Cubs World Series 2016: Street Closings, Parking and Security Around Wrigley Field

CHICAGO, IL — If the National League playoffs were dress rehearsals, then opening night will be this weekend as the World Series arrives in Chicago, and the city prepares to handle the influx of parking and safety issues that come with hosting the games.

Many of the same procedures the Chicago police and other municipal departments, agencies and services had in place during the first and second rounds of this year's postseason still will be in use — with a few tweaks and updates — from now until the end of the World Series, which could be as soon as Sunday, Oct. 30, or as late as Wednesday, Nov. 2.

Here's the information you'll need if you're planning to watch any of the games from a seat in the stands or at a nearby Wrigleyville watering hole with other Cubs fans.

The Basics

• Games 3 through 5 will be played Friday, Oct. 28, through Sunday, Oct. 30, at Wrigley Field, with the final two games in the best-of-seven series going back to Cleveland to be played Tuesday, Nov. 1, to Wednesday, Nov. 2, if necessary.
• Wrigleyville parking restrictions and security measures for the World Series will be in effect for all games, including those played in Cleveland.
• Games start at 7:08 p.m., and Wrigley Field gates open at least two hours before the first pitch.
• Residents should carry a photo ID and other proof of residence and be ready to show it to security personnel in order to be allowed to get to their homes, according to the Office of Alderman Tom Tunney, who represents the 44th Ward, where the ballpark is located.
• Tailgating, alcohol consumption on the public way and loitering on streets surrounding Wrigley Field are prohibited.
• Garbage cans throughout the security perimeter will be removed for all games.
• Media outlets will be present throughout the neighborhood and around the ballpark throughout the weekend for live and taped broadcasts, as well as coverage before and after the game. Fox TV will be broadcasting pre- and pos-tgame shows from the parking lot at the corner of Sheffield and Waveland avenues.

Security Around Wrigley Field

Security checks will be performed by authorities within a two-block area surrounding Wrigley Field, according to the Chicago Tribune. Officials will be looking for and confiscating alcohol and other contraband. For games played at the ballpark, incoming traffic in the neighborhood will be restricted to residents once the first pitch is thrown, the report added.

Of the hundreds of thousands of people expected to descend on Wrigleyville for Games 3 through 5, more than 1,000 of them will be representing various local, state and federal law enforcement agencies — the Chicago Police Department, Cook County Sheriff's Office, FBI, Department of Homeland Security — called in to keep fans, spectators, revelers and residents safe, the Tribune reports.

A private firm also has been hired by the Cubs to help with security, the report added.

Street Closings (about four hours before game time)

• Sheffield Avenue (Addison Street to Waveland Avenue): Full closing (except fire lane). Pedestrian access will remain open on both sides of Sheffield.
• Waveland Avenue (Sheffield Avenue to Clark Street): Full closing (except fire lane). Pedestrian access will remain open on both sides of Waveland.

Parking Restrictions

Residential permit parking will be strictly enforced from noon Friday, Oct. 28, to 4 a.m. Monday, Oct. 31. Violators will be subject to tickets and towings. Priority towing will take place in all special areas designated as no parking

Restrictions in the following areas apply to both sides of the streets unless noted:

• Clark Street, from School Street/Aldine Avenue to Irving Park Road
• Sheffield Avenue, from Roscoe to Grace streets
• Addison Street, from Halsted Street to Southport Avenue; from Southport to Ashland Avenue (north side)
• Racine Avenue, from Roscoe to Clark streets
• Patterson Avenue, from Racine to Clark
• Waveland Avenue, from Racine to Clark ; from Fremont Street to Halsted (south side only Friday, Oct. 28)
• Clifton, Seminary and Kenmore avenues, from Waveland to Grace Street
• Irving Park, from Clark Street to Seminary Avenue
• Eddy Street, from Clark to Racine
• Cornelia Avenue, from Clark to Racine
• Newport Avenue, from Clark to Racine
• Inner Lake Shore Drive, from Belmont Avenue to Addison (east side)

Parking Panda, an online app and service that lets drivers reserve spots for their cars ahead of time, has a special page dedicated to the World Series and parking around Wrigleyville. Customers can still find available spaces and even get discounts by going to the website.

ComEd Substation at Seminary and Newport avenues

Restrictions in the following area run through Tuesday, Nov. 1.

• East side of Seminary from Newport to the alley
• North side of Newport from Seminary to the alley

Fans celebrate outside Wrigley Field after the Chicago Cubs win their first National League pennant since 1945 on Saturday, Oct. 22. (screen capture via video by Russell Contreras | YouTube)

More Cubs Coverage on Patch

• Are Cubs Fans Schwarber-reacting to Slugger's World Series Play? You Bet
• World Series, Game 2 Recap: Cubs Get Even in Cleveland, 5-1
• Grow Cubs, Grow! Manhattan Woman Paints Love for Team on Lawn
• Longtime Cubs Fan Buried With Ticket From NLCS Clincher
• ‘Bleacher Preacher’ Will be at World Series Game 3 in Chicago
• Ravinia Festival Will Give Away Free Lawn Pass for Every Cubs World Series Win
• World Series Preview: Who's Cursed Worse, Cubs or Indians?
• Cubs Memories: Hitchhiking to the Game and Throwing Out the 1st Pitch at Wrigley Field
• High School Student's 1993 Yearbook Prediction: Cubs Win World Series in 2016
• Indians' Jason Kipnis Grew Up in Northbrook as a Cubs Fan