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5 million people gathered in Chicago to celebrate the Cubs’ World Series win, making it one of the largest gatherings in history. The team paid for repairs to Grant Park after the celebration.
Chicago took the day off on November 4, 2016. After dyeing the Chicago River blue in honor of the World Series-winning Chicago Cubs, city officials estimated that 5 million people gathered along the streets of downtown Chicago and in Grant Park to cheer on the team. The Chicago Cubs had finally ended an epic 108-year losing streak, beating the Cleveland Indians for Major League Baseball in an event manager Joe Maddon dubbed “Cubstock 2016.” By many estimates, it was the seventh largest gathering in human history. The top four events include the 30 million people who gathered for the Kumbh Mela pilgrimage in India in 2013, followed by the Arbaeen festival in Iraq in 2014, when 17 million people turned out. Funerals have also drawn immensely large crowds in India and Iran: 15 million people attended C.N. Annadurai’s funeral in 1969, and 10 million people honored Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989.
Go, Puppies, go:
It was only the third save in Cubs history. While they didn’t have a procession after winning the 1908 World Series, there were Chicago parades after the team won National League pennants in 1932 and 1938.
If the city of Chicago’s estimate is accurate, it would mean a crowd nearly twice the city’s population attended. The crowd was not that large to celebrate the Chicago Blackhawks’ recent Stanley Cup victories, or even to celebrate the Chicago White Sox’ victory in the 2005 World Series.
The team agreed to pay $388,000 USD to the city for needed repairs to Grant Park after the three-hour celebration.
