communications on Facebook (@coemc), Twitter (@ChicagoOEMC) and Instagram (chicago_oemc_911).

# # #