With the start of the holiday season brings in the Annual Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade. Enjoy festive floats, gigantic balloons, marching bands, performance groups and more. To help you plan for the parade, below is the start time, location, street closures, and tips to help you prepare.

When: Thursday, November 28th, 2019

Start Time: 8:00 – 11:00 am CT

Where: Along State Street, from Congress Parkway to Randolph Street

Street Closures:

• North lane of Washington Street from State Street to Dearborn Street: 6:00 am on 11/27/19 through 3:00 pm on 11/28/19
• State Street from Randolph Street to Washington Street: 8:00 pm on 11/27/19 through 3:00 pm on 11/28/19
• State Street from Ida B Wells Drive to Randolph Street: 8:00 am to 1:00 pm on 11/28/19 – Parade Route
• Ida B Wells Drive from Dearborn Street to Wabash Avenue: 8:30 am to 10:45 am (or at Police Discretion) on 11/28/19 – Parade Step-off
• All East/West Streets that intersect State Street from Van Buren Street to Lake Street: 8:00 am to 11:00 am on 11/28/19 – Parade Route

For more information on the parade, visit: www.chicagothanksgivingparade.com

Safety Tips:

• If you see something suspicious, report it
• Carry water and stay hydrated
• Choose a landmark to meet at in case you are separated from your group
• Utilize the buddy system
• Remain alert and be observant of surroundings
• Leave any valuables at home
• Do not jump any barricades
• Secure handbags and wallets
• Stay calm
• Follow your instincts
• Leave yourself room to move quickly
• If you see an unattended bag, alert police as quickly as possible

As always, if you “See Something, Say Something”. For life-threatening emergencies, call 911. To report suspicious activity, call 855-RPRT-2-S4 (855-777-8274).

The Magnificent Mile Association will celebrate The BMO Harris Bank Magnificent Mile Lights Festival this year on Saturday, November 23, 2019. As one of the Association’s most magical and popular events, it is anticipated that the Lights Festival will draw an estimated 800,000+ guests to the area for this single-day event.

To successfully execute all planned activities, we anticipate the following street closures:

Main Street Closures:
**Closed 4:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 23
• Oak Street (State Street to Michigan Avenue)
• North Michigan Avenue (Oak Street to Wacker Drive)
• Upper Wacker Drive (Michigan Avenue to east turnaround)
**Closed 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 23
• Upper Columbus, Southbound Lanes (Wacker Drive to Randolph)
**Closed 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 23
• Upper Columbus, Northbound Lanes (Wacker Drive to Randolph)

Additional Street Closures:
**Closed 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 23
• Clark Street (East curb lane only Oak Street to Delaware Street)
• Delaware Street (Dearborn Street to Clark Street north curb lane only)
• Oak Street (Clark Street to State Street)
• Dearborn Street (Delaware Street to Maple Street)
• Walton Street (State Street to Clark Street)
**Closed 4:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. on Saturday, November 23
• Upper Columbus (Curb lanes from Wacker Drive to Randolph Street)
• Randolph Street (Curb lanes from Michigan to Columbus)
**Closed 4:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. on Saturday, November 23
• Upper Columbus (Curb lanes from Wacker Drive to Randolph Street)
• Randolph Street (Curb lanes from Michigan to Columbus)

**Please note: that the lighting procession will step-off this year at 5:30 p.m. from Oak Street & North Michigan Avenue.

Safety Tips
• If you see something suspicious, report it
• Carry water and stay hydrated
• Choose a landmark to meet at in case you are separated from your group
• Utilize the buddy system
• Remain alert and be observant of surroundings
• Leave any valuables at home
• Do not jump any barricades
• Secure handbags and wallets
• Stay calm
• Follow your instincts
• Leave yourself room to move quickly
• If you see an unattended bag, alert police as quickly as possible

As always, if you “See Something, Say Something”. For life-threatening emergencies, call 911. To report suspicious activity, call 855-RPRT-2-S4 (855-777-8274).

The holiday season is upon us with some special events coming up in the Chicagoland area. Below is a list of upcoming events to keep you aware of what is happening as you celebrate the holiday festivities in a safe and enjoyable way.

Christkindlmarket Chicago
November 15th – December 24th, 2019
Daley Plaza

106th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
November 22nd, 2019
Michigan Avenue

Magnificent Mile Lights Festival
November 23rd, 2019
Michigan Avenue

Thanksgiving Day Parade
November 28th, 2019
State Street

New Year’s Eve Fireworks
December 31st, 2019
Navy Pier

Titan would also like to provide the following safety tips for you to consider during the busy holiday season.

Safety Tips:

• If you see something suspicious, report it
• Choose a landmark to meet at in case you are separated from your group
• Utilize the buddy system
• Remain alert and be observant of surroundings
• Leave any valuables at home
• Do not jump any barricades
• Secure handbags and wallets
• Stay calm
• Follow your own instincts
• Leave yourself room to move quickly
• If you see an unattended bag, alert police as quickly as possible

As always, if you “See Something, Say Something”. For life-threatening emergencies, call 911. To report suspicious activity, call 855-RPRT-2-S4 (855-777-8274).

This month is National Infrastructure Security Month. The risks to our critical infrastructure continues to evolve. As our world grows more interconnected, and our infrastructure grows more interdependent with other systems and functions, we must look at our risks from both a physical and cyber perspective. By raising awareness and promoting preparedness on the safety and security of our infrastructure, we can make our cities and towns a safer place.

Soft Targets and Crowded Places

The places where people gather form the heart of American communities. Ordinary places like parks, concerts, shopping centers, museums, movie theaters, sports arenas, and even office buildings are also places where we expect to feel safe and secure, but often they are most at risk for safety and security concerns. Adversaries realize this as well, and in recent years terrorists and extremists have shifted tactics to focus on what we call soft targets and crowded places. Attackers can often carry out simple, low-cost attacks using whatever is at hand—a vehicle, small arms, knives or improvised explosive devices. Such an attack might require few resources and very little planning, making it hard—but not impossible—to identify and thwart a would-be attacker.

Tips to consider for what you can do:

• Host tenant training seminars on different emergency situations and procedures
• Plan and put in place the policies and procedures your organization needs for emergency management
• Connect with local responders, and learn about each other’s responsibilities during an incident
• Report suspicious activity to local authorities

Tips to Promote Infrastructure Security and Resilience Awareness

• Include messaging about the importance of infrastructure in newsletters, mailings, and websites
• Promote collaboration within your community on infrastructure security and safety issues
• Educate your employees about critical infrastructure issues and how they relate to your mission and the security environment of your office
• Encourage clients, stakeholders, and counterparts to learn about critical infrastructure, and the importance of a whole-of-community effort for security and resilience
• Know the specific risks in your area, by tailoring messages to the specific risks in your area, you can make your outreach more effective and help your community prepare for the most likely events

As always, if you “See Something, Say Something”. For life-threatening emergencies, call 911. To report suspicious activity, call 855-RPRT-2-S4  (855-777-8274).