Chicago expecting throngs of fans for Cubs victory parade; Illinois governor declares today ‘World Champion Chicago Cubs Day’

Published 10:37 am Friday, November 4, 2016

CHICAGO — The celebration hasn’t stopped in Chicago, where throngs of Chicago Cubs fans were expected at a parade and rally honoring the World Series champions on Friday.

Events got underway at Wrigley Field on Friday morning, with the parade leaving the historic ballpark at 10 a.m. The parade would wind its way downtown an hour later and end in Grant Park for a rally expected to start around noon.

The city also planned to dye the Chicago River blue to honor the team, similar to how the river goes green annually for St. Patrick’s Day.

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A victory party is new territory for long-suffering fans of the Chicago Cubs, who hadn’t won a World Series title in 108 years before their Game 7, extra-inning thriller in Cleveland on Wednesday night. The last time the Cubs even reached the Fall Classic was in 1945.

It’s unclear how many people will attend Friday’s parade and rally. The city estimates that 2 million people attended similar events in 2015, after the Chicago Blackhawks won their third Stanley Cup in six years — but generations of Cubs fans have a lot of pent-up celebrating to do.

Friday was already a scheduled day off for Chicago Public Schools, meaning the city’s 390,000 public-school students will be able to attend.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has declared Friday as “World Champion Chicago Cubs Day” statewide.