With many festivals, concerts, athletic events, the opening of beaches and simultaneous events throughout the city and along the lakefront this Memorial Day weekend, the City of Chicago is advising residents and visitors to be aware of street closures, additional crowds and increased traffic and plan accordingly. The City of Chicago will be the home to the all-new Sueños Chicago music festival from noon to 10 p.m. daily in Grant Park and Coldplay concert at Soldier Field at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29.

 

The City of Chicago will have citywide deployments for Memorial Day Weekend to ensure the safety and security of the public.  The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) will monitor weekend events and weather conditions citywide from the Operations Center and coordinate public safety resources with critical stakeholders.  The OEMC will also be activating its Emergency Operations Center for the weekend to allow for enhanced citywide coordination amongst the Chicago Police Department, Chicago Fire Department and City of Chicago infrastructure departments, ​city agencies and private partners.

 

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.

 

Pole Markers/Location Identifiers: For public safety on the lakefront, event and concert attendees are reminded to be aware of the numbers attached to the poles throughout the Grant Park area as well as 1200 DuSable Lake Shore Drive to 6600 DuSable Lake Shore Drive to help them reference their location within the park to friends, family and first responders if there is an emergency.

 

Motorists in the areas where events are happening should be prepared for heavy traffic and possible reroutes. There will be some street closures in effect for larger events to ensure public safety. 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.

 

SUEÑOS CHICAGO

The highly anticipated festival is expected to draw fans to Chicago’s lakefront for the two-day event. As the festival gets underway, the OEMC encourages those attending to enjoy a fun and safe event by adhering to all security precautions and health guidelines in place.

 

The festival in Grant Park boundaries are from Columbus Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Roosevelt Road to Ida B. Wells. All motorists, pedestrians and residents in the area are reminded of the street closures and traffic impacts throughout the weekend. For complete festival information, visit SueñosMusic Festival.com

 

Festival Entry and Age Requirement

Concertgoers can enter the festival on Buckingham Fountain Plaza located at Columbus Drive and Ida B. Wells Drive. All attendees must be 18 years or older to purchase tickets and to enter the festival and this will be strictly enforced.

 

Safety, Security Screening and Enforcement

Security measures have been refined for the event’s layered security plan in addition to an enhanced security and law enforcement presence inside and outside the festival. In addition, several security measures are in effect for the safety of everyone entering the event. Upon entry to the festival grounds, event security will be searching all bags, and conducting pat-downs. As always, underage drinking is not allowed, and the ordinance will be strictly enforced. Attendees are reminded that if they see something suspicious to say something to on-site security personnel or call 9-1-1.

 

In case of emergency, attendees for Sueños Chicago will also receive safety messages from the official Sueños Music Festival app, video screens at the main stage and directional signage throughout the event., as well as audio announcements broadcasted and real–time updates on Sueños Chicago’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts.

 

Bag Search: ALL bags will be searched before entry. CLEAR bags made up of clear plastic, vinyl, or pvc, and no larger than 12" x 12" x 6" ONLY allowed. Small clutch purses and fanny packs with no more than one pocket and no larger than 4.5" x 5.5.  Backpacks and bags with multiple pockets are prohibited. Hydration packs are allowed but must be emptied of all liquid and have no more than two pockets in addition to the one holding the water reservoir. Those that DO NOT bring a bag can enter through the No Bag Express Lane. Those that DO have a bag must enter through the Bag Lane and should expect delays as bags are open for inspection. For additional in visit,  

 

Prohibited Items: No liquids will be allowed into the event. However, patrons can drink water while in line if the container is empty prior to entry. Empty containers and hydration packs are allowed into the event but must be emptied of all liquid and have no more than two pockets in addition to the one holding the water reservoir. Free water will be provided at Hydration Stations inside the venue. Check the list of items in advance online at SueñosMusicFestival.com/Information.

 

COLDPLAY CONCERT

Coldplay returns to Soldier Field for two nights on Memorial Day weekend. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the show will go from 7 to 11:30 p.m. Concert goers are encouraged to take public transportation, but if driving, it’s encouraged to use I-55NB/SB to get to Soldier Field. Limited parking is available at Soldier Field. Parking lots open at 3 p.m.

 

For all events at Soldier Field, the NFL All-Clear Bag Policy is in place. Approved bags are limited to: bags that are clear plastic and do not exceed 12"x6"x12", small clutch bags, no larger than 4.5”x6.5”, with or without a handle or strap, may be carried into the stadium. For complete details on Soldier Field, visit SoldierField.net.

 

TRAFFIC IMPACTS + TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS FOR SUEÑOS CHICAGO and COLDPLAY

 

Street Closures in Place for Sueños Chicago: Traffic control aides will be deployed to facilitate traffic around the area. The following closures are in effect:

Full Street Closures

• Columbus Drive from Roosevelt Road to Ida B. Wells: Friday, May 27 at 7 p.m.– Monday, May 30 at 6 a.m.
• Balbo Avenue from Columbus Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive: Friday, May 20–Thursday, June 2
• Balbo Avenue from Columbus Drive to Michigan Avenue: Friday, May 27–Monday, May 30

Sidewalk Closures

• Balbo Avenue east bound and west bound sidewalks from Columbus Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive: Friday, May 20–Thursday, June 2
• Balbo Avenue east bound and west bound sidewalks from Columbus Drive to Michigan Avenue: Wednesday, May 25–Tuesday, May 31
• DuSable Lake Shore Drive south bound sidewalk from Buckingham Fountain to Roosevelt Road: Wednesday, May 25– Tuesday, May 31
• Columbus Drive south bound and north bound sidewalks from Roosevelt to Ida B. Wells: Wednesday, May 25–Tuesday, May 31

 

Public Transportation: As for any large–scale event, public transportation is encouraged and both CTA and Metra are providing additional service for the event.  Public transit is the most affordable, convenient, and environmentally friendly way to get to and from summertime events. For more information, visit CTA at www.transitchicago.com and www.metrarail.com.

 

Parking

Parking for the Sueños Festival is available at Millennium Garages situated beneath Grant Park, Millennium Park & Maggie Daley Park. Other garages in the area include the Millennium Lakeside Garage, Grant Park South & Grant Park South. Parking at Soldier Field will be available on site, visit SoldierFieldParking.com for details. However, public transportation is strongly encouraged.

 

Rideshares, Taxi Cabs, Car Services and Pedicabs: Geofencing boundaries and designated pick-up and drop-off locations will be in effect for the safety of pedestrians and motorists:

Sueños Festival in Grant Park: Monroe Street, DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Roosevelt Road, and State Street.

• Drop-off and Pick-up is located on Jackson Street between DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Columbus Drive or on State Street between 9^th Street and Roosevelt Road.

Coldplay at Soldier Field: State Street, DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Roosevelt Road and 31^st Street.

• Drop-off is at 18^th Street turnaround and pick-up at west tunnel of McCormick Place Lakeside Center – entrance/exit off Fort Dearborn Drive from 31^st

All must utilize the pick-up location for those traveling to and from the event by rideshare, taxi or car service. The below will be in effect each day from Saturday, May 28–Sunday, May 29, 2 p.m.–1 a.m.

• No pick-ups and drop–offs on DuSable Lake Shore Drive, including on-ramps, off-ramps, medians, turning lanes, shoulders, and emergency pull-offs.
• No vehicles, stopping, standing, or parking in bus or bicycle lanes, fire lanes, sidewalk crossings, etc.
• Pedicabs are allowed only to pick-up and drop-off for Sueños Festival on Columbus Drive and Ida B. Wells.

 

OEMC Traffic and Weather Notifications:

OEMC will monitor events through a collaboration with public safety partners. 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).

 

My Chi. My Future App

The City of Chicago recently launched the My CHI. My Future App, designed to connect youth to programs this summer, and it gives each user or teen a custom experience with the homepage feature. The app will give Chicago teens access to the following resources this summer: Summer jobs, including One Summer Chicago and Chicago Youth Service Corps; seasonal programs from Parks and Libraries; local Summer Kickback events planned by hundreds of teens across 15 neighborhoods and community-based programs from over 250 partners The app is available at the App Store or Google Play.

 

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