Marathon Sunday turns Grant Park into the loudest block in Chicago, and this is the part of it that does not require a bib. The organizer says the party is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., so a spectator can walk off Columbus Drive straight into a field of 40,000-odd finishers, a DJ set and food stands. It is the easiest way to be inside the day's biggest crowd without running 26.2 miles first, and it runs long enough to catch both the early finishers and the afternoon wave.
What to expect
An outdoor field party in Grant Park with a Chicago-based DJ, food and beverages for purchase, and a steady stream of finishers arriving in foil blankets from the nearby finish line. Beer is sold from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and finishers 21 and over can redeem a bib tear-off for one beer with photo ID.
Good to know
- The organizer's line is that the party is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; no admission price is published.
- Butler Field is near the race start at Columbus Drive and Jackson Drive, a short walk from the Michigan Avenue side of Grant Park.
- Beer tickets are sold 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and can be redeemed until 3:30 p.m.
- Finishers 21 and over redeem the tear-off portion of the bib for one beer, and photo ID is required.
- Road closures blanket the Loop and the lakefront on race morning, so plan on CTA rather than a car.
Going? Keep it.
Also in Downtown, the Loop & West Loop
More festivals that weekend
Common questions
Do spectators need a ticket?
The marathon's race-weekend page states the party is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where exactly is it?
Butler Field in Grant Park, near the race start line at Columbus Drive and Jackson Drive.