CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago’s North Side is expected to see large crowds, road closures and heavier-than-usual traffic Sunday as the city hosts its 55th annual Pride Parade.
The parade is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at Grace Street and Broadway. From there, it will move south on Broadway, continue south along Halsted Street, head east on Belmont Avenue back to Broadway, then proceed south to Diversey Parkway before traveling east to Cannon Drive.
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Residents, spectators and parade participants should plan for street closures throughout the morning. Closures for staging areas may begin as early as 7:30 a.m., while closures along the parade route could start as early as 8:30 a.m., or sooner if crowd size or safety concerns require it. Affected areas include Irving Park Road and Wellington Avenue at Broadway, as well as Addison Street, Grace Street and Roscoe Street at Halsted. Streets are expected to reopen by 4 p.m., or once officials determine it is safe.
Designated pedestrian crossings will be available at Addison and Halsted, Cornelia Street and Halsted, Buckingham Place and Halsted, Briar Place and Broadway, and Wellington and Broadway.
Parking restrictions will be in place and strictly enforced beginning at 2 a.m. Sunday in the assembly area near Sheridan and Broadway and along the parade route. Anyone whose vehicle is towed should call 311 for assistance locating it.
Cooling buses will be available if needed at several locations, including Addison west of Halsted, Roscoe west of Halsted, Belmont east of Broadway, Wilton Avenue north of Belmont, Waveland between Broadway and Halsted, and westbound Belmont between Halsted and Clark Street.
Officials said drones will not be permitted in the area unless operators have a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The 2026 parade theme is “Free to be Proud.”
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Organizers say the theme affirms “that the freedom to live openly, love authentically, and exist safely is neither abstract nor guaranteed.”
Tracy Baim, Mona Noriega, Evette Cardona and The Alliance of Illinois Judges were announced as the 2026 community grand marshals.
The parade features colorful floats, decorated vehicles, musical talent, walking contingents and local government officials all in support of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The annual parade celebration commemorates the Stonewall Riots, which occurred June 28, 1969, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Chicago’s Pride Parade takes place the same weekend in the summer, replacing what was once a fight for civil rights with dazzling displays of hope and perseverance.
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ABC7 Chicago will air and stream the parade from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.
ABC7’s Val Warner and Hosea Sanders will host the Chicago Pride Parade broadcast with Jason Knowles, capturing all the action live from the street. LGBTQIA+ community advocates will join the festivities, including Cody LaGrow (Emmy Award-winning journalist) and Kim Hunt (LGBT Hall of Fame and senior director of AIDS Initiative Chicago).
“ABC7 Chicago is proud of our decades-long commitment to Pride, and we are thrilled to be the only Chicago station presenting two hours of live parade coverage on multiple platforms,” said John Idler, president and general manager of ABC7 Chicago. “The station commitment extends well beyond the June celebration, and we look forward to great storytelling all year.”
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