Click Here for Weekend Traffic Projects
Click Here for Weekend CTA Travel Alerts

The Chicago Marathon

Date: Sunday, October 9
Time: First wave begins at 7:30 a.m.
Location: 29 Neighborhoods in Chicago

No parking zones along the course will be enforced beginning at 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 9. Please look for no parking signs in your area for full details. Street closures along the route will occur between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. The roads in Grant Park will be closed longer. City streets will re-open promptly as the final runners pass through (at a 15-minute mile pace). The Chicago Police Department will be responsible for closing and re-opening streets, they will do so in a manner ensuring runner and spectator safety. Please follow their instructions when approaching streets on the course. Do NOT attempt to block the race course at any time.

Check out this interactive closure map from the Chicago Tribune.

VIEWING AREAS NEAR CTA STATIONS
Viewing areas are designated near CTA rail stations at 10 points along the marathon route for those interested in following the progress of the race:

First Viewing Area – Grand (Red Line) Station – Miles #1, #3 and #12. Board a Red Line train and exit at Grand Avenue.

Second Viewing Area – Monroe (Red Line) Station –Mile #2. Board a Red Line train and exit at Monroe Street.

Third Viewing Area – Chicago (Red Line) Station – Miles #3.5 and #11.5.  Board a Red Line train and exit at Chicago. Walk three blocks west to LaSalle Street (Mile 3.5) and four blocks west to Wells Street (Mile 11.5).

Fourth Viewing Area – Clark/Division (Red Line) Station – Miles #4 and #11. Board a Red Line train and exit at LaSalle Street (Mile 4). Walk four blocks east to Wells Street (Mile 11)

Fifth Viewing Area – Addison (Red Line) Station – Mile #7.75.  Board a Red Line train and exit at Addison. Walk four blocks east to Broadway.

Sixth Viewing Area – Sedgwick (Brown Line) Station – Mile #10.25.  Board a Brown Line train and exit at Sedgwick Street. Walk a half-block north to North Avenue.

Seventh Viewing Area – UIC-Halsted (Blue Line) Station – Miles #13.5 and #16.5. Board a Blue Line train and exit at UIC-Halsted. Use the Halsted Street exit or Morgan Street exit. Walk two blocks north to Adams Street (Mile #13.5) in Greektown or use the Halsted Street exit to view runners at Mile #16.5

Eighth Viewing Area – 18th (Pink Line) Station – Mile #19. Board a Pink Line train and exit at 18th Street. Walk one block east to Ashland.

Ninth Viewing Area – Halsted (Orange Line) Station – Mile #20.5. Board an Orange Line train and exit at Halsted.

Tenth Viewing Area – Sox-35th and 35th-Bronzeville-IIT (Red/Green Line) Stations – Mile #23. Board a Green Line train and exit at 35th-Bronzeville-IIT usingeither the 33rd Street or 35th Street exit. Board a Red Line train and exit at Sox-35th. Walk two blocks east on 35th Street to State Street.

Eleventh Viewing Area – Cermak-McCormick Place (Green Line) Station – Mile #25. Board a Green Line train and exit at Cermak-McCormick Place. Walk two blocks east to Michigan Avenue.

Twelfth Viewing Area – Roosevelt (Red/Green/Orange Lines) Station – Finish Line. Board a Red, Green or Orange line train and exit at Roosevelt. Walk east on Roosevelt Road toward the Museum Campus/Grant Park.

Oktoberfest, Mount Prospect

Date: Friday, Oct 7 – Saturday, Oct 8
Time: Friday, 4:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. & Saturday 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Location: Downtown Mount Prospect

On Saturday, enjoy pumpkin decorating, trick-or-treat candy line, hay rides & food and music in the downtown area.
Join in the fun of celebrating Mount Prospect’s heritage with authentic German food, spirits and music including the Phenix German Band at 6:00 p.m.

The Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest

Date: Friday, Oct 7 – Sunday, Oct 9
Location:

At 9:00 a.m. on October 8, the Superhero 5k steps off at the Great Highwood Pumpkin fest! It may not be the Chicago Marathon, but it can definitely get you into the spirit of both the running and fall season.

From the event website: BYOP (Bring Your own Pumpkin). The quantity of pumpkins delivered on site by the organizers alone will NOT be enough to break the world record without you. To help us get over the hump and break the record, bring a carved pumpkin. Place a candle in the pumpkin, and bring it to our Pumpkin Drop Off location in front of City Hall. All those who bring carved pumpkins will receive a FREE admission pass to the weekend event. BYOP pumpkins will be accepted through Sunday afternoon on Oct 9th.

St. Charles Scarecrow Fest

Date: Friday, October 7 – Sunday, October 9
Location: St. Charles

From Festing.com: Located one hour West of Chicago and along the Fox River is the annual St. Charles Scarecrow Fest! For over 25 years, this award-winning festival has brought family traditions and unforgettable memories to children and adults of all ages. The heart of this event is the Scarecrow Contest, which draws over 100 entries each year! From mechanical creations to the traditional scarecrows, visitors view and vote for their favorite in each of six categories. Children will enjoy making their own scarecrow to take home, a carnival, model train displays, a petting zoo and more! Visitors will also enjoy FREE, live entertainment all weekend as well the Autumn on the Fox Arts and Crafts Show. Be sure to also check out a new addition to the festival, the Canine Corner ? complete with a dog costume contest and wiener dog races! Choose from food vendors throughout the fest or many “unique to St. Charles” restaurants. The possibilities are endless! Best of all?.admission, parking, trolleys and parking shuttles are all FREE. Make it a weekend and enjoy a Fall getaway with the entire family. Hotel specials, festival schedules and more are available on visitstcharles.com.

Midnight Circus in the Parks

Date: Every weekend through October 16th!
Time: Various
Location: Various

A big show under the big top comes to local parks in Chicago each fall since 2007. The Midnight Circus has breath-taking local performers, including two rescue dogs, perform while raising funds for Chicago parks! In the past 10 years, the organization has raised more than $800,000 for the Chicago Park District!

From the website: Midnight Circus was a young, brash, troupe of performers on our first adventure together in Europe. We were enchanted with the intimate theatrical circuses we saw in the small parks and piazzas in Italy and France. The idea that families could come together in their very own communities and enjoy unique, exciting, world-class entertainment was a revelation to us. We were of the mind that you had to travel across town, fight traffic, and spend time and money parking in order to enjoy such a treat. We said to ourselves that one day we would create such a venue in our country, in our city, in our community.

From the Midnight Circus Facebook page…

Traffic Restrictions & Road Projects

From the Chicago Marathon website: Vehicle removals If you live on one of the streets along the marathon route (see course map), you must move your vehicle to another location off of the course by Saturday, October 8, 2016. Towing of vehicles on closed thoroughfares will begin at 1 a.m. on Sunday, October 9. Vehicles that are not removed from the street by 1 a.m. will be ticketed and towed to the nearest auto-pound. For inquiries about towed vehicles, call 312.744.4444. We appreciate your support in creating a safe environment for the thousands of participants, volunteers and spectators.

• Expect street closures between Belmont and Irving Park / Halsted to Southport. At the discretion of the Chicago Police and OEMC, arterial streets MAY be closed to ALL vehicular traffic. Please have Photo ID and Proof of Residence available for presentation to either CPD or Traffic Management Personnel.  While this may be inconvenient, public safety is of the utmost importance.

CTA and Public Transit Weekend Alerts

Extra service for Chicago Marathon spectators and participants on ‘L’ train lines.

RAIL SERVICE (Sunday Only):
To accommodate additional ridership for the 2016 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, the CTA will provide extra rail service on Sunday, October 9:

Red Line: Longer trains will be running earlier and with more frequent service, from 5 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Blue Line: Longer trains will be running from 5 a.m. until 4 p.m., with more frequent service from 9:35 a.m. until 11:20 a.m.

Brown Line: Longer trains will be running from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m. with more frequent service

Green Line: Longer trains will be running from 5:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Orange Line: Longer trains will be running from 5:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Purple Line: Will provide earlier service, with the first train departing Linden at 5:30 a.m.

BUS SERVICE
On Sunday, the CTA will provide additional service on #3 King Drive: from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.  Along the race course, there will be intermittent reroutes affecting the following CTA bus routes: