Chicago's Loop will host the Columbus Day Parade Monday, even as the city and Chicago Public Schools continue to mark the same day as Indigenous Peoples Day. CPS schools and offices are scheduled to be closed in observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day.
The parade is set to take place on Monday, October 12, 2026, in Chicago's Loop. The 2026 edition carries a notable lineup: Michael Tadin is serving as parade chairman, Campania has been named the parade's region of honor, and the roster of grand marshals includes Lou Gramm, described as the original voice of Foreigner, along with actor and television personality Tony Danza and Cristiana Dell'Anna, according to jccia.org. As ABC7 Chicago notes, Dell'Anna stars in the film Cabrini.
The Parade Downtown
Commuters and residents navigating the Loop should expect the Columbus Day Parade downtown Monday. CPS schools and offices are also scheduled to be closed in observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day.
A Holiday Still Contested
The parade arrives against a backdrop of continued friction over how the day should be marked. Protesters rallied along the Columbus Day Parade route in Chicago, according to FOX 32 Chicago, calling for an end to the celebration of Christopher Columbus. The station notes that the city of Chicago acknowledges the holiday as Indigenous Peoples Day, and that Chicago Public Schools does as well — even as Columbus Day remains a holiday still observed federally.
The debate isn't confined to activists outside the Italian-American community, either. One participant in the parade told the same station that not all Italian-Americans want Columbus associated with their cultural heritage, citing his treatment of Indigenous people as the reason some are uncomfortable with the association. The tension has played out beyond the parade route before: in August 2022, a city panel recommended Chicago permanently remove its three Christopher Columbus statues and the Balbo Monument, per the station's reporting, and consider altering or removing nearly 40 other monuments across the city.
What Happens Monday
For now, the parade and the holiday it marks continue side by side with Indigenous Peoples Day observances, with Chicagoans marking both occasions on the same Monday. Whether that dual recognition evolves further remains an open question tied to the city's broader reckoning over its public monuments and holiday calendar.
