Getting to the Chicago Pride Parade
The Chicago Pride Parade takes place on Sunday, June 25, 2023 and kicks off at Montrose/Broadway at noon.
The parade route, updated several years ago, presents lots more places than before from where you can enjoy the excitement, including less-crowded areas near the Wilson and Sheridan stations.
On this page
Tip: Pay with contactless or buy fare in advance
Avoid long lines at vending machines at stations near the parade by using direct contactless payments at the reader, or buy your fares in advance. There are multiple fare options available:
Contactless Pay-as-you-go with Apple Pay, Google Pay or a contactless 
bankcard
Just touch your phone or bankcard to the fare reader
If you have a phone with contactless payment apps like Apple Pay or Google Pay set up, or any bankcard with the contactless payment symbol (), you don't need to get a card or ticket! Skip the machines and pay a Pay-as-you-go fare directly at the turnstile.
Regular fares apply. You can use these options to pay for up to 7 people (including yourself) who are traveling together!
Note you may see a temporary pre-authorization hold of $5 in in your app/account when using this option, but you'll only be charged the correct fare once we compute your fare and your total fares are reconciled with your bank.
Disposable Ventra Tickets
Buy at Ventra Vending Machines in 'L' stations*
Ventra Tickets are disposable tickets good for a day or a trip good for 90 days from when you purchase them and are not activated until you first use them, so you can buy these in advance. All Ventra Vending Machines can vend multiple tickets at once. There are two kinds of these disposable tickets:
If you get a 1-Day Ticket before the parade, you'll be set for the trip back—they're good for unlimited rides, for one person, on CTA buses and trains for up to 24 hours from the first time you use them.
Out and about all weekend? A 3-Day Ticket is also available at airport stations and is good for unlimited rides for one person for a full 72 hours from the first time you use it.
Ventra Cards
Load onto your phone via Ventra app, buy at retail locations or at Ventra Vending Machines in 'L' stations*
New cards cost $5 at machines, which is returned to you as value if you register within 90 days.
With a Ventra Card, you can load value (money for regular fares) or passes in the Ventra app or at vending machines. You can also load value or passes to a card you already have by using the Ventra app, online at ventrachicago.com or at hundreds of retailers (including drugstores and currency exchanges).
Value loaded on a Ventra Card can pay for up to 6 additional people traveling with you, even if you're using a pass for yourself. If you're also paying for children 7-11 years of age, ask for assistance in paying a children's Reduced Fare, which a bus driver or station attendant can offer to you.
Bikes, strollers & carts
Please note the following for parade day:
- For everyone's safety and to provide additional capacity, we may require that strollers and carts be folded before boarding all CTA buses and trains.
- Bikes will be prohibited on trains on the day of the parade. Bikes will still be allowed on all CTA buses' bike racks (2 per bus).
Parade route map
Download/print this map
The parade route begins at Montrose/Broadway, at noon, and follows Broadway south to where it meets with Halsted, continuing on Halsted south to Belmont, on Belmont east to Broadway, on Broadway south to Clark/Diversey and on Diversey east to Cannon (in Lincoln Park), where the parade disperses.
Additionally, for the queuing up of floats, Montrose will be affected between Clark and Broadway, Sunnyside between Broadway and on both Sheridan and Broadway between Montrose to Wilson.
How do I get to the parade?
You can access the parade from several CTA stations, including Wilson and Sheridan. The Red and Brown Lines provide the closest service to the parade route with fast, frequent service:
- From the Red Line, Wilson, Sheridan, Addison or Belmont all provide access via a short walk to the parade route.
- From the Brown Line, Diversey, Wellington and Belmont are the nearest stations to the parade.
- Lakefront bus routes, including the #146 and #151, provide convenient access from the north, the Gold Coast/North Michigan Avenue and downtown, to the areas east of the parade route.
Avoid crowded Belmont Station (Red, Brown lines) and surrounding area
The Belmont station and the area around it tends to become the most crowded on the day of the Pride Parade. We encourage you to consider avoiding this area and enjoying the parade from other parts of the route, including near Wilson and Sheridan on the Red Line. Entry to the Belmont station may be restricted to the main entrance on the south side of Belmont Avenue.
If Belmont’s platforms become crowded, we may need to temporarily halt entry to the station while we allow trains to pick up waiting passengers to make room. In previous years, crowding both at the station and outside of it has sometimes resulted in the police asking us to close the station for safety reasons. You can avoid inconveniences in the event Belmont becomes too crowded by considering using these nearby stations, instead:
- Addison on the Red Line is just 1/2 mile (about a 10-minute walk) north of the Belmont station.
- Wellington on the Brown Line is just 1/4 mile (about a 5-minute walk) south of the Belmont station.
Free transfer between Red and Brown Line trains is also available at Fullerton.
What buses will be rerouted due to the parade?
The following bus routes will be rerouted:
Note that this list may change and additional bus routes may be affected/rerouted, and heavy traffic around the parade may slow travel even where buses are not rerouted. Check alerts for your route before you leave, allow extra travel time and we encourage you to take trains to/from the area, where possible.
How can I get from one side of the parade route to the other?
This new routing also provides places where police officers will be available to help pedestrians cross from one side of the parade route to the other. These designated crossing locations are at the following streets that cross the parade route:
- Montrose
- Irving Park
- Grace
- Addison
- Cornelia
- Roscoe
- Aldine
- Wellington
- Oakdale
Special CTA pride activities
Pride Train
The design of the Pride Train uses the colors of various pride flags, including the Black and brown stripes added to the Philly flag and the colors of the trans flag to express an inclusive message that when we say "all aboard" we mean ALL. The interior is also decorated with a variety of pride art made by CTA staff to express welcoming and inclusive messages as well as a series of affirmations that everyone can feel good about.
Pride posters
We will be handing out special transit pride posters at select stations and on board our Community Bus at Pride Fest and near the Belmont Station before and during the Pride Parade. You can also download them here:
Pride Signature Ventra Card
The Pride Signature Ventra Card is a limited-edition release designed to commemorate the spirit of inclusivity, diversity, and love that Pride Month represents. Get your own card today at VentraChicago.com/Purchase!
Additional resources