More than 200,000 people attended the second annual Women’s March in Chicago, organizers said Saturday. Sky 5 footage shows an aerial look at the crowd.
Thousands of marchers are expected in Chicago this weekend for the second annual women's march in the city.
Being dubbed this year as the “March to the Polls,” the Women’s March Chicago group has planned a rally and march through downtown Chicago Saturday “to energize women and allies to turn voices into votes.”
The event is one of hundreds of events planned worldwide this weekend, organizers said.
“We are excited about the event and the program. Our speakers will rally participants around issues that concern us all and that we see bubbling up on our social media,” Emily Kraiem, Women’s March Chicago’s social media director, said in a statement.
As of Tuesday, more than 26,000 replied on Facebook that they were interested in attending the weekend march.
Still, a spokesperson for the event said Tuesday “interest is pretty consistent with last year.”
In 2017, what was expected to be a 75,000-person march, quickly turned to more than 250,000 as groups descended on Chicago for the largest women’s march in the country outside of Washington D.C.
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Organizers did note that while interest is high, the weather will be dramatically different from last year’s event, though they’re “prepared for any and all possibilities.” Last year, saw a day filled with sunshine and unseasonably warm temperatures.
This year’s march takes place at a time when women are speaking out more than ever, highlighting sexual harassment and the abuse of power in Hollywood, politics, news and more.
The event will begin at 9 a.m. with music and videos playing as marchers gather at Congress Parkway and Columbus Drive – the site of last year’s “historic inaugural march.” A rally is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. followed by a march at 12:30 p.m.
