close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

    • Cars are backed up on Michigan Avenue for a second night as crowds celebrate Mexican Independence Day
    news

    Cars are backed up on Michigan Avenue for a second night as crowds celebrate Mexican Independence Day

    Vaseline Posted on

    Hundreds of revelers and vehicles once again filled the northbound lanes and sidewalks of Michigan Avenue Saturday night, continuing the festivities surrounding Mexico’s Independence Day.

    The line of cars, trucks and other vehicles — some with Mexican flags on their hoods and others with people hanging out of their windows — stretched from just south of East Jackson Boulevard to East Wacker Drive on Friday night, with many honking their horns in celebration.

    People danced on the curb of Michigan Avenue and some in the street when the light turned red, all waving variations of the Mexican flag, along with a few Palestinian and American flags.

    Police reported one arrest Friday evening as crowds were cleared from nearby sidewalks.

    At approximately 11:30 p.m. on Friday night, after large fireworks were set off near East Monroe Street, police began closing the northbound lanes of Michigan Avenue and diverting traffic to the southbound lanes and then westbound toward the Kennedy Expressway.

    On Saturday night around 8 p.m., the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications announced that there would be occasional street closures to help ease “traffic congestion” in the Loop.

    The CTA has temporarily diverted bus service in both directions on Michigan Avenue between Roosevelt Road and Wacker Drive due to heavy traffic.

    Last year, 86 people were arrested during the city centre festivities, leading some councillors to call for a special celebration over the long weekend.

    Chicago police and Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) did not immediately respond to requests for information and comment.

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Chicago police officers stand guard as hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Chicago police officers stand guard as hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    Chicago police officers stand guard as hundreds of people gather for a car caravan on Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

    |
    Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

    The festivities for Mexican Independence Day, which falls on Monday this weekend, are the first time that more than a decade that a sanctioned celebration would take place in the Loop. City officials hoped the event would help control car caravans and discourage unauthorized demonstrations.

    El Grito Chicago takes place Sunday from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM at Butler Field in Grant Park.

    There is also a Pilsen Mexican Independence Day Parade and an El Grito event in Pilsen, among other smaller events.

    Contributions: Araceli Gomez-Aldana

    Vaseline
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like