A jam-packed weekend of events is in store for Chicagoans, with parades, concerts, festivals and much more planned across the city.
Sky 5 was over Wrigley Field early Friday evening as fans waited for doors to open for night one of the Dead & Company concert.
Around the same time, over on the city's West Side, the fun was just getting started for Jenny Santos at the Puerto Rican Festival.
“It’s been amazing,” she said. “The people are great, you know, they enjoy our food—we’re already known by name.”
The restaurant owner from Miami travels every year to Chicago for the festival to share a piece of her Puerto Rican culture and heritage.
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“We’ve been doing it for like, the same restaurant 32 years, and we have a variety of everything,” she said. “We have the shish kabob, which are the Beaujolais. We have the rice, the beans, the pork.”
People of all ages celebrated their Puerto Rican pride and displayed a sense of unity.
“I just came out here to celebrate with my people,” said Jasmira Colon, who is from Minnesota. “I love just the way that our people can gather together every year to celebrate our culture our food and just our history, that’s why I’m here today.”
Meanwhile, in downtown Chicago, the sounds of Blues music could be heard coming from Pritzker Pavilion. Music lovers returned for the annual Chicago Blues Fest at Millennium Park.
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“I’ve been coming since I was about 16,” said one attendee. “I’m now in my late 50s, so 40 years or so.”
“Hanging out with the blues people,” said another. “Blues fans are the best.”
As people make their way downtown this weekend, city officials want drivers to be aware of heavier traffic and road closures. Starting at midnight, Ida B. Wells Drive from Michigan Avenue to Columbus Drive, including the adjacent sidewalks, will be fully closed as preparations take place for this summer's NASCAR Street Race, according to the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communication.
The city is also encouraging visitors to download the Chicago OEMC app to stay up to date with safety and emergency alerts.
