Mexican Independence Day celebrations come to downtown Chicago this weekend
CHICAGO (CBS) – Big changes are coming ahead of Mexican Independence Day, with the City of Chicago strategizing to keep crowds, and traffic, moving after previous years had downtown gridlocked with car caravans for hours.
Still, the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications said anyone planning to come downtown this weekend should expect lots of traffic and delays through Monday.
The celebration of Mexican Independence Day in past years came with traffic gridlock downtown. With that in mind, OEMC said, if needed, there will be street closures in the Central Business District. Those living or working in the area will be allowed to enter only at the specific points:
- Halsted and Division streets
- Halsted Street and Chicago Avenue
- Halsted Street and Washington Boulevard
- Halsted and Madison streets
- Halsted Street and Jackson Boulevard
- Division Street and LaSalle Boulevard
- Roosevelt Road and Canal Street
- Roosevelt Road and Desplaines Street
- 18th and State streets
- 18th Street and Michigan Avenue
- 18th Street and Indiana Avenue.
Sept. 16 is the day Mexico celebrates its independence from Spain. But even before that, El Grito kicks off Friday.
It will function as an attempt to get people out of their cars and walking around the cultural festival—one of the city's strategies for preventing the kind of scene witnessed in the past on downtown streets.
"It's all about family fun," German Gonzalez, one of the event organizers.
For the first time in 10 years, El Grito Festival will take place at Butler Field in Grant Park. The event has something for all ages. The family-friendly event will feature live music, authentic Mexican food and an artisan market.
"We're super excited to bring El Grito back after a decade and what people can expect you know is great musical talent from local bands to international talent from Mexico in addition to amazing food vendors," said Gonzalez.
The festival will also come with street closures.
Jackson Boulevard will be closed from Columbus Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Visitors' best option to get to downtown will be using public transportation like the CTA and Metra or ride-sharing options like Uber and Lyft.
Gonzalez called the event a citywide effort and a safe celebration of Mexican independence.
"Look at this park. It's beautiful! It's iconic!" he said. "We wanted to be a part of the solution and have people celebrating in a safe and family inclusive manner."
With safety in mind, light poles along Columbus Drive near the event will feature numbers. In the event someone needs to call 911, they can reference the numbers for first responders to more easily find them.
For more information on El Grito Chicago, visit ElGritoChicago.com.
Meanwhile southwest of downtown, the Little Village neighborhood is the center for so much of Chicago's Mexican culture. Organizers at the Little Village Chamber of Commerce say their staff of four are ready to welcome 400,000 people to the neighborhood on the biggest weekend of the year.
"We start prepping, almost as soon as it's over, for next year's parade," said Jennifer Aguilar, executive director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce.
But changes are also coming to this year's 26th Street Mexican Independence Day Parade, which struggled with massive crowds in past years when they tried to reopen the street.
"It did open for a bit, but then it was closed back up again," Aguilar said. "I do know that this year, we'll be closed after the parade."
The chamber has handed out fliers to businesses ahead of the Sunday noon kick-off. The parade will head down a stretch of 26th Street from Albany Avenue to Kostner Avenue.
The Mexican Consulate is also urging people to celebrate responsibly. The OEMC also put out a bilingual message ahead of the weekend, asking people to keep the streets clear and make way for first responders.
Aguilar saying the city has strategized to host cultural events around the city, pointing to the return of El Grito.
"There was a big intentional move through the city's part, and as well as community organizations, to create many options for people to celebrate—and in their own neighborhoods," said Aguilar.
El Grito runs Saturday and Sunday. For more information on El Grito Chicago, visit ElGritoChicago.com.
The 26th Street parade starts Sunday at noon.
