With the upcoming Halloween weekend activities, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) is reminding everyone to be safe and vigilant especially in crowds and report suspicious activity to 9-1-1. OEMC will monitor activities and weather throughout the weekend.

OEMC is also encouraging residents and particularly families to get smart about Halloween safety by creating a Smart911.com profile for your household. Smart911 is a free service that allows you to create a safety profile for your family, which includes information like children, pets, health conditions, home address, and more. A Smart911 profile is available to the call taker when calling 9-1-1 to the help you need. It is an essential part of any Halloween or everyday safety plan. Halloween and trick-or-treating safety tips include:

• If you’re going out with a group, make sure the buddy system is being used.
• Trick-or-Treaters should carry a flashlight, glowstick or utilize reflective tape.
• Take a digital photo of your kids in the event of an emergency
• Make sure your child’s costume is safe i.e., fire retardant, mask with proper ventilation, easy movement, etc.
• Know who your children are trick-or-treating with and their contact information.
• If you see any suspicious activity, call 9-1-1.

For more tips and more information on Smart911 visit Smart911 Halloween Safety Tips.

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 are reminded to respect the surrounding communities.

Arts In the Dark Parade, Saturday, October 30 on State Street
The Arts in the Dark Parade will step off at State and Lake Street at 6 pm until 8 pm. The route will head south on state from Lake Street to Van Buren. Street closures in effect from 5:30–8:30 pm include:

• State Street from Lake to Ida B. Wells
• Lake Street from Dearborn to Wabash
• Randolph from Wabash to Dearborn
• Washington from Dearborn to Wabash
• Madison from Wabash to Dearborn
• Monroe from Dearborn to Wabash
• Adams from Wabash to Dearborn
• Jackson from Dearborn to Wabash
• Van Buren from Wabash to Dearborn

For additional details, visit ArtsInTheDark.com

Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade, Sunday, October 31
The 2021 Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade is from 6 pm until 10 pm and will step off at 6 pm at Halsted and Aldine heading south on Halsted to Waveland. Halsted Street will be closed from Belmont to Waveland. Immediately following there will be and post parade event in the parking lot of Mid-City at Halsted and Brompton.

Chicago Bears v. San Francisco 49 - Sunday, October 31 at Soldier Field
The Bears play Sunday, with kick off at 12 p.m. at Soldier Field. Parking lots open at 8 a.m. and gates open at 10 am. 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/.

Other events of note this weekend are two concerts at Wintrust Arena (200 Cermak Road). For details visit, WintrustArena.com.

• The Millennium Tour with Omarion, Bow Wow, Pretty Ricky, Ying Yang Twins, Soulja Boy & Ashanti on Friday, October 29 at 8 pm.
• R&B Spring Fest with Brian McKnight, Tevin Campbell & El DeBarge on Saturday, October 30 at 8 pm.

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.

Smart911 Home Surveillance Camera Option
A new Smart911 feature is available to assist the Chicago Police Department (CPD) in better serving Chicago communities. Residents with an existing or new Smart911 safety profile can volunteer to share with police recorded home surveillance camara footage should a crime occur nearby or outside their residence. By simply opting in on an existing Smart911 profile or by creating a new profile at Smart911.com, residents can agree to share home surveillance camera footage by allowing the CPD to contact them in the event of a crime. All information is private.

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).

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