Taylor Swift, sports and more bring big crowds

Summer has arrived in Chicago. Maybe unofficially, but sunny days, high temperatures and a multitude of events across the city can only mean one thing: summer life is certainly here.

Chicago will be buzzing with sporting and live entertainment events all weekend, prompting officials and organizers to warn citizens about traffic and the large crowds.

In a press release Thursday afternoon, the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) highlighted the “increased activity in light of the ongoing summer festival and event season” and urged concertgoers and local residents to “remain vigilant for everyone’s safety.”

Beginning Friday, a Chicago Sky game, a White Sox game, a Two Friends concert, the first Soldier Field show of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Chicago stop and more will all converge in busy neighborhoods during rush hour.

The Chicago Sky expressed concern about traffic congestion around Wintrust Arena, 200 E. Cermak Rd., and scheduled its Friday game against the New York Liberty for 5:00 p.m

Approximately two miles away at Soldier Field, 1410 Special Olympics Dr., doors open for Friday’s Eras Tour show at 4:30 p.m. For those who have purchased a parking space at Soldier Field, it will be available from 2:00 p.m. Opening concerts are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m., with Swift beginning her three-hour set at 8 p.m

“Due to multiple events in town and on the museum campus, fans are strongly encouraged to arrive early,” states Soldier Field’s Eras Tour events page. “Traffic will be heavy. Please plan your journey accordingly and use public transport if possible.”

For more information on Soldier Field Eras Tour pickup, parking, and public transportation, see the Tribune’s in-depth guide.

[ What to know ahead of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour shows in Chicago ]

Directly across from the Museum Campus’ Burnham Harbor at the Huntington Bank Pavilion on Northerly Island, 1300 S. Linn White Dr., EDM duo Two Friends will perform in concert on Friday at 6:30pm

“With several concurrent events taking place around the museum campus this weekend, including the Two Friends concert at Northerly Island on Friday, fans are encouraged to arrive early for the screening and due to increased traffic and activity in the Soldier Field area schedule additional time. ” says the press release of the OEMC.

For baseball fans, the White Sox will take on the Detroit Tigers Friday at 7:10 p.m. at Guaranteed Rate Field, 333 W. 35th St.

But that’s not all. From Friday at 1 p.m. through Tuesday, the American Society of Clinical Oncologists will bring together nearly 37,000 physicians for a meeting in McCormick Place’s South Building, North Building, Lakeside Center and Arie Crown Theaters.

This convention is especially relevant for Swift fans looking for parking on the day of one of the Eras shows, as 31st Street McCormick Place Lot B at 3050 S. Moe Dr. offers $50 parking with shuttle service to Soldier Field from 4:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Offsite parking for the Eras Tour is also available at McCormick Place Lot D, 1832 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr., which is a 10-minute walk from Soldier Field is removed.

OEMC also reminded residents and visitors that pre-race activities will begin Friday at Grant Park ahead of the July 1-2 NASCAR Chicago Street Race. Parking restrictions begin Friday at 2 a.m. along Columbus Dr. heading south between Jackson Dr. and Balbo Dr. However, major road closures will not begin until June 25.

The Thu Division Street Fest on Division Street in West Town between Damen Avenue and Leavitt Street (2000-2200 W. Division St.) will be less disruptive to downtown traffic congestion. The festival – which features live music, family entertainment, small businesses and local retailers and boutiques – starts on Friday from 5pm to 10pm and runs from 12pm to 10pm every Saturday and Sunday.

The Chicago Gospel Music Festival begins at 12:00 p.m. in Cloud Gate Plaza and opens the summer music season in Millennium Park until 5:45 p.m. The festival – which is expected to draw 12,000 spectators – will continue at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. with Grammy award winners Karen Clark Sheard and Tye Tribbett.

The event entrances for the Gospel Music Festival are on Randolph Street and Monroe Street. Entrances to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion event will open approximately 90 minutes prior to start time.

Parking garages near Millennium Park include Millennium Park Garage, Millennium Lakeside Garage, Grant Park North Garage, and Grant Park South Garage – all likely to be packed with Eras Tour concert-goers given their proximity to Soldier Field. Additionally, Millennium Park is served by the CTA Red Line (Lake) and buses #3, 4, and 146, all public transit options Swift fans may want to use on weekends.

Saturday will be the second night of Swift’s three-day stay in Chicago and the schedule for Friday’s concert also applies to the Saturday and Sunday shows. The car park at the museum campus opens at 2:00 p.m., the stadium doors open at 4:30 p.m. The opening acts begin at 6:30 p.m. and Swift takes the stage from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m

This weekend there will be significant road closures in the Garfield Park, Humboldt Park and Douglas Park neighborhoods for Sunday’s Bank of America 13.1 race, which the OEMC says is expected to draw 7,000 participants. On Saturday there will be a 1.31 mile Wellness Walk at 10am and a Run Jump Throw at 11am. The actual race takes place on Sunday, with the wheelchair start scheduled for 6:50 am and the race start at 7 am

The road closures will be from 6 a.m. to about 11 a.m. and will include McCrea Drive from Schraeder Drive to its end from May 31 to June 6; Washington Boulevard from Hamlin to Schraeder Drive, June 3-5; Warren Boulevard from Washington Boulevard to Homan, June 3-5; Central Park Avenue from Madison to Lake Street, June 3rd to 5th; and Schraeder Drive from Hamlin to Washington Boulevard June 3-5.

A brochure with a full list of road closures for the half marathon is available on the race’s website at chicago13point1.com. There are no parking zones along the route from 1 a.m. on Sunday. Persons residing on one of the streets along the circuit must move their vehicles to an alternative location off the circuit by Saturday.

Motorists should also consider construction of the Kennedy Expressway, currently in the first phase, for a 7.5-mile stretch from the divide at I-94 south to Ohio Street and the giant underpass near Hubbard Street located downtown. Construction began with the inbound or southbound lanes, which began closing mid-March. Two regular entry lanes will be closed simultaneously, and the reversible fast lanes in the middle of the freeway will remain open at all times in the entry direction.

[ Kennedy chaos, Lake Shore snarls: How Chicago construction will affect traffic this spring and summer ]

According to the Chicago Department of Transportation, the northbound North DuSable Lake Shore Drive between LaSalle Drive and Lawrence Avenue was reduced to two lanes as of 7 p.m. Thursday due to paving work. As work progresses northward, each ramp will be closed for approximately one hour at a time. Lanes will reopen around 6 a.m

As of 8 p.m. Thursday, southbound Lake Shore Drive was reduced to one lane between Lawrence Avenue and Irving Park Road. The southbound entry ramp at Lawrence Avenue, the exit and entry ramps at Wilson Avenue, Montrose Avenue and Irving Park Road will be closed. Lanes will reopen around 7 a.m

Works on Lake Shore Drive include a posted reduced speed limit of 35 miles per hour.

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