Polish Constitution Day Parade on Sunday

Chicago’s Polish Constitution Day Parade is happening this weekend, but the first thing to know is simple — it’s on Saturday, May 2, 2026, not Sunda(polishparade.org)ntown traffic, CTA trips, or just trying to catch the parade itself. The event is the 135th annual edition, and in Chicago that means a real(myemail.constantcontact.com)ekend advisory on May 1, and the parade committee’s own schedule matches it. (chicago.gov)ates Poland’s May 3, 1791 constitution, which the event organizers and tourism listings frame as Europe’s first and the world’s second democratic constitution after the U.S. one. In Chicago, the celebration has grown into a huge Polish American public event with bands, dance groups, community organizations, floats, food vendors, and a full day of related programming around it. (choosechicago.com) ### So when does the parade start? The parade steps off at **11:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 2*(chicago.gov)vendors opens at 9 a.m., and float assembly begins at 8 a.m. After the parade, a Constitution concert is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Chopin Garden in Grant Park. (polishparade.org) ### Where does it go? The route is pretty straightforward. Floats stage on Columbus Drive from Balbo to Roosevelt and on Balbo from Michigan Avenue to Lake Shore Drive. Then the parade moves north on Columbus Drive to Monroe Street, where it disbands(choosechicago.com)eezed for several hours. (myemail.constantcontact.com) ### Which streets close? The big closures are the obvious ones — Balbo Drive from Michigan Avenue to Lake Shore Drive and Columbus Drive from Roosevelt Road to Monroe Street. Those are expe(polishparade.org) city is also warning about general delays around spring events downtown this weekend, and OEMC says it will monitor conditions from its Operations Center with police, fire, and infrastructure departments. (myemail.constantcontact.com) ### How big is this thing? (myemail.constantcontact.com)oose Chicago calls it the city’s oldest continuously running parade and the largest Polish parade in the world held outside Poland. So this is not some neighborhood side street procession — it’s a major ethnic heritage event with real downtown footprint. (myemail.constantcontact.com) ### Who’s leading it this year? The parade web(myemail.constantcontact.com)s a friend of Polonia honoree, and Władysław Ortyl as honorary marshal. That lineup gives you the mix here — Polish American civic life, business leadership, and ties back to Poland itself. (polishparade.org) ### Why does Chicago care so much? Because Chicago’s Polish community is one of the city’s defining immigrant stories, and this parade is one of the clearest public expressions of it. The ev(myemail.constantcontact.com)ts it both as a cultural event and as a transportation-and-safety operation. (choosechicago.com) ### Bottom line If you’re going, think Saturday, not Sunday. And if you’re not going but you’ll be anywhere near Grant Park or Columbus Drive, plan around closures from morning through early afternoon. Chi(polishparade.org)ggest and oldest ethnic parades — and that still tells you a lot about the city. (myemail.constantcontact.com)