Since 1952, the Columbus Day celebration has been a generations-old honoring the Chicagoland Italian American Community.
The JCCIA welcomes everyone to join us in celebration for the 2024 Columbus Day Parade, which will be held on Monday, October 14 on State Street in Chicago.
The day will began at 8 A.M. with a glorious mass at The Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, 1244 Lexington Avenue, Chicago. Immediately following mass, there will be a reverent procession down the block in Arrigo Park with a wreath-laying ceremony, honoring Italian American war veterans. The parade opening ceremonies will start at 11:45 P.M. on the corner of State Street and Wacker Drive, after which, the parade will then commence south to Van Buren Street.
ABC7 will be broadcasting the parade live, and live-streaming on abc7chicago.com
Interested in participating in the 2024 Columbus Day Parade?
View our many options for participating below!
2024 Parade Chairman
Scott Harris
Scott Harris is a national culinary icon with more than twenty-five top restaurants in the area including his flagship concept, Francesca's. Scott has helped found numerous successful restaurants throughout the prestigious Chicago culinary scene which have won him such awards as Chicago Restauranteur of the Year, Top 25 Restaurants in Chicago, and even a James Beard nomination. His establishments have found the hitherto mythical crossroads where classy meets classic, expertly tight roping the paper-thin line between quality and affordability. Scott snowballed a single experiment in casual, authentic Italian fare into a wildly successful operation that now boasts locations across the country.
In everything Scott does, from crafting sophisticated flavors out of simple ingredients to founding the charming trattoria where he'll serve them, he listens to his gut and follows its direction with an absolutely insatiable vigor and passion. And the results speak for themselves. If you're Scott Harris, you go find more cities to feed. Scott Harris Hospitality has grown from its humble beginnings at Mia Francesca in Lake View, Chicago to a collection of trattorias, taquerias and wine bars that can be found everywhere from Chicago to San Diego. They say if it ain't broke don't fix it, and Scott's winning formula just might be bulletproof.
Though the fare they offer varies, every location operates on the same principles of simplicity, hospitality and quality that first lit up the culinary scene in Scott's hometown of Chicago thirty years ago. Each new endeavor is inspired by a love of food and family, and quests are treated as kin. Scott's passion, warmth and endless drive to craft the perfect dining experience have imparted themselves upon every one of his restaurants, at least partially making up for the fact that there is but one Scott Harris to welcome guests to dinner each night. "Chicago's Italian American Community has always been so supportive to me and my family," Scott Said. "I'm all about Italian food and culture and I am humbled to serve as this year's Columbus Day Parade Chairman!'
Mariann Gullo
Parade Vice Chair
Dominic Gambino
Parade Executive Committee
Dominic Stamaglia
Parade Executive Committee
Sergio Giangrande
Parade Executive Committee
Columbus Day Parade
Round-trip Bus Transportation
$20 per person
(Includes a post-parade reception ticket)
2 transportation options:
7:30am Departure from Casa Italia
(For attending Mass, Wreath-Laying, and Parade
10am Departure from Casa Italia
(For attending the Parade)
Contact jcc@jccia.com or 708-450-9050 with any questions
Corporate Sponsor Packages
Corporate Sponsor Green Package
$10,000
Includes: Parade Float with Premium Parade Placement, 15-Second Television Commercial on ABC TV, Two tickets to Presidents’ Gala, Four Select Seats at the Italian Concert, Placement in select advertising, Purple page in the Columbus Day Ad Book
Corporate Sponsor White Package
$25,000
Includes: Parade Float with Premium Parade Placement, 15-Second Television Commercial on ABC TV, Special Recognition and Four tickets to Presidents’ Gala, 10 Premium Seats to Italian Concert and Video Wall Ads, Premium Placement in all advertising, Gold page in the Columbus Day Ad Book, Social Media Campaign
Corporate Sponsor Red Package
$50,000
Includes: 90-Second Video dedication on Television, Parade Float with Premium Parade Placement, Front Line Walk, Two 15-Second Television Commercials on ABC TV, Special Recognition and 10 tickets to Presidents’ Gala, 10 Premium Seats to Italian Concert and Multiple Video Wall Ads and Stage Mentions, Presenting Scholarship Placement in all Advertising, Premium Placement in all advertising, Gold page in the Columbus Day Ad Book, Premium Social Media Campaign
Parade Float Packages
Cabrini
$3,000
Parade Float in 1st section of parade
Da Vinci
$2,250
Parade Float in 2nd section of parade
Fermi
$1,500
Parade Float in 3rd section of parade - based on availability
Sophia
$1,000
Business or Personal Vehicle
Additional Add-On
$250
Musical Performer on Float w/audio equipment (provided by JCCIA)
Program Book and Vignette Rates
Purple Border
$500
Gold Border
$300
Silver Border
$200
White Page
$100