Chicago to honour Cubs with parade, rally

Nov 3, 2016 - 9:55 PM Ecstatic Chicago Cubs fans are expected to amass downtown on Friday (Saturday morning AEDT) for a parade and rally to honour the new World Series champions.

The celebration of the Cubs' first title in 108 years will kick off when team buses leave Wrigley Field for an official launch of the parade

The procession will begin at the intersection of famed Michigan Avenue and Oak Street, heading south, then continue along Columbus Drive to Grant Park for a noon rally.

"The City of Chicago could not be more proud of the Cubs, and we are going to throw them - and their fans - a celebration worthy of the history the team made last night," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said on Thursday in a release.

Illinois governor Bruce Rauner has proclaimed Friday as "World Champion Chicago Cubs Day" across the state. Rauner called the win "bigger than baseball".

"This is a celebration for past and present fans along with all the Cubs' legends who never gave up hope," he said.

The noon rally will be held at Grant Park's Hutchinson Field. The celebration comes two days after the Cubs' dramatic 8-7, extra-inning Game 7 victory in Cleveland.

All fans attending the rally must pass through security screenings, city officials said. Closed water bottles will be allowed into the rally and food vendors will be on site. City officials said there will be "zero tolerance" for drinking.

Source: AAP