What to know about Sky parade, rally originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Chicago is going to celebrate the Sky's historic championship Tuesday with a parade and rally.
The celebration will begin at Wintrust Arena and make its way to Millennium Park, the city announced Monday.
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"The City of Chicago could not be prouder of our winning Chicago Sky," Lightfoot said in a statement. "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!"
Here's what we know so far.
Parade Route and Timing
According to the newly-released details, the parade will begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday as the team departs from the arena will arrive at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park the rally at noon.
According to the city, the parade will travel north on Michigan Avenue from Roosevelt Road to Randolph Street, then head east to the pavilion. Street closures are expected along the route.
"Fans are encouraged to cheer on the Sky along the parade route," the city said in a release.
Rally Guidelines
The rally at Millennium Park will be free and open to the public.
Anyone who attends will need to pass a security screening at select entrances off Michigan Avenue and Monroe Street.
"While attendees are not required to be vaccinated to attend, it is highly encouraged," the city said. "Please do not attend if you do not feel well or recently tested positive for COVID-19."
Street Closures
Rolling street closures are expected to begin after 10 a.m. on Indiana from 21st to Cermak and Michigan Avenue from Roosevelt Road to Randolph Street, according to the city. As soon as the motorcade passes, streets will begin to reopen.
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.
How to Get There
City officials are encouraging fans to use public transportation to get to and from the parade route and rally.
In addition, CTA buses will be detoured in the downtown area during the parade and as a result of street closures for the rally.
Metra said it plans to use all available resources and will 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 the celebration and encouraging all passengers to purchase it in advance.
Beginning Monday 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 forecast high for Tuesday is 71 degrees. Fans can expect mostly sunny skies.
