[pullquote]Read more about 45th Annual Gay Pride Parade[/pullquote]In preparation of the busy weekend, organizers of Chicago’s 45th annual Gay Pride Parade have teamed up with Parking Panda, a website turned phone-app that allows you to rent a parking space in advance before an event.
Thousands of people are expected at the Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, which travels from Montrose Avenue to Diversey Parkway through the heart of Wrigleyville and Boystown.
Those worried about finding a good parking spot for the festivities might want to take the parade’s advice and use Parking Panda in order to secure a spot before the parade.
Parking Panda originally started in Baltimore, Maryland in 2011 and has expanded to over 40 cities since. The app started featuring Chicago last fall.
James Bain, head of Business Development at Parking Panda, said that Cubs games and the Art Institute attract the most activity from Chicago through the app but the pride parade will bring a lot of business.
Parking Panda is the official parking partner of the MLB.com and has partnered up with 11 of the nation’s pride parades, Bain said.
[pullquote]
Wrigleyville and Boystown residents can use Parking Panda to rent out their unused parking spots to out of town commuters this weekend.
Adam Gould, a 36-year old resident of Boystown had never heard of Parking Panda but showed intrigue.
“It’s honestly not a bad way to earn a quick buck.” Gould said as he seemingly imagined what he could buy with extra cash earned from his vacant parking spot.
It doesn’t cost any money to rent your parking space through Parking Panda although the company takes 20 percent of each transaction.
[/pullquote]
Those who have attended the parade in past years have some different advice for customers curious about parking.
“That whole area is going to be crazy on Sunday,” said Mirella Medrano, a 27-year old event planner, who advised against bringing a vehicle downtown for the festivities.
For Medrano, between the chaos of the parade and the convenience of public transportation, a car would be an unnecessary burden.
The CTA will have longer Brown, Red, and Orange line trains running more frequently during the parade to accommodate the anticipated increase in customers. The CTA is also encouraging customers to stay away from the Belmont stop due to heavy congestion and also recommend buying fare cards ahead of time to avoid lines.
Note: the logo image for this story was updated. The ParkingPanda partner is MLB.com, not MLB and that was corrected.