Chicago’s final weekend of summer will be jam-packed with things to do — and plenty of traffic to go along with them.
From Riot Fest in Douglass Park to NBC’s “Premier League Mornings Live” Fan Fest along the lake in Lincoln Park, officials with the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications are advising residents to “plan accordingly” and to expect additional crowds and increased traffic.
“This weekend, the City of Chicago will have citywide deployments to ensure the safety and security of the public,” the agency said in a statement. “The OEMC will monitor weekend events and weather conditions citywide from the Operations Center and will coordinate public safety resources with critical stakeholders as needed.”
Riot Fest runs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday in Douglass Park, with the main entrance at Ogden Avenue and Sacramento Drive. The festival is bounded by Ogden Avenue, 19th Street, California Avenue and Albany Avenue. Ride-hailing will be available on the north side of Ogden.
Starting at 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, Premier League soccer aficionados will gather for a massive fan fest, which will include livestreams of the league’s matches and other fan activities in Lincoln Park, near the intersection of North Stockton Drive and West LaSalle Drive. The event will conclude after an 11:30 a.m. match Saturday, and a 10:30 a.m. game Sunday.
Traffic headaches could be exacerbated with parts of DuSable Lake Shore Drive closed on the North Side for resurfacing projects, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
One lane will be closed on southbound Lake Shore Drive between Irving Park Road and LaSalle until 9 a.m. Sunday. All southbound lanes will then be closed between Belmont Avenue and LaSalle Drive from 9 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday, officials said.
Traffic is also expected to snarl up around the Museum Campus, with electronic music artist Kaytranada performing at Northerly Island Friday night and the Chicago Football Classic — featuring two historically Black colleges and universities — playing out at Soldier Field Saturday afternoon.
Backups are also expected on roads crossing the Chicago River, as the fall bridge lifts begin at 9 a.m. Saturday to allow boats from Lake Michigan to trek to their winter storage spaces.
A total of 27 bridges will be lifted in succession from Lake Shore Drive to Ashland Avenue. Each bridge lift takes about 10 minutes, city officials said. The bridge lifts will continue on Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout the fall.
The entanglements aren’t expected to be anywhere near the gridlocks drivers experienced last weekend as hundreds of revelers filled downtown streets to celebrate Mexican Independence Day.
Residents can monitor chicagotraffictracker.com for the latest traffic information.